Page 52 of For Butter or for Worse
“Follow my lead?”
“Always.”
“Georgie, I’m so glad I finally found you!” Lane wraps his arms around me, ripping my hand out of King’s as he turns us to give the camera a better angle. “I’ve been worried sick about you ever since I heard you left New York.”
I’ve been in Willow Cove for almost two weeks now. It’s been nearly a month since we last talked. “My phone number hasn’t changed,” I say, squirming out of his almost suffocating hold.
Lane puts his hands on my shoulders. “I’m lucky Cecily told me where you went.”
“Didn’t do that,” Cecily says. For some reason, she’s behind the counter with Emily, the pair of them scowling at Lane. Meg, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying this little show as she leans against the door frame of the swinging door. “I want it on the record that I specifically told you that you can stick your so-called apology up your—”
“You came to apologize?” If I sound shocked, it’s because I am. I don’t think Lane has ever apologized to me. Not in so many words, anyway. He has a knack for saying things thatsoundlike an apology but ultimately put the blame anywhere but on himself.
Lane nods almost theatrically. “The way things went down, I couldn’t… I didn’t want to break up with you, Georgie.”
I fold my arms and take a step back so his hands fall from my shoulders. “Okay. So when you said we were going in different directions and that you couldn’t keep letting me hold you back, that was…not a breakup?”
“That was me being an idiot.”
“I agree with you there.”
“Georgie.” He glances at the camera and then steps in close, dropping his voice to a low murmur. I would believe he really means for what he says to be private if not for the microphone pinned to his collar. “I didn’t want to break up with you. It was the network. They thought we were too perfect of a couple and that maybe a little drama would spice things up again. It was never supposed to be permanent.”
I lift an eyebrow. While I can’t see King behind me, I can practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. I really hope Ned is keeping King in the frame because this is going to make television gold if Lane keeps being the idiot that he is. “Okay,” I say again, pretending to understand his logic. “And how was kicking me off the show supposed to get us back together?”
Lane’s mask slips for a second, like he didn’t expect me to question his reasoning. “Oh. Well, obviously it was going to be a victorious comeback. Make our viewers miss you before you return as the triumphant hero.”
“I don’t see what’s triumphant about being dumped on live television.”
Frustration sparks to life in his eyes. It’s a familiar sight, and suddenly I’m wondering why I ever thought it was worth trying to make things work with him. He’s never looked at me the way King does, like just having me nearby makes his life better. Lane has only ever cared about himself.
“I told you,” he says. “It wasn’t a real breakup.”
“Maybe you should have told me thatbeforeyou dumped me.”
“But then it wouldn’t have been authentic.”
“Why are you here, Lane?”
He huffs a quick sigh, looking around the bakery as if seeing it for the first time. He was probably too busy enjoying the attention of his fans to really take in the space I’ve been spending all my time, but he’s seeing it now. And he clearly doesn’t like what he sees. “I’m here to get you out of this dump, obviously.Home Bakedisn’t the same without you.”
I laugh, though I don’t feel especially amused. “I know. That’s because the only reason our show did well is because I was on it. Let me guess—you’ve been doing old recipes since I left? Rehashing the few things you actually know how to make?”
Color splotches in his face as a murmur spreads through the lobby and out the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I grin as an actual sense of triumph and vindication bursts to life inside me. “You’re not even filming new episodes, are you?” I guess. “They’re just doing reruns.”
“Georgie.” He’s starting to sound a little desperate. “I need you back in New York, babe. No one can do what you do, believe me.”
I gasp when I realize what he’s really saying. “You tried to replace me, didn’t you?”
He pales, glancing at the camera again. This time in fear. “I didn’t—that’s not what I…”
“Did you find her before or after you dumped me?”
“Georgie.”
“And were you just replacing me as yourbakingpartner, or…” I quickly realize I don’t need an answer to that question, and I shake my head. If Lane cheated on me, it’s all the better that I’m free of him. “Honestly, Lane, I’m glad you did what you did because I am way happier here than I ever was with you.”
