I looked at him blankly.
"I don't know what's gotten into you."
"It's McKenna. She's been following him around," Garrett said.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here."
"Then act like an adult."
"Fine. McKenna is not a problem. She'll get bored and slither back into her hole in Manhattan."
* * *
I spentthe morning holed up in Mace's office. I would periodically poke my head around the door and shoot a little paper ball at him through a straw. My aim wasn't all that great. I was rusty. Sometimes the paper pieces would just bounce on the floor.
"Stop it," Mace warned.
"Just trying to keep you on your toes," I said.
Garrett knocked on the glass wall of Mace's office. He had a crate in his hand. He looked annoyed. "I'm not your mail boy," he said icily.
"What is that?" Mace asked.
"You're not the only one who plots and plans," I said, taking the crate from Garrett gleefully. "Hey, Mace, do you want a sandwich? I feel like a sandwich."
"Anything to get you out of my office."
25
Hazel
Ihad Archer on the brain. I also wondered why he hadn't kissed me. It felt like he wanted to.
Hazel:Do I smell bad?
Olivia:No? You smell like bread and deli meats.
Jemma:But in a good way. Guys like that.
Hazel:Archer fixed my heater then he left. I'm a mess.
Jemma:Call him back over and tell him it needs fixing again then open the door in sexy lingerie.
Hazel:I don't think I have any properly sexy lingerie.
Olivia:Cut some holes in your panties.
Hazel:I can't…
Jemma:Take control. Be the change you want to see in your life!
I could not sleep that night at all. I had fitful dreams that Archer was there. I would wake up, see that he wasn't, need a very cold shower, go back to bed, and repeat the process. I was relieved when the sun shone through the skylight in my bedroom closet.
I made sandwiches, all while thinking of Archer's comments about sex in the café. "I seriously need to get laid," I said out loud.
"Amen!" Jemma said as she walked in and headed to wash her hands. "At least he fixed your hot water."
"I needed him to fix something else," I grumbled, and I quickly finished the sandwiches. I also made a box for the Svenssons since Archer had paid me for food. After another sweltering walk to Ida's General Store, I returned to my café and started prepping for the lunch rush, or rather the lunch trickle.
