“We better sell a lot of damn doughnuts tomorrow. These babies are eight bucks a piece.” She passes a tall glass to Katy and sets one at Winnie’s empty seat.
My butt vibrates against the wooden stool and I’m forced to set down the cool drink to grab my cell. Bennett’s name lights up the screen and I swipe to answer. “What’s up?”
The bar is loud and I’m forced to release the glass and cover up my other ear to hear him better. “Anessa, small problem.” His words are calm and almost soothing although he speaks louder than normal. Something about them leaves me tense and nervous.
“Bennett, what’s wrong?” I slide off the stool and walk to the side exit hopeful it’s quieter in the dark hallway to hear him easier.
“We had our meeting with Frankie tonight, but the money is $20,000 short.”
“You’re short?” How is that possible?
Is it still in the wall?
My heart stops… I have his money.
I completely put the problem over the fact I found a few hundred thousand dollars in my bakery out of my mind for the last few days. Bennett promised me it was taken care of.
No problem he said.
All handled.
Ridge went to drop off the money and I never had to hear about it again.
He said everything was fine.
But everything is not fine.
My pulse picks up and I lean against the back wall. The cold stone does nothing to calm my nerves. My mind races thinking back to the day we found the money and all of us continued to keep piling and stacking it in different variations. It was so much money and so crazy, I forgot.
“Anessa,” he uses his calm voice. “Do you know where the money is?”
There’s silence.
And more silence.
And then I work up the courage for honesty.
“Yes.”
My hand shakes holding the phone, but the scene plays on repeat over and over and over again. Like my own mini horror version of Groundhog Day. I clearly see myself, as I look down on the scene from the morning I found the money. I scrambled pulling bills out of the wall and stacking them in front of me. There were wrapped stacks in my hands when Tabitha walked in the kitchen door. In my haste and surprise I didn’t stack them on top like the others. Like a criminal caught in the act I tossed the money in the cupboard to my side.
There’s no explanation for why I did it. It was a knee-jerk reaction and any sane person would know Tabitha would see the larger stack behind me. I didn’t even remember until right now. At the worst possible time.
I have no reason to hide the money…but I did. Until this moment I’d forgotten all about it. That cupboard I tossed the stacks into holds all my birthday cake molds. Those cute metal pans you get from Wilton that can be decorated into any of the popular cartoon characters. No one has placed a birthday cake order in the last few weeks. I haven’t had a reason to open the cupboard.
“Sweetheart,” if possible his voice is even calmer now and I struggle to hear it over the noises coming from the main room. “I’m going to need you to give me the money.”
A hand covers my mouth, stifling the first panicked sob until I answer. “Of course. I swear, Bennett. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Anessa, I just need the money.” This time he’s louder, not hard but not as giving either.
“It’s at the bakery,” I whisper the words into the phone, hopeful he hears them because I’m not sure I’ll be able to say them again before I break down and cry.
What will I do if Bennett thinks I hid the money on purpose? I choke on a breath making it hard to take a second one as the scene continues playing on repeat. Me tossing the money, me closing the cupboard door, and then me turning to Tabitha. What was I thinking?
I wasn’t.
There’s no other explanation. Just me taking a good thing and tossing it out the window. I’ve gotten myself in a real mess and from the anger leaching out from Bennett’s voice I’ve probably lost him in the process.
