“Okay, okay, I can see that. Just…don’t panic.”
“Might be a little late for that.” She scoffed as she turned a corner and headed back toward the house, noting that Sprinkles was slowing down, his little legs probably tiring. “I accused Bryce of stealing Adley’s flavors this morning.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, he did steal them. But as he pointed out, nobody owns taste combinations.”
“He’s such a dick.” Teagan had heard many, many stories from Sabrina. Enough so they’d formed their own opinion about the asshole that was Bryce Carter.
“Truth.” She walked on, and the conversation stopped for a moment or two. There was always something comforting about just being on the line with Teagan, even if they weren’t talking.
“You okay, kiddo?” Teagan asked as Sabrina and Sprinkles turned onto their street again.
She sighed. “I guess. I just…I don’t like not understanding what’s going on with me. I’m usually very routine when I do a new opening. Come into town, scope out the area, the competition, do some marketing, meet local businesses, get things set up, do the grand opening, head home for a week or two until the next. I do it in the same order every time. I’ve done it—what?—ten times now? Fifteen? I have it down to a normal, repetitive routine.”
“You’ve never hooked up with a girl before while you’re away.” Teagan said it quietly. Gently. It was the elephant in the room, the thing Sabrina had been purposely not factoring in. “That’s not part of the normal, repetitive routine. Have you thought about that?”
“Of course I’ve thought about that. I also have tried really, really hardnotto think about that.” They’d arrived home, and Sabrina pushed through the front door and unclipped Sprinkles, who rushed to his water bowl and gulped down almost the entire thing, then flopped on his side like he’d run a marathon. “She hates me now, T. I could see it on her face last night. She hates me, so why can’t I just let go of it all and move on?”
“Not sure you’re ready for the answer to that one yet, babe.” Teagan added a chuckle, probably so they didn’t sound too serious. “I think, just do your best to breathe. Focus on your work. How much longer until the grand opening?”
“Fifteen days.”
“There you go. See? Fifteen days. You can manage that, can’t you?”
Could she?
“I’ll do my best.” She thanked Teagan for listening and hung up, bummed to realize she didn’t really feel all that much better. She needed to get her ass over to the new location, had things that needed to be dealt with, and for the first time since landing in Northwood morethan a month ago, she was glad for Bryce’s presence because she knew he’d be all over it. How unlike her to suddenly be grateful for the guy who wanted her job so badly, he could probably taste it.
She sat down on the floor next to Sprinkles and stroked him as he panted, feeling more confused and unlike herself than she could remember. Like, ever.
“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered into the air.
Chapter Fourteen
“It’s just not something we want to spend our money on, honey. You understand.”
Those words, spoken by Adley’s mother exactly three hours and seventeen minutes ago, continued to reverberate through Adley’s head. Echoing, like they were shouted from the top of a mountain. And they might as well have been, given how loud they were in her brain.
She sipped her pinot grigio as she sat at the bar in Martini’s. She’d been there for an hour now, and this was her third glass. Yes, she was overdoing it. No, she didn’t care.
“You understand.” She said it softly to herself, but in a mocking tone. Sneery. Raised lip and everything. Which was not how her mother had said it, but that was exactly how it had felt. Did her parents have any idea how hard it had been for her to ask them for financial help? Any idea at all? She had never, not once, asked for money from them. Not for college. Not for her first car. Not when she’d purchased the Scoop from her grandfather. Not ever. She hinted that she could use it and they’d hinted back that they weren’t interested in helping, but didn’t they know how hard it had been for her to approach them today? To beg? With tears in her eyes because she was facing the reality of losing the Scoop altogether?
She finished her glass and signaled the bartender with the pink streak in her hair for another. She should probably ease up, but for the first time in years and years, all she wanted was to get drunk and forget about the entire day. Or, honestly, the entire summer so far. Yeah, that’d be better. She’d like to rewind back to April, before things started on a downhill trajectory. Or wait. Maybe she’d rather fast-forward. Towinter. Ice cream would be gone. The Scoop would probably be gone. Sabrina would definitely be gone…
Ugh.
Her eyes found the doorway that led to the ladies’ room and she stared. Remembered.
Sabrina.
Goddamn her.
Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why did the one person she’d connected with in longer than she cared to remember have to end up being the enemy? Why couldn’t she be traveling to set up a mall? Or an office building? Or because she was selling flooring? Why did she have to be competition?
The fourth glass of wine went down too smoothly. And way too fast. And now she was a little blurry. Her vision. Her thoughts. Her emotions. All of it was…blurry.
She needed to see Sabrina. Yes. That was the best idea right now. She would see her and tell her what she thought of her. Perfect.Let’s do that.
