16
Zoe
The second I stepped into the diner, I recognized Raymond. He was the only man dressed in a suit. Even with me seeing just the back of his head, I knew who he was. With a smile, I headed to his booth. For the past three weeks, life had been perfect, even with the moments of sadness, frustration, and grief.
I had been spending almost every day with Haji for the past two weeks, and I wanted more of him. I wanted to live in that man’s skin. I loved everything about him. He was several years younger than Raymond yet more mature than him. Even with me dealing with Raymond for the past decade, Haji felt like the first grown man I’d ever dealt with. From the way he planned and initiated things to the way he considered me. His intentionality. Him being a safe space. Him helping me heal.
I loved everything about Haji to the point where getting an unexpected pop-up from Raymond felt like not just an intrusion but a violation as well. Like how dare he impede upon my time with my man?
Raymond had no idea I’d moved on already. He probably thought I was here depressed and missing him. That wouldn’t have been the case even if I was in Rose Valley Hills. While I wouldn’t downplay my care and feelings for Raymond, it was easy to move on when you had someone giving you better and treating you better.
When I rounded the corner, Raymond removed the shades from his face. He looked so out of place, and that made me smile. Raymond stood, and the hug he gave me caught me off guard. What caught me even more off guard was him kissing me. I frantically pushed him away and wiped my mouth.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, not even bothering to hide my disgust.
Chuckling, he reached for me, but I took a step back. “I can’t hug and kiss you now?”
“Uh, no. You weren’t affectionate while we were together, so I’m not sure why you’d think that would be appropriate now.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Zoe. I was affectionate with you.”
A snorted laugh escaped me as I sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table. “Yeah, you were affectionate when we were celebrating or having sex. That’s about it.”
His head shook as he sighed and looked over the menu. “Whatever. Is there anything edible here?”
“Everything is great here actually. I know this isn’t the Michelin vibe you’re used to, but they have some of the best Southern and comfort food I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Clearly. It looks like you’ve already put on a few pounds. I like it though. You’ve always had a nice enough ass for your small frame. Now, you’re getting hippy.”
With a roll of my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Raymond? I know you didn’t come to Jasper Lane just to annoy me.”
His eyes lifted from the menu as he smiled. “I’m about to get offended. You’re treating me like I wasn’t the love of your life. Like we weren’t set to get married before I hurt your little feelings.”
The more he talked, the more he showed me I’d made the right call by calling off our engagement.
“Mylittlefeelings?” I repeated, and his eyes rolled toward the ceiling.
“Are you going to over analyze everything I say, Zoe?”
“No, but I am going to call you out on your bullshit. Maybe if I hadn’t been blind to it for the last decade, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry your ass.”
“Wow.” Raymond scoffed and sat back in his seat. “Where is all this hostility coming from?”
“Raymond, I really don’t have time for this. Can you just tell me what you’re doing here?”
“I was hoping we could have lunch first.”
I was hungry, so I nodded my agreement. “Fine, but only if you’re not going to be stuck up and complain about the food the whole time. I want you to give it a chance.”
“I can do that.” I allowed my guards to lower slightly. We ordered our food, and I resisted the urge to check my phone. “So, how have you been?”
“Great. I’m really glad you told me to take a break. It’s changed my life.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“Well, coming back here has forced me to deal with a lot of things I’ve buried over the years. I used work and our relationship to bury my grief. My loneliness. Hurt. Anger. I’m dealing with the loss of my sister in a healthy way, finally, and working on my relationship with my parents. That’s the biggest and most important change.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him about my passion for baking returning. How it made me feel happier than I ever felt while working for him. How it made me feel closer to my sister. How the joy and pleasure it gave customers made me feel as good as coffee made Zina feel, and I finally understood why she chose the shop over being a lawyer.
