“Not really. This machine being down has been a huge pain. Chadd, you know Jessie, and this is Carson. Carson, this is Chadd,” she introduces them, clearly trying to change the direction of their conversation.
Carson gives him a single nod as he packs his small toolkit.
“Great, can we go now? We’re going to be late.”
Lainey tucks loose hairs behind her ears and looks down at her coffee-stained dress. “I–I can’t go like this. I haven’t cleaned up or closed the shop yet. I’m sorry. I’ll come to the next one.”
“Just lock the door and let’s go. You can change at home quickly.”
“I can’t just lock the door and leave. Nothing has been cleaned and no morning prep is done.”
He shakes his head. “Whatever, forget it.” He storms out without another word.
Ding!
Lainey visibly deflates.
“Cool, so would you like to punch him in the face, or should I kick him in the nuts?” I ask Carson.
Lainey lets out a strained laugh. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I forgot we had plans for one of Chadd’s work dinners, and he’s been stressed about work recently. He’s not normally like that.”
Carson still stares at the door before sarcastically saying, “Right.”
“Thank you again for your help.”
“No problem.” He takes that as his cue to leave and heads back to the ranch.
Lainey and I set to cleaning. She tackles the mess behind the counter while I flip chairs onto tables before sweeping and mopping the floor.
“So . . ." I break the silence. “Does he talk to you that way a lot?”
Lainey sighs. “No, not really. I mean, more lately, but like I said, he’s just stressed at work. This dinner was important. I should’ve set an alarm and been ready. It’s my fault.”
“Okay, I get that. Losing track of time is on you, but how he reacted to it? That’s on him. He was super rude and demanding. You’re running an entire business here—he has to understand that.” The way he spoke to her, his tone of voice and body language reminded me of how my father used to treat my mother. I’m sure he still does.
She nods. “We’ll be fine. I’ll make the next one. Anyway, how’s life? It looks like things with Trey are going good.”
I can’t stop my smile.
“That good, huh?” she chuckles.
“It’s not likethat. We’re just . . . becoming friends. He asked me to go to Arizona with him.”
“What?” She gasps. “Tell me more. How did this come about? You said yes, right?”
“Not exactly. I can’t afford the time off, and we aren’t dating or anything, so wouldn’t that be kind of strange? To take a trip together?”
“Use PTO, and no, I don’t think it’s strange. You two live together and have clearly grown close. It’s okay if you want to go, Jessie. I think it would be fun.”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it. He did say I could change my mind.” I tell her about Trey’s sponsor and the photoshoot. Lainey is always happy for everyone, so even though her boyfriend was just a total jerk to her, she gushes about the opportunity to travel and wants me to go. Our conversation moves onto books, and before long, we have the shop cleaned and ready for opening tomorrow.
“Thank you so much for your help. It was great to catch up, too.”
“Of course.”
We hug goodbye, and Lainey locks the front door behind me.
I parked down the street. As I walk, I scroll on my phone looking for music for the drive home. I don’t notice the note on my windshield until I’m in my car. I open my door to retrieve it from under the wiper.
