Page 23 of Unbreak My Heart

She’d dug around on his social media to find that, yes, indeed, he was again single. He’d commented on her company’s post about her award win, the red flags waving nice and high for her aboutwhyhe’d contacted her after so long. She was underno illusions—the man was after money and nothing else, no matter how he might couch it.

She wasn’t going there again and never with him. Besides her own mental health, she wasn’t letting him within spitting distance of Matty, not when it would hurt her son so much when he left again.

And leave he would. Once he’d found a way to slither his way back into her heart, he’d find a way to slither into her bank account, then…poof!He’d be gone.

If the man had had any brain at all, he would’ve realised the only way to get to her would’ve beenthroughMatty. By actually paying their little boy some attention. Bybeinga father.

Vance was such a narcissist that he couldn’t even figure that one out, and she thanked her lucky stars daily that he hadn’t.

She hit the town limits and glanced down the mall as she went around the roundabout.

Coffee. She needed coffee and one of those incredible cupcakes Cat made. Eva had stopped in there many times over the last couple of years, on her way to or from wherever she was going that day. She’d come to love those cupcakes with a passion.

“Lucky I decided to only get them once a week,” she muttered.

And today was her once a week.

She hadn’t had time for breakfast this morning. Matty having been a bit grumpy and belligerent with his own food. She was a thirty-three-year-old woman. There was no one around to tell her she couldn’t have a cupcake for breakfast, and even if they did, they could go jump.

Pulling into the council car park at the rear of the mall shops, she found an easy park down the bottom near the Lakewalk, the car park itself quite empty due to the time of day.

Ten to seven. She had ten minutes before the crews would be onsite.

She was used to the early mornings. Having a baby had dispelled any thoughts of sleeping in.

Matty believed that as soon as the sun eventhoughtabout rising, it was playtime.

Eva’s flats tapped lightly on the boards of the Lakewalk as she came to Kitty Cat’s Cupcakes. The bell above the doorway tinkled and Cat looked up from behind the counter.

“Eva! Cupcake day, I take it?” she asked with a grin.

Eva couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “However did you guess?”

Cat winked and waved at the glass display cases in front of her. “You have your pick. You’ve beaten the rush. Coffee?”

Eva nodded. “The usual, plus one each for Max and Simon.”

Cat nodded and turned to start the order. Alex, the project manager, usually got his own on his way from Bialga, as did most of the crew, although some of them had temporarily moved to the Crossing during the working week. She’d made the mistake of buying too many coffees a few times, until Alex had told her not to worry.

The usual unicorns, puppies, rainbows, and smiley faces all beckoned from within the gleaming, lit glass.

What to choose?

The next display case to her left caught her eye and Eva let out a loud, “Oooh!”

Piped buttercream in the shades and shapes of the Australian bush looked back at her. Then roses, and… “Oh my goodness! Butterflies? You are a genius!”

Cat chuckled as she pushed the button for the coffee to start through the portafilter. “They’re edible paper wafers. Even I’m notthatgood.”

Sunflower heads shone bright, happy yellow with brown centres; curled and delicately twisted toffee shards that looked like flames stuck up from others.

Eva’s eyes lit on the next set, “Bees! You havebees! I want the bees.”

The cutest ever yellow bumblebees with black bands sat atop some piped buttercream daisies.

Cat’s chuckles turned into full laughter. “You’re the lucky first person to have them. I haven’t done bees before.”

“I would like six, please.”

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