Page 33 of Fall at Once

I swear Sage meowed her approval. It was almost like she was a tiny, wise old lady trapped in a cat’s body, not just a simple creature Gigi had rescued from behind the dumpster.

I loved cats, but some of them could be totally creepy.

I narrowed my eyes and studied her expression. “I’ll go change.”

She jumped off me to land on the ottoman as if she understood, then smacked Kenny on the head and hopped up to the windowsill with him following behind her.

After donning my best jeans and little black T-shirt combo—I didn’t do uniforms, which Gigi agreed to before I got here—I threw my hair into a messy bun, put on my Converse, and left. No more dressing up to impress Cole. I had been playing with fire earlier by wearing that dress, and I should have known better.And I needed to quit it with the high heels. My feet were freaking killing me.

A couple of hours left before closing meant that much less time would be spent being stuck in my head tonight. Yay.

Plus, Sage was right. I’d done enough moping around over men. I needed a new outlook on life. Which was what I was supposed to be working on this entire time, damn it.

A rueful laugh escaped as I pushed through the door to the bakery’s kitchen. “Kenzie, where are you hiding?” Gigi was already home for the day.

“Oooh, you look pissy.” She popped out of the walk-in refrigerator and then eyed me up and down. “Tell me all about it.”

“I’m fine. I came back down to help out.”

“No need. It’s under control, as you can see.” She swept an arm out, and yeah, she had it covered.

I sighed and didn’t elaborate, even though she could always read every emotion on my face.

“I can see you’re upset. I have two working eyeballs and the sixth sense of a psychic, don’t I? Do you want me to comfort you? Or bring you treats and leave you alone?”

“Both.”

“Ahh, this requires chamomile and your favorite petit fours. Today, we have strawberry cream and chocolate peanut butter. Which would you like?”

“Both.”

“I see. Is Ross getting you down? Or possibly the emergency taco lunch with Cole at Tres Chicas that has you all stressed outand grumpy?”

“Both.” My lips shifted up into a grin.

“You’ll spill your guts, and I will make you feel better. One-word answers will not suffice.” She eyed me speculatively. “Listen, I have a date tomorrow. Can I borrow your pink cashmere sweater and brown leather bomber jacket?”

“Fine, respect. You got me. I’ll talk. But I won’t start ranting about clothes right now, no matter how funny you think it is.” I never let anyone borrow my clothes. I’d learned my lesson in high school when Abigail ruined my first designer little black dress by spilling red wine all over it. It was gorgeous, and I loved it. I’d saved up for months to buy it. I didn’t loan out my books for the same reason. I was generous with other things—things you couldn’t break. Except for my heart, I’d been generous with that, and Ross hadn’t cared one bit.

“Ha! I got you talking. Two things to consider. One—Ross is a giant douche, and we hate him. It would have been a shut-up ring if he proposed to you that night—like a ‘will you marry me and shut the fuck up about it’ kind of thing. He would have been one of those wedding reception cake-smashed-in-your-face guys, Madi. It wouldn’t have been holy matrimony; it would have been holy shit; what was I thinking? And you know it. You did the right thing by dumping his ass and running away. You dodged a huge bullet.”

“Don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.”

“I’m glad you’re here. That’s how I feel.”

“I’m glad I’m here too.”

“Two—Cole is something else entirely, and I’m intrigued. Tell me all about your lunch with him.”

“He—”

She held up a hand. “Wait. Let me gather the supplies. Go, grab us a table, and I’ll be right there.”

“Oooh, the petit fours. I need a lot, Kenzie. Like, too much.”

“Got it.”

I stared out the window, letting my mind wander, until I heard a throat clearing beside my table. I turned to find a tall drink of hot guy, who told me his name was Andrew, standing there.

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