Alicia turned to stare, lips pursed. “Why?”
“It’s on the schedule for after lunch.”
“Absolutely the hell not,” she said. “Do you know what they use for that procedure?”
“Wax,” we said in near unison.
“Hot wax,” she clarified.
“The wax is warm,” I corrected. “It won’t burn us, and the aestheticians are professionals. They’ve seen everything, and they don’t care.”
Alicia wrinkled her nose. “I will pass, but I mean it with love: Thank you.”
I scowled. “Come on. Don’t you want to feel smooth like a dolphin?”
“Not really, but it’ll send Cam over the moon. Lord, that man will never leave me alone now.”
I snorted a laugh and stepped on the gas when the light turned green. “You’re welcome.”
We arrived at Chez Margot around seven o’clock that night, having stopped for appetizers at the winery near the spa. As it turned out, a full day of pampering boosted our appetites, and I’d opted to stay for an additional haircut and style.
I spotted Lucas and Pam at the hostess stand as we approached the door.
“Thank god there’s no line,” Alicia whispered. “I need to sit down after that waxing. I feel exposed.” She held her handbag in front of her, as if to hide her secret. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into that.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I lied. It had hurt like hell, and I was horrified when I realized what a terrible job I’d been doing down there. The waxer had to go back multiple times to get the job done.
“I’ve never been so humbled,” Alicia went on. “They made me turn over.”
I flung the door open and let her inside before she said anything more.
“It was mortifying,” she hissed. Her eyes went comically wide when I shushed her. “They took all I got.”
“Stop.” I laughed, drawing Lucas’s attention our way.
Alicia tugged my arm. “I am dead serious. I was robbed.”
Lucas’s brows pinched as his gaze moved from Alicia to me. “Sophie, welcome.” He pulled two menus from the stand with a smile. “Who is your friend?”
“Lucas, this is my best friend, Alicia. Alicia, my boss, Lucas.”
Alicia shot me a coy smile. “Yeah he is.”
I sank an elbow into her ribs.
She crossed her arms over her middle and chuckled. Then she pointed at the bakery’s empty display case. “The Invisible Baker. Look at that, Sophie.”
I shot her a warning look.
Lucas smiled. “We can’t keep their pastries in stock. Apparently, it’s a whole thing online. No one has a clue who owns the company. There’s lots of speculation. Whoever is behind the brand, they’re helping me reach my financial goals to make this a black-tie dinner venue.”
I couldn’t meet her eye. She’d told me repeatedly that I needed to come clean to Lucas, even if I kept the secret from everyone else.
Every day that I didn’t confess made it a little harder to deliver the news. I wasn’t sure he’d understand. He didn’t know what I’d been through, and what I was still going through. Alicia had witnessed everything, but she still didn’t understand my hesitation.
Personal reasons aside, I felt like a criminal when I thought of the lengths I’d gone to keep my name separate from the bakery. I took orders only online. The payments went to my LLC’s bank account. The contact page had a custom email address.
Why would I do all that if I didn’t have something to hide?
