Face frozen, I remind each muscle one by one to act natural, not call even more attention to myself as Jynx talks excitedly into the camera, my face still in frame.
“Like this town couldn’t get any better! I mean, you saw how cute the downtown was, look who’s here! Vixens, I’ve just solved a mystery. The missing sandwich man from the bodega on 23rd. My favorite place to grab a quick bite, it’s not the same without this man right here.” She grins into the camera before looking back at me. “No wonder the food here was so good!”
Her charisma can’t help but win me over and I shoot her a grateful smile.
I’ve said it before, nothing I love more than feeding people good food.
Well, almost nothing.
Someone who appreciates that food? Warms my scarred heart.
I drop an arm over her shoulder, and she leans into my hold, like old friends.
“Until next time, Vixens!”
She signs off the live and spins to face me fully, going in for another hug. “What are the odds?” she asks, and I have to wonder the same fucking question.
All I can do is hope the odds are slim anyone that knew me was watching.
SIXTEEN
LEXI
The wall of Post-it notes mock me as my eyes jump from blue to green to orange to purple little squares, each with its own task for me to tackle.
You thought you could own a restaurant?They seem to say.You can’t even survive a month running one.
Or they aren’t talking to me, and I’m thirty years overdue for my diagnosis.
Flopping down in my chair, I let my head fall back, staring at the colorful, imposing to-do list that’s making a mockery of my former confidence. Hands to my temples, I try to pick one that is most urgent, but my eyes flicker from one to the next until every one of them is a jumble, spinning around in my head together, all demanding attention.
Health inspector.
POS.
Fryer.
I jump back up and let out a frustrated screech right as my chef comes through the door to our shared office.
The confident, charming smile he’s usually equipped with drops when he sees my face.
“Hey,” he says as he holds a hand out, grabbing my elbow with a gentle touch. “What’s going on, Lex?”
It’s the first time I can think of where he’s used that nickname for me.
Like he knows me well enough to.
It ratchets my temper up even higher.
He wouldn’t like me if he got to know me. No man ever has.
Wilder likes the challenge of me. Not the Lexi that’s beneath all the flying insults. The one that’s too loud, too harsh, too acerbic to get close to beyond a hookup or ten.
Great for parties, always a good time, hilarious when she’s on a roll, but not to be taken seriously.
Not even by her own blood.
“What’s going on is that everything is fucked,” I shout, pulling my arm back and willing him to disappear like everyone else has.
