Page 91 of Ewan

Hmm… There’s definitely something shady about him. And he’s absolutely suspicious because he doesn’t want us to have casual sex.

And that’s my problem?

Annoyed with myself, I finish my yogurt and collect my backpack when my phone rings.

I fish out my phone and answer Maria’s call.

“Hi. What’s up?”

I lean back in my seat.

“You’re framed photograph arrived.”

I push upright.

“What framed photograph?”

“You sitting on Santa’s lap.”

“You’re kidding me. They sent it so quickly?”

“A courier just delivered it. Would you like me to put it in the corridor? The kids want to see it.”

“No, no. Put it in my office.”

“I don’t have the key, and someone locked the door.”

“You know what? Leave it in the storage. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning and put it on the wall myself. Is it big? How big is it?”

“It’s big enough.”

“Okay. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Don’t worry about that.”

We end the call, and I leave the bakery, tempted to just go home, make up an explanation later, and take it from there.

My phone rings again, and I push bad words under my breath.

“What the fuck?”

I pull it out and tap the screen.

“Oh, Miss Scholz. Is everything okay?” I say, smiling. “Uh-huh… Emily, you say?”

She keeps talking.

“Where?” I ask. “Now?” I add a moment later. “Sure. We can do that. You’re texting me the address. Perfect. Thank you so much.”

We hang up, and Emily's address, who is her niece, arrives in my inbox.

She lives on East 65th Street and has a cat that needs company for a few hours.

Now that’s a lifeline.

I get a cab and text Ewan that I’m busy this afternoon. This way I have a little more time to think about my problem.

20

EWAN

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