Oblivious to my inner turmoil, he took my hand. “How can I make you trust me again?”
“I don’t know,” I said, studying his beautiful face, wincing at the pain shining in his eyes. “But I need to think. Can you give me some time?”
He lifted my hand and pressed his lips to the back. “I can do that.”
I stood up, desperate to touch him but knowing I’d regret it if I let him back in before I had time to sort my head.
“I need to go to bed,” I said, watching the hurt and longing play over his face.
“I’ll be here if you need anything,” he replied, pointing to the couch.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth, the routine helping to settle my heart that was beating a drum solo in my chest.
When I crawled into my cold bed, I dragged the sheets over my body, burying my head in the pillow.
A flash of loneliness tore at me, the pain so acute that I curled up into a ball and stayed awake for most of the night, replaying Sebastian’s words over and over again in my head.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Did you make miso soup?” Stella asked, piling her plate high with food.
I snatched the last piece of prawn sushi off the platter before she could reach it, making her pout. “I made you ramen. And sushi. Do you know how long it takes to cook all that? Especially with kids in the house?”
Stella and Malena had come over for a girls’ night as promised, bringing our other friend Willa with them. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and I missed them. The last member of our group, Maisie, couldn’t come tonight because she was at her boyfriend’s cabin. And if she wasn’t hiding out with him in the middle of nowhere, she was busy with her store and pregnancy.
And the reason why I hadn’t seen Willa in forever was that she wasn’t only managing her aunt Rayna’s café while she was participating inShake That Cake, but she was also going to culinary school at the same time.
And I had two jobs, two kids, and not much free time, making a catch-up a rarity.
The whole group of girls was not only generous and always willing to help, but each one of them was also a knockout. If I didn’t love them so much I’d hate them for it.
I’d cooked more food than we could possibly eat, but leftovers were always welcome in my house. The kids had demanded pasta for dinner and refused to try any of the Japanese food I’d made. That was nothing new, but I wasn’t going to give up trying.
“Fine.” Stella sighed. “I guess I’ll survive with all this amazing sushi instead.”
Malena threw a chopstick at Stella who ducked, tipping over her wineglass.
I threw her the paper towels that were already on the table for exactly that reason. The girls were messier than my kids, especially when it came to food.
“We should start selling sushi at Sweet Dreams,” Willa said, waving her chopsticks around.
She hadn’t been able to pick up a single piece of food with them. Everyone else was almost finished, and Willa was still on her first plate.
“Screw this. I’m not made to eat with two sticks,” she said and threw the chopsticks on the table.
Stella giggled. “I told you to use a fork.”
“I wanted to use chopsticks,” Willa pouted. “You guys make it look so easy.”
“Okay,” Malena said, looking at me and stuffing her face while talking at the same time. “Spill. And don’t think you can leave anything out again.”
I knew she was still hurt that I hadn’t told her about the money Jim stole. And that I didn’t ask her for help when things got tight. But she knew most of what was going on, so I just needed to fill in Willa and Stella.
“How are you doing for wine? Do you want more?” I asked, eyeing her still full glass.
“Stop stalling,chiquita,” she said around a mouthful of food.
“Urgh, Malena, I think I just saw a half-chewed piece of salmon floating around your mouth,” Stella complained, refilling her own glass.
