“Who?” I stared back at her through the reflection.
She gave me a look that told me I was clearly missing something. “Are you serious?”
I stared at her.
“Alex,” she stated as if it was the most obvious answer.
“Alex…What...Why would he...?”
“What other ‘new owner’ would furnish an apartment, triple the size, and keep the rent the same?” She turned to me and crossed her arms with a wide smile on her face. “You must have rocked his world. You got that good good.”
“That what?”
She waved her hand in front of her groin area. “That good good.”
“He didn’t do this because we had sex,” I insisted.
Her left brow rose in an arch.
Or did he? Not because I had the “good good” but maybe because he felt guilty. Did I just get the apartment of my dreams because I slept with a man and he felt guilty for it?
I called his number, but it went straight to his voicemail.
“Alex, this is Sadie. Um, I just got to my apartment and…can you call me back please?” I hung up and tried to disguise the sting I was feeling that he hadn’t answered my call.
“If he did this to your apartment, what do you think the bakery looks like?”
We stared at each other for a second and then both rushed out of the room like we used to when we were kids. On our way out of the apartment, I saw that Achoo was hanging out in the built-in cat wall that ran above the new sectional and E was asleep on his bed which was made out of the same material as the couch.
As soon as I saw the personal touches, I knew…this was definitely Alex.
That knowledge had me feeling strange as we rushed down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. I knew I couldn’t accept any of this, but I had no idea how to give it back.
My hand was shaking as I unlocked the back door and walked inside to a new state-of-the-art kitchen. Everything had been upgraded. All of the appliances, the freezer, the fridge, the industrial oven. The flooring was poured concrete and it looked like the ceilings were a few feet higher giving the area a much larger feel.
We made our way through the kitchen and into the front of the bakery. The entire space had had a serious face lift but it had somehow managed to keep the charm that I’d fallen in love with. The side wall was exposed brick, and the display cases were almost identical, just brand new, not the second-hand items I’d had.
“Um, Sadie…”
I looked up and followed Charli’s stare. Like my apartment above, the shop had been expanded and it now included a tasting room complete with several tables and chairs that could easily be pushed together to seat a party of twenty.
This was my dream bakery, but I hadn’t earned it. I’d gotten it because Alex felt guilty.
My jaw was still hanging open as I shook my head. “I can’t accept this.”
“Well, you can’t exactly give it back.” Charli pointed out what I’d already been thinking. “Why don’t you look at it this way. It’s karma.”
“Karma?” I thought we’d established that it was guilt.
“Yes, karma. This is for all those losers that you dated who stole from you, lied to you, emptied out your apartments and bank accounts.”
“I don’t think that’s how karma works.”
Charli’s face split in a knowing grin. “That’s because you’ve only ever experienced the bad side of our girl. Karma can be a bitch, but she can also be abad bitchif you know what I mean.”
I didn’t. But I did know that I needed to speak to Alex and figure out some sort of payment plan. The sooner the better.
