Sabrina nodded, took another sip. She was incredibly uncomfortable, torn between wanting to run away from the sharpness of Adley’s words as if they were physically slicing at her skin, and just being so fucking happy to be standing next to her. God, she smelled good, like cinnamon and waffle cones. She looked great. Dark circles under her eyes, yes, but that spark was so sexy. Seeing her so passionate was a beautiful thing. And the blazer over the tank? A gorgeous look on her.
Jesus, get ahold of yourself, Bri, her brain screamed at her.She hates you now. Keep that in mind.
It was true that she’d not so much forgotten that little tidbit as set it aside. She glanced down at her wine, then raised her eyes to meet Adley’s, whose were flashing. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“That’s it? You’re sorry?” Adley gaped at her like she’d grown a third eye on her forehead. A few people near them had started to glance over.
“I don’t…” Sabrina cleared her throat. She was a businesswoman,damn it. A VP. Yes, her mother owned the company, but her mother had also made her work her ass off to get where she was, and she hadn’t done that by cowering in the face of an angry small business owner. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Ugh. That was it? That was all she could manage to come up with? She should’ve told Adley to suck it up or to work harder or that maybe her shop had run its course. But she said none of those things. All she did was shake her head again and apologize. Again. God, she was pathetic.
Her plan had been to mingle. To network. That’s what networking meetings were for, weren’t they? To meet new people and see if you could help each other out in any kind of business sense. All her intentions were shot to hell, however, when she felt her eyes well up, which horrified her because what the actual fuck? She was a businesswoman. She was tough as nails. How the hell did people think she’d gotten here? She was a badass. A firecracker, her father had called her, because she was small and explosive. Nobody messed with her. Nobody made her feel less than. Nobody.
Except for this gorgeous brunette she’d slept with and couldn’t get out of her mind. Yeah, this woman clearly had the ability to get to her, and Sabrina had to get the hell out of the room before her tears spilled over. She handed her wine to Adley, who took it with clear surprise on her face, and she bolted. Out of the back room, out of the restaurant, into the parking lot and her car, and she started it up and drove home. The whole time, tears rolled down her cheeks, making her equal parts heartbroken and angry.
What the fuck was wrong with her?
Chapter Thirteen
“Wow, I can’t believe you made her cry.”
The words Annie from the massage place in Jefferson Square had said to her last night as Sabrina had fled the networking meeting had stuck with Adley all night and into the morning. She was meeting Scottie for coffee before the salon opened, and Annie’s voice still echoed through her head as she opened the door to Starbucks and was greeted by the hum of morning conversation, a soundtrack of emo music coming from the speakers in the ceiling, and the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee. She found Scottie in line already.
“Morning,” she said and cleared her scratchy throat, as that was the first word she’d spoken aloud since last night.
“Hey, badass,” Scottie said by way of greeting. At Adley’s odd look, she explained. “Demi was at the networking meeting last night. She said you made Sabrina cry and run away.”
Demi was one of Scottie’s two business partners. “I didn’t see her there.”
“She came in late and had to leave early. Typical Demi.” The line moved forward a couple steps. “Is it true, though? You made her cry?” Scottie’s expression was hard to read, and Adley knew her well, so it felt weird not to be able to tell what she was thinking.
A shrug. “I didn’t intend to,” she said, and that was the truth. “I hadn’t set out to be an asshole. But the Scoop needs some help, and I thought the meeting was a good place to look for some and thensheshowed up and…” She shook her head. “I think it was just the last straw for me yesterday. I kinda let her take the brunt of my frustrations.”She shrugged again, working really hard to make it all look nonchalant when the truth was, the unshed tears in Sabrina’s eyes had stabbed at her like little knives, right into her soul, and she’d had no idea what to do with that.
Instead of prying further, asking exactly what had been said, Scottie nodded, said, “Huh,” and moved up in the line again. After a moment, she added, “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I know.” Scottie wasn’t wrong. Adley wasn’t a person who ever actively tried to hurt another. Sure, she’d gossip behind the back of somebody who’d pissed her off, but she never strove for somebody else’s pain. That’s not who she was. “I’m not proud of it, you know.”
Scottie turned to meet her gaze and ran a hand down her arm. “Oh, sweetie, I know. It’s not that you told her what you thought that’s odd to me. It’s how much thatwasn’tyou. You know?”
The barista looked at them expectantly, and they placed their orders—a flat white for Scottie and a blond vanilla latte for Adley…which, of course, made her think about Sabrina. Again. “I should apologize,” she said, not really directing the words toward Scottie, just saying them out loud.
“What?” Scottie treated and they moved down the line to wait for their drinks. “Seriously?”
Adley tipped her head. “I made the woman cry, Scooter. In public.”
Scottie said nothing for what felt like a long time and just held Adley’s gaze. Finally, she blew out a long, slow breath. “This chick has got you all discombobulated, doesn’t she?”
“Discombobulated? Do you have a vocabulary calendar or something?”
That got a smile. “I’m serious, Ad. I feel like you’re…going through something.”
Adley took that in and was rolling it around in her head when the barista called out, “Cappuccino for Lousey!” She met Scottie’s eyes and mouthedLousey?
“Oh my God,” a woman next to Adley muttered as she made her way forward. “It’s Lucy.” She made eye contact with Adley and rolled her eyes, and Adley smiled at her.
A few minutes later, they had their coffees—forScooteyandHadley—and were seated at a small table for two by the window. Thesunny morning had clouded over, and the clouds seemed to be getting darker by the minute. Rain was definitely coming.
“How’s my friend Jaden doing?” she asked, then took a sip of her way too hot latte.
“No-no.” Scottie held up a finger. “Don’t think you’re getting away with changing the subject on me.”
