Misery sets in. Love isn’t enough. “They didn’t scam thousands of dollars because they sucked. The only reason they didn’t do millions was because they wanted to stay under the radar. If Dwayne hadn’t gotten into drugs, he would still be doing it. I would’ve wised up and left, but I’d be broke as hell.” Anguish twists in my chest. So many problems; all my fault. “I can’t lose this bakery.”
“You won’t.”
“I know. Because I’m going to figure a way out of it.” I poke myself in the chest. “Me. I know how to deal with them. I know how their brains work. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“You don’t have to.” Worry lines his face and he crosses to me. I want to lean into him as much as I want to push him away. “It’ll be two against one.”
“It’s my mess. You made it worse.”
He rocks back on his heels, and I regret what I said and the tone of it, but I can’t deny the truth. Maybe I would’ve had one or two payments to make before I figured out what to do. It could’ve been three or four more months. Hell, a year. But I’d have my bakery in the end. My parents wouldn’t make themselves sick with sorrow. My sister wouldn’t be ashamed of me. Now? I don’t know.
“You need to leave.” The words hurt to say, but it’s for the best. For him and for me, even if it feels like the worst thing I could do to myself. “You need to leave me alone.”
He stares at me for a moment, working his jaw back and forth. Then he pivots on a heel and storms out.
Cruz
My house is dark. I sat outside with Rufus until the sun sank below the horizon. The wind picked up and rain spat in my face, driving me inside with my conflicted feelings.
I prop my feet on the coffee table in front of my couch. My gaze bounces off the bare walls. Elodie said the space doesn’t need added decoration, but as I sit here, wondering if she’ll speak to me again, the emptiness isn’t helping me. It doesn’t matter how clean my place is or how much I shower; I ended up alone because I stepped in with my fists.
I don’t regret it. That fucker. How long had Dean—Damonbeen stalking her?
Was she scared to tell me, afraid I’d make it worse? Or worried that I’d revert to a part of myself I’m ashamed of?
I proved her right.
I push a hand through my hair. Basil jumps onto the couch with a little mew. He stomps onto my lap and curls up. Sage does the same. The center of my cold chest warms. I never had pets of my own before my kittens and dog. They help a lot when I’m sitting and berating myself.
I rest my head on the back of the couch. After several moments, headlights swing across the window, and hope sparks hot in my chest. Disturbing the kittens, I sit up straighter and they readjust themselves. A sigh leaves me. It’s a pickup, not Elodie’s car.
Since my door’s unlocked, I stay where I am. Another set of headlights swings in.
There’s a knock and then nothing. The door cracks open. “Yo, Cruz?”
“I’m here.”
More footsteps than just Lane’s pile in and the light flips on. I blink against the onslaught.
The scrape of their boots on the rug fills the air, and then some muttering. Clothing rustles and there’re a couple of grunts as they take their boots off.
I tuck my finger into Basil’s soft fur. “How many of you are there?”
“All of us.” Lane comes out of the entry, shoving his hair off his face. His black T-shirt is sprinkled with wet spots.
“Why?”
Iverson pushes past him. “We wouldn’t leave Lane alone about you. He swore you’d want some time to yourself, or we’d have brought dinner.”
I haven’t eaten, but my appetite is gone. “I’m not hungry.”
“I brought some leftover pasta.” Durban shoves a container into my hands and sets a plastic fork on top of it. “Campbell made extra, so I brought you some. Haven’s got your win from the silent auction.”
Haven holds up a decorative box with a cake inside and baking supplies. Elodie’s donation, which I made sure I won.
“You can put that on the table. Or take it to work tomorrow and eat it.” When he puts the reminder of Elodie on my kitchen table, I frown at the food in my hand. “You didn’t have to ditch your home for me.” He didn’t fuck up his relationship.
“Campbell wanted to know why the hell I came home in the first place.” He sits across from me on the love seat and Haven drops next to him. “We’re not the ones Lane needs to warn about giving you space.”
