“I’m an expert in people, andI don’t think he’s acting normal for someone who’s here for vengeance and isn’t getting all of the information he wants.”
“Maybe hedoeshave the information he wants.”
“You just said he doesn’t.”
“I said he doesn’t have what he wants onChandler. I didn’t say he didn’t have what he wants onyou.”
My stomach drops to my toes. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m the only person who can tell you if he knows what I know you did yesterday.”
All the blood drains from my face and pools in my stomach—yes, the stomach down in my toes—where it churns like sour milk. “I…worked and then hung out with my mom and my friend Laney?”
They arch a pierced brow.
Now is not the time to remember I have to pee when I get nervous.
Been too long since I’ve been this level of nervous.
“If you didn’t want anyone to know what you did,” they murmur, “you wouldn’t have given my great-grandmother your real name.”
They have an excellent point. “Your great-grandmother? Did I see her yesterday and not know it?”
“You aresolucky I think you’re fabulous and your dog is even better, and that I think Uncle Grey’s making a huge mistake with how he’s approaching what he’s trying to do here. Although in all honesty, I support the Cheese Turd getting what’s coming to him for every shit thing he’s ever done to anyone in his entire life. Also, I’m unbelievably excited at the idea of running a kombucha bar. And those are the only reasons I’m not ratting you out. You’d be so fired and this place would get shut down.”
“Is this where you try to blackmail me for a very unclear something that you think I did?”
I absolutely did it.
I called Grey’s grandmother because I know—I know—he has a good relationship with her andI have to stop him.
No matter how much I like him, Icannotbear the thought of Bean & Nugget no longer being Bean & Nugget.
But I can tell by the way Zen’s eyes are darting around my face, studying me, that they suddenly have doubts if it was me, or if it was someone pretending to be me.
They finally snort softly. “I am officially Switzerland in this whole debacle. That’s all I’m saying.”
They turn to head back up front, but just as quickly spin back to me. “No, actually, that’s not all I’m saying.Thisis the last thing I’ll say about it—if you callanyoneelse who shares DNA with either of us, I’ll personally light this building on fire.”
“I—” I squeak, but they’re gone.
This is when I’d normally text Laney and Emma and ask them to please remind me that desperate times call for desperate measures, and I wouldn’t have called his grandmother if I hadn’t trusted they had a good relationship.
And that I knew there was no way I was getting out of Zen what I wanted to know about Grey’s purchase of the café.
This is also when I’d normally high-five myself for getting another hint that all is not roses and fairy kisses in the Cartwright family, which is another path to follow if I have to play dirty.
Instead, I feel like an absolute heel.
I like Zen, even if they’re not telling me all the secrets.
And now they don’t trust me.
Getting off work half an hour later doesn’t help, because getting off work means I need to do something else that twists my stomach in knots.
Just before I clock out for the day, I whip up a special salted caramel hot chocolate in a to-go mug and pay for it and three chocolate croissants. Then it’s off to pick up Jitter and drop into Sir Pretzelot.
If I’m doing this, I’m bringing everyone’s favorite buffer.
