22. Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
Rowan
I’d avoided Karma and Lauren all week, but late Thursday morning, I pushed through the door of the café and found my best friend behind the counter, frowning at a tray of pastries.
“Taste this,” she said by way of a greeting, thrusting an odd-shaped biscuit in my face.
I took a bite and almost choked on the dried-out clump of awful. She handed me a napkin to spit it in and a cup of water. “Why would you tell me to taste that?” I asked, coughing into the napkin. “That’s terrible.”
“Because I wanted your honest opinion. Plus, that’s payback for ghosting me after you went home with Cal last week.”
“I have not ghosted you.”
Lauren pulled her phone from her apron pocket and showed me our text exchange for the week, which consisted of my one-word replies and her increasingly agitated texts. The last one was just a GIF of a kitten breathing fire.
“I had a lot to think about. But that’s no reason to poison me. What was that?”
“A basil-lemon scone.”
“It tasted like a dish detergent tablet. Not that I’ve ever eaten one, but the consistency is so bad and the lemon is way too strong. I didn’t taste any basil, but I’m not taking another bite to confirm.”
Lauren nodded. “Agreed. I can’t serve these. I’m going to have to taste test everything in the display case. Mr. Wilson pointed out this disaster. Poor thing. I felt so bad, I gave him free coffee all next week.”
“For once, I don’t think you’re being too generous.”
Lauren sighed and dumped the entire tray of pastries into the trash.
“You should have saved one to give to the bakery when you ask for a refund.”
Lauren shook her head. “I called and told them, thinking they’d want to pull the product before selling it to anyone else. They said my customer had an unrefined palette. I told them the scones tasted off to me too, and they said that maybe my coffee was distorting the taste.”
I let out a snort of laughter before I could stop myself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s so ridiculous it’s funny.”
“No, I’d be laughing too if I didn’t have to find a new baker ASAP. This is it for me. I won’t subject my customers to sub-par food. Are you sure you won’t consider baking for Karma?”
I blew out a breath. “I’ve been considering a lot lately.”
Lauren put her hands on her hips. “Ok, I’ve been patient. But you need to tell me what’s going on before I force feed you another scone, straight from the trash.”
I cringed but then my face warmed, thinking about what I was about to tell her. “I’ve been sleeping with Cal since Friday.”
Lauren clapped her hands and did a little dance, hopping like she had a trampoline behind the counter. “I tried to get confirmation from Poppy, but she just gave me a death glare and told me to ask you.”
“Well, you know we went home together after Church.”
Lauren nodded. When I didn’t say anything else, she yanked a scone from the trash. “Details, woman. I’ve been dying over here.”
“It was amazing. But before it happened, he clarified that he didn’t want a relationship. It’d just be sex.”
“Oh,” Lauren said, her smile falling as she tossed the scone back in the garbage where it belonged. “Well, at least he was up front about it, right? You’re coming off a really bad breakup, so hot sex with no feelings might be just what you need.”
I nodded. “But then he took me hiking on Sunday, and it felt like a real date, like the start of something.”
“Oh, I like the sound of this,” Lauren said. “Both the date part and the fact your back must be doing better if Cal took you on a hike. He seemed really worried about you on Friday.”
“Yeah, he’s stopped being so careful with me.” I glanced around to make sure the café was still empty and someone hadn’t wandered up from the book shelves in the back. “We had sex in the trailhead parking lot in the back seat of his SUV like a couple of horny teenagers.”
Lauren threw her head back and laughed. “You did not. Which trail?”
“Sawtooth.”
Lauren laughed so hard, she bent over and clutched her stomach. “That parking lot is crazy. I had no idea you were such a freak.”
“I’m not,” I said, blushing. “We just got caught up in the moment. And it’s been like that all week. After my PT session on Monday, we had a quickie in the building’s elevator. He’s invited me over for dinner twice, and I stayed the whole night both times. I’ve had more orgasms this week than the last year of my marriage.”
Lauren fanned her face. “Damn. I’m jealous. I’m so busy here, I haven’t had a man-induced orgasm in months.”
“Not going to lie, the sex is amazing. But that’s not the only reason I’ve been avoiding you.”
“Uh oh,” Lauren said, walking around the counter. “I know that look. Sit.” She pulled out a chair at one of the bistro tables and pushed me into it before taking a seat across from me. My back protested the sudden movement, but I did my best to keep my face neutral.
“What’s going on?” Lauren asked. “You got pale. Well, paler than usual. Did Brad do something?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t realized how much blood had rushed from my head to my stomach until Lauren forced me into the chair. “He and Kelli got fired.”
“What! When?”
“On Saturday. Which now that I think about it, is pretty unusual. HR must have been really pissed if they couldn’t wait until after the weekend. Apparently, Brad was creeping on his intern in addition to sleeping with my boss.”
Lauren slapped my arm, hard. “I don’t care how magical Cal’s dick is, you do not keep info like that from your best friend.”
“Well, it’s more than that. Remember my mentor, Gwen?”
Lauren nodded.
“She offered me a job. Not my old job. Kelli’s. I got the official letter on Monday. The pay jump is enough I could afford rent in Dupont Circle or even buy a townhouse in Arlington. I’d get to hire a new member for the team and choose them myself. It’s a huge opportunity.”
