Page 14 of Fall at Once

I beamed from ear to ear as I rushed to the counter and wrapped her in a hug. We were the same height, five foot six on the dot.

She was the only child of my aunt Laura, my father’s only sibling and I’d always adored both of them.

“I started last week. I told Gigi not to tell you.”

Gigi wrapped an arm around my waist as she joined us at the counter. “Surprise!”

“This is amazing! I’ll get to see you every day?”

“Every morning from the crack of dawn until lunch. Midnight Baker takes the late shift. Have you met him? I’ve never met him. We’ll meet him, Madi, even if we have to stalk him. Does he even exist, Gigi? I swear that man never sees the sun, and I find it totally suspicious. Is he a vampire?”

“Midnight Baker?” I questioned. “I haven’t had the pleasure. Spill it, Gigi.”

Kenzie answered before Gigi could even open her mouth. “He’s the mysterious and hopefully sexy dude who bakes all the bread. He’s always gone by the time I get here, likepoof.” She waved her hands in the air for emphasis. “He probably turns into a bat and flies away inside of that cloud of delicious fresh baked fumes he leaves behind like a clarion call for all the carb junkies in this town. I’m tempted to hide behind the dumpster to catch him as he leaves. But getting up is hard enough already without adding being early to my sunrise to-do list. I am not a morning person. At all. Ask me how much coffee I’ve already had today.”

“He exists, sweetheart,” Gigi replied with an amused sigh as Kenzie held up three fingers, indicating she was already three cups deep. This was clearly Kenzie’s latest preoccupation, which she found funny. “He’s shy, is all. Don’t go chasing him away. Think of the bread we won’t be able to eat if you scare him off, my darling. The sourdough alone is worth being discreet. Try for me? Pretty please.”

“Pfft. Shy? That’s it? Okay. I’ve been building him up in my mind since I started working here. He’d better be hot, too, and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter, for now anyway.”

Gigi and I exchanged a glance. It seemed like Kenzie was still as boy-crazy as ever, or was it man-crazy now? We’d get into so much trouble whenever I was here as a kid, sneaking off to run around with her friends at the park. I’d always had so much fun with her.

“Anyhoo,” Gigi said, taking my hand and squeezing it. “Let’s get you upstairs. I’ll show you around the apartment, get you settled in, and then you can start working tomorrow.”

“I heard you’ll be the counter girl slash supervisor slash go-to Queen of the Confectionery until the sprained ankle boot of doom is gone.” Kenzie nudged my arm with her elbow. “How much supervising you’ll actually do is up for debate since this one will be sitting at her table all day taking it easy.” She air-quoted the phrase “take it easy,” and I laughed. I had no illusion that I’d be in charge and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Queen of the Confectionery?” I laughed.

“Yeah, Gigi does it all around here, but mostly, she makes sure everyone is happy. No one ever notices she’s ruling this place with an iron fist.”

“Ahh, maybe I can be the princess then. We both know she’ll be right over at her table keeping an eye on us.”

“You’ll be the princess of pastries, and I’ll be the cupcake queen. We need those on our name badges, Gigi.”

“Okay, girls. Tease me all you want. You know I love having you both here with me. We’re going to have such fun, the three of us.”

She was a force, and I aspired to be like her when I grew up. Yeah, so maybe I was already grown. I should take a page from her book and start living my life with more purpose.

Caring what people thought of me had gotten me nowhere I wanted to be. I had just turned thirty and was working a job I liked but would rather be doing something else. I was not married, had no kids, and didn’t even have a cat or a dog because Ross had insisted he was allergic.

Allergic to pets?Doubtful since he had kept a picture of hischildhood dog on his bedside table. I’d since come to the conclusion what he was really allergic to was a real commitment.

I’d let everything I wanted fall to the wayside to keep Ross in my life.

I felt so stupid and frustrated with myself for having fought so hard and so long, for a relationship that was one-sided and passionless from the beginning. I should have known better.

Change was afoot, and I suddenly couldn’t wait to get started. I decided to be different when I returned to my real life in Colorado Springs.

Madison 2.0 would take charge and be confident in all aspects of her life. No one would dare walk all over me ever again, not this girl. I would get a cat, too—no, two cats—I deserved to have something cute and fluffy to love. I was now officially off the market, about to become a cat mom, and it felt freaking great.

“Let’s get to it!” I clapped my hands together.

“I’m so happy you’re excited about this.”

“Wait ’til you meet Kenny,” Kenzie said.

My head whipped to the side. “Who? What? Kenny?”

“You’ll see. He’s the latest.”

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