And sadly, that meant no more daydreaming about going out with Alan.
He probably didn’t like me anyhow.
I wasn’t sure if that thought made me relieved or sadder.
The answer was obvious when he walked through the swinging door into the kitchen, and I quickly excused myself to the bathroom so I could have a good cry.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alan
I went into the bakery and quietly asked Lainey as she rang up a customer, “Is everything okay with Jessica?”
She called the customer by name, told the woman she’d see her tomorrow, then spun around to face me—worry replacing her customer-service smile.
“I don’t know? What’s going on?”
“It—it looked like she was crying before she went to the bathroom. And she’s been gone a while.”
“Sometimes it takes a while in the bathroom, Alan,” she admonished.
I rolled my eyes. “I understand that,Lainey. That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about the tearsbeforeshe went into the bathroom.”
“What did you do?”
What the fuck? How is this my fault?
I stood at my full height and deadpanned, “I walked into the kitchen and told her ‘good morning’.”
Lainey frowned. “Oh. That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“You sure you didn’t say or do anything else?”
“Jesus, Lainey. No, I didn’t do anything to upset her.”
“Hmm. It could be new mommy hormones.”
I folded my arms across my chest to let her know that answer wasn’t good enough, and I wasn’t budging. She must have inferred I was serious because she grumbled, “Fine, I’ll go check on her.”
****
Jessica
I buried my face in a handful of paper towels and sobbed.
And sobbed.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried like that. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t let myself do it, because once the dam burst, I couldn’t stop the flood of tears.
There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door, followed by Lainey softly calling my name.
“Jess? Are you okay?”
I tried to infuse my voice with some pep. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute!”
My blotchy reflection and puffy eyes in the mirror begged to differ.
