Ready for your big day tomorrow?
I smile at the message. It might be the first time anyone has checked in to see how I’m doing before an event. Taking a deep breath, I compose myself so I can type a nice message back.
Just missing my number one fangirl.
The little dots indicating she’s typing appear and disappeara couple of times before her next message comes through.
Who, me?? You’ll have plenty of women fawning over you, I’m sure.
A sharp pang catches me off guard.
Is Poppy jealous? I’ve never paid too close attention to anyone standing in the crowd, and even less so since I’ve had Poppy on my arm and a ring around my finger.
It occurs to me in this moment that for the last few weeks being married to her, I haven’t even so much as looked in another woman’s direction. I take another bite of food, biting the noodles and letting them fall back into the container before I type out a response.
Not the same. I’ve started to look forward to kissing you after my runs.
The dots don’t pop up this time, and something inside me sinks. Disappointment carves a hollow in my chest.
I flick on the television and find something mindless to watch to keep me distracted from the feelings that have been slowly creeping in. Feelings about Poppy.
Feelings I shouldnotbe having about my wife.
But my heart leaps when I see my phone light up out of the corner of my eye.
Just imagine our kisses from last night.
Oh, I have been.
I type back right away. She responds right away now, too.
Careful, you don’t want to come in your pants again.
Who says I don’t?
You’re making me blush.
Good. It’s time for our next lesson.
CHAPTER 34
POPPY
“You should go homeand take a night off of closing,” I tell Ethan as he wipes out the old espresso grounds from the hopper on top of the machine. “You’ve done so much over the last few weeks. Seriously, take tomorrow off, too if you want.”
“I enjoy the work, Pops,” Ethan answers, and it occurs to me how much he’s grown up since he started working here. He’s no longer the lanky, dorky, brace-faced high school kid I hired. He’s cut his curly red hair, so it’s cropped close to his head, and his body has more muscle on it than it used to. “It’s been good for me to take on more responsibility around here.”
“Have you decided what you want to do now that you’ve graduated?” I ask.
He took the summer off of school to work here and find his path, which turned into the fall, which turned into the winter. I’ve just been grateful to have him for as long as I have, but I know the time will inevitably come when Ethan goes on to live his own life. As he should.
Ethan hops down off the stool he was on to get on top of the espresso machine and wipes his hands on his apron.
“I’ve been applying for business school,” he says. “Maybe one day I can run my own café, or restaurant, or something.”
“That’s amazing, Ethan.” And it is, I don’t have to force a smile or fake my happiness for him.
I can’t expect him to stay at Thistle + Thorne forever. This café is my dream, not his. I want him to go and live the full life he wants. I’ll manage here, picking up the slack like I always do. Although I’m not sure I’ll find someone who makes Maryann’s oat milk matcha latte exactly to her liking, or who knows how to handle all the quirks of the building like he does.
