Page 29 of The Plus One Professional
Had she noticed me before getting stuck in the bathroom with me? If she had, what sort of impression had I made? Did she notice that I was always on dates with different women? If so, did she think I was a player?
Probably. What other conclusion could she come to? The crazy thing was, I couldn’t be less of a player. All I’d ever wanted was to find my person and be with her forever. I’d thought that person was Lindsay, but I’d been wrong.
A bell chimed as I opened the door and walked into the quaint bakery. I was expecting to see Alex’s wife, Sadie, behind the counter, but there was a bald man with a head tattoo and nose ring instead.
“Hi, I’m here to pick up a cake for Cole Crawford.”
The man smiled and walked into the back. When he returned, he was holding a cake box with a window in it. He tilted it toward me, revealing they’d writtenHappy 30th Saraon it.
“Looks great! Thanks!”
After paying, I walked out feeling like this wasn’t enough. As I crossed the street to go to my truck, I wondered if I should have organized some sort of dinner. I’d thought about reaching out to Sara’s school friends, but she wasn’t really in contact with them anymore. And because she got pregnant and married so young, then lost Peter and got sick, she hadn’t really made a ton of friends in her adult life. Honestly, the nurse at Dr. Miller’s office was probably the person she spoke to the most, and that was only because she saw her so much.
“Cole?”
When I heard my name, I lifted my head, and all the air left my lungs. Bailey was standing in front of me. I wondered if she was a figment of my imagination. Maybe the sleepless nights had caught up with me.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she glanced down at my hands. “Oh, you were getting a cake. Sorry, stupid question.”
“It’s my sister’s birthday.” I grinned as I took a breath. She was real. She was real, and she was in front of me. “What are you doing here?”
She pointed above her head. “This is my shop.”
I glanced up and saw the Bliss Bridal Boutique sign. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d been on this street to get donuts and never noticed it before. Although, in fairness, until two weeks ago, seeing Bliss Bridal wouldn’t have meant anything to me because I had no idea Bliss was the sexy green-eyed wedding planner’s last name.
“I go to Sweet Temptations all the time, and I had no idea that your shop was here.”
“Really?” She smiled. “That’s crazy.”
There was a moment of silence between us, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t think of what to say. Part of what made me so good at being a plus one was that I could talk to anyone. I was never at a loss for words. Except, it seemed, when it mattered most.
The one person I wanted to charm; I was apparently unable to.
“So, does your sister have big plans for her birthday?” she asked.
“Probably just a quiet dinner at home.”
“Oh.” Her head tilted to the side as her expression softened. “That soundsperfect.”
“Not a big party girl, huh?”
“I spend so much time planning big days that having a party just feels like work,” she explained. “Plus, I’m more of a behind-the-scenes girl.”
“Not a huge fan of being the center of attention?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Not even on your wedding day?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why. We weren’t talking about weddings. But for some reason, I wanted to know what she imagined her wedding day to be like.
Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “No, I’ve always…” Her voice drifted off as my phone rang, interrupting her.
Fuck. I hoped it was Timmy, Finn, or Eric, so I could ignore the call. But when I pulled it out, I saw it was not someone I could ignore.
“Hey, birthday girl!” I answered.
“Leo’s sick.” Sara’s voice was strained, and I could tell immediately that she was in pain. “I just got a call from the school; he can’t ride the bus because he’s throwing up. I was going to pick him up, but I don’t think I should dri?—”
“I can be at his school in five minutes.”