“Sounds like it,” Lauren said, softly.
“I have until the end of next week to accept. I’m not sure what I want to do. The job would be a giant leap for my career.”
“What does Cal think?”
“I haven’t told him.”
Lauren pushed back from the table and blew out a breath. “Damn, Rowan. That feels a little cold. You’ve been riding him all week, and it never crossed your mind to mention you might leave soon?”
“He knows I’m job hunting, and that I’ll probably move as soon as I find one.”
Lauren nodded. “Which fits with the whole casual hook up, I guess.”
“It’s just, it doesn’t feel casual,” I whispered. “At least not to me.”
Lauren’s face softened. “You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”
I nodded and swiped at my eyes. “He says he doesn’t do relationships, but he’s so caring and thoughtful. And when we’re together, we have conversations about things that are so personal, like losing my dad or his recovery from the accident.”
“Did he say why he wants to keep things casual? I bet it’s because of Avery. Cammie showed me Cal’s online reviews. We’re trying to get his patients to leave good ones, but Avery is a piece of work. She buries anything positive with terrible comments.”
I shook my head. “She’s an awful person, but he told her the same thing he told me. I bet she’s angry because it felt like a real relationship to her. He hurt her. That’s the only reason she’d go to so much trouble to ruin him. I never thought I’d have so much in common with Avery Peterson.”
“You aren’t Avery. Who knows what she thought or how he felt. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. But understanding why he’s so against committing to someone would.”
I let out a huge sigh. The problem was I think I did know. Cal clearly hadn’t worked through his grief from the accident enough to let anyone get close, yet what we had didn’t feel casual. “I don’t know what to do. This job would be amazing for me, career wise. It should be an easy yes. But I’ve really enjoyed being home, spending time with Cal and my family and you, of course.”
“When you’re not avoiding me,” Lauren said with a laugh.
I cringed and nodded.
“I almost don’t want to ask this, because you know I’m biased and want you to stay here, but did you like the work you did with Pinnacle?”
I chewed my bottom lip as I considered her question. “I didn’t dislike it. Finance pays well, especially with the promotion. I worked really hard to get to this point in my career, and people respect the work I do.”
Lauren nodded. “But you don’t love it.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But most people don’t love their jobs.”
“I do,” Lauren said. “It’s stressful and exhausting sometimes, but every day I’m glad I get to put on this Karma apron and bring a little joy to people’s lives. I’m sure your mom feels the same.”
I nodded. “But I saw how much she struggled to open her own business after Dad died. The hours she worked. The stress. Things were really tight for us, financially. We always made do, but I could see how much it weighed on her.”
“Fair,” Lauren said. “But you’re not a widow with three kids to feed. If you were ever going to take a risk, now’s the time. Either way, you need to tell Cal. About the job and your feelings.”
I shook my head. “He was adamant. He doesn’t want a relationship.” I wasn’t sure he was ready for one even if he did. I decided to keep that part to myself. If Lauren knew, she’d tell me to enjoy the sex then run, whether or not I moved to DC.
Lauren shrugged. “People change their minds. But, no matter how he takes it, promise me you’ll make the best decision for you. Whatever you decide, you know I have your back.”
“I know you do,” I said grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Which is why I’m going home right now and baking something for that display case. Even if I’m only here another week, I can fill the gap until you find a new baker.”
She squealed and jumped out of her chair to hug me. “Thank you! Thank you! I don’t care what you make as long as it doesn’t taste like lemons. It’s too soon.”
I laughed. “Ok, I’ll have something ready for Poppy to bring in for her afternoon shift.”
Lauren pulled back. “Promise me you won’t ghost me again. Whatever happens, I want to know. You’re my best friend, and I feel like you’ve been keeping so much from me lately. First Brad and the accident and now this.”
My stomach dropped. I was still keeping things from her, but Cal’s grief wasn’t something I felt comfortable sharing with anyone. “I’m sorry. My life isn’t usually this dramatic. I’m overwhelmed.”
She smiled. “I know. You were exactly like this when I met you, hiding in your shell like a turtle. It took you forever to warm up to me.”
“Everyone wanted to be your friend. I still don’t understand why you insisted on being mine.”
“Because,” she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder, “the people with the hardest shells have the softest insides.” She gave me a squeeze, then stood. “I’m getting you a Rowan to go. I need a fully caffeinated baking machine.”
As I watched her make my drink, I couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to settle in Peace Falls. Coffee and chats with my best friend whenever I wanted. Never missing one of Chris’s games or Poppy’s art shows. Early-morning dance parties with Mom. That one wasn’t always a positive, but on certain mornings, it made my entire day feel lighter. And Cal. Lauren was right. I needed to tell him, but I was scared. Brad had tossed me away like I was one of those terrible scones. Even if I was the one who ended it, he’d left the relationship long before I realized. I was just starting to feel like myself again, and Cal was a big reason why. He’d helped heal more than my back. Even though we’d only been together a short time, I worried he already had a hold on my heart. My stomach twisted as I realized Poppy might be right. Cal could break me into pieces that would never fit together again.