43. Thea
43
THEA
The bell jingled as the door to the bakery opened, and I braced. We had been slammed for the past three days from open to close, but today around lunchtime, things had finally slowed. If the bell chiming meant a fresh wave, I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
But the moment my gaze connected with the figure in the doorway, everything in me relaxed, and a laugh bubbled out of me. Lolli was standing there, her silver hair piled into two buns on either side of her head, wearing what looked like workout gear. She had tie-dyed leggings on with bright red sneakers, and her T-shirt read Plant Manager with a massive marijuana leaf on it.
“Lolli, you look amazing,” I said, grinning at her.
She did a spin, the bracelets on her wrist clinking together. “I gave one of these shirts to Rho. Told her to show them to Duncan at the nursery. They’d make the perfect uniform.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing again. “What’d he say?”
Lolli frowned. “He doesn’t have my vision. ”
I bet. Duncan was a pretty chill boss, but I didn’t see him changing his family’s generations-old nursery into a pot farm. “His loss.”
“Is the love of my life out there?” Walter called as he walked out of the kitchen.
“Don’t you start with me, you old goat,” Lolli shot back.
Walter’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. “I may be old, but you make me feel like a randy teenager.”
Pink hit Lolli’s cheeks. “Don’t you try to sweet-talk me.”
Walter clutched his chest as if he’d been wounded. “I only speak the truth when it comes to you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lolli waved him off as she headed for the bakery case. “I’m too tired to deal with your marriage proposals today. I’ve been pumping iron with my new trainer, and now I need my reward.”
Walter was not deterred. “If you said yes to me, you wouldn’t need a trainer. I’d give you plenty of workouts right at home.”
“Walter!” Sutton squeaked just as she hit the bottom step of the back staircase.
He just chuckled. “Gotta tell my girl I can keep up with her.”
“You could try,” Lolli said with the shake of her finger in his direction.
“Everyone needs a life mission,” Walter called back.
Sutton gaped at them both. “Am I going to have to separate you two?”
“You could try…” Walter said with a wink.
“Back in the kitchen,” Sutton ordered.
Walter just cackled as he headed in that direction. “One day, you’ll say yes, Lolli.”
She just huffed. “Who does he think he is? I can’t be tamed.”
My lips twitched. “Might be fun to let him try, though.”
Sutton threw her hands in the air, glaring at me. “You, too? Why is everyone so sex-obsessed suddenly?”
Lolli and I shared a look.
“Dry spell, honey bunches?” Lolli asked.
Sutton slumped against the back counter. “It’s the Sahara over here. ”
A grin spread across Lolli’s face, and she clapped, letting out a squeal that seemed more fitting for an excited little girl than a grandmother. “We need a girls’ night. We’ll get dolled up and go to that country bar up the road. There’s nothing like a cowboy. I can make us some special gummies to?—”
“No!” Sutton and I shouted at the same time.
Lolli frowned at us. “You both need to loosen up.”
“I think a glass of wine is about as loose as I need to be these days,” Sutton muttered.
“Oh, fine. But we’re still going to find some cowboys,” Lolli demanded. “Now, get me one of those unicorn cupcakes to go. I’ve got to get home for my three o’clock sun ceremony.”
I didn’t ask. Because in all likelihood, it involved Lolli dancing in her garden naked to worship the sun. I grabbed one of the few remaining unicorns and boxed it up for her. “On me.”
Lolli took the box with a grin. “You spoil me, sweet girl. I’ll repay you with brownies next week.”
With a wave, she headed for the door.
“You know you can’t eat those brownies, right?” Sutton asked.
“Oh, I know. Rhodes said she accidentally ate one in college and hallucinated for hours.”
Sutton just shook her head. “All the shenanigans must keep her young.”
“They must,” I agreed, turning to face my friend. She’d just gone to pick up Luca from camp and had settled him upstairs with a snack and some activity to keep him entertained while we finished up our day. Sutton always looked beautiful, even when she was covered in flour, but I could see the hints of dark smudges beneath the cover-up under her eyes. “You okay?”
“Huh?” Her gaze snapped to me. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.”
I could hear the lie in her voice. “Sutton.”
“It’s nothing. My ex just found my new number. Called a bunch last night.”
I stiffened. I had no idea the history there, but it was clear she didn’t want to hear from him .
Sutton’s face paled. “Shit. I’m sorry, Thea. It’s nothing like that. He was looking for money, that’s all. He’s a nuisance but not a threat.”
But as I took Sutton in, I wasn’t sure she was giving me the whole truth. “You know I’m always here if you need to talk.”
She smiled at me, but it was strained around the edges. “Thank you. But what I think I really need is that girls’ night. A little dancing, a cocktail or two, maybe I’ll even remember what it’s like to flirt.”
Maybe that was a piece of what Sutton needed. She put so much into the bakery and taking care of Luca, she rarely had time for herself. “Okay, we’re going to make it happen. But if Lolli offers you a gummy…”
Sutton chuckled. “Just say no.”
“Gold star,” I said with a grin.
The soft strains of country music shifted suddenly, turning to blaring hard rock.
Sutton winced and jogged over to the stereo system controls. She quickly turned down the volume and switched it back to country. “So sorry about that,” she called to our one remaining customer.
The middle-aged woman waved her off as she stood, gathering her purse. “No problem. That techy stuff is always so twitchy.”
Sutton laughed. “I swear, if there’s a way to set it up wrong, I’ll find it.”
“You and me both,” the woman said.
The bell over the door jingled, and I grimaced as I checked my watch. Who came into a place of business two minutes before they closed? As I turned, pasting on a smile, I froze. Everything in me turned to ice as I took in the tanned face and blue eyes. Eyes that I knew disguised a coldness crueler than anything you could imagine.
“Hey, Selly. Miss me?”