“It’s what we do. Just take care of yourself and leave the rest to us.”
He waved as he walked out, and I let my head drop back to the pillow, tears on my face as I thought about the implications of what my life had become. “Trials, and cameras, and statements, and court,” I moaned.
“What?” Brady asked, resting me back on the pillow and sitting by my side in the chair by the bed.
“That’s what I’ll have to face once they arrest her. Amber!” I exclaimed, frantic again at the thought of my best friend at the bakery alone. “Someone has to protect Amber!”
His hand grasped my chin to hold me in place. “Amber is fine, honey. She’s at the bakery helping the officers. I’ve been keeping her updated about your condition, and she will be here as soon as she can.”
“But the bakery,” I said, another tear falling. I swiped it away angrily. “Why am I crying all the time?” I asked, frustrated.
“When you have a head injury, it is difficult to control your emotions. The doctors said it would improve over the next few days.”
“That makes sense.” I propped my hand on my forehead. “I have to get out of here. I have special orders to bake and a bakery to run. I can’t let Darla ruin my business, especially now that you won’t be working there anymore.”
His gasp and the stricken look on his face wasn’t what I was expecting. Before I could say anything more, a nurse strode into the room to take my vital signs. He stood and left my room, and likely, my life.
IHAD MY HAND BURIEDin my hair and my heart in my throat. What did Haylee mean I wasn’t going to be working there anymore? I grabbed my phone and punched in a number, waiting anxiously while it rang in my ear.
“Is she okay, Brady?” Amber asked without greeting me.
“Yeah, she’s okay,” I said without hesitation. “She’s awake and talking. Sore, but she’s going to be fine. She’s asking about you, and I promised her you’d be over once you were done at the bakery.”
“But she wants out of there so she can get the bakery open, right?” she asked on a chuckle.
“Exactly,” I said slowly, and she noticed.
“What’s wrong, Brady?”
I cleared my throat and leaned against the wall, willing my exhausted mind not to mess with my emotions any more tonight. “Haylee just said that she couldn’t let Darla ruin her business now that I won’t be working there anymore. Is she firing me, Amber? Just be honest with me, please,” I begged. I didn’t even care how lame or emasculated I sounded. I had to know what I did so I could fix it.
Amber was silent for a beat before she spoke. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Brady. She said nothing to me about you leaving. She’s been weird since the bake-off, though. She was out at the van when I got there, and then suddenly, she just took off and said she didn’t care what you thought about her leaving without you. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her before everything went down. Maybe it’s just the head injury or anesthesia talking? Is she confused?”
“Could be,” I said, my heart loosening a little bit in my chest. “The nurse just left her room. I’m going to go talk to her and see if I can figure out what’s going on.”
“Okay, the police are wrapping everything up here, and then I’m going to wait for Taylor to arrive before I come over.”
“There’s no bread,” I said immediately. “Please apologize to the customers.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure word is out by now about what happened. We’ll be here for the special orders, and the rest doesn’t matter. Just take care of my girl.”
“You got it,” I said, nodding once. “After you get here, I’ll head over to the bakery and get the product made for tomorrow. If I can’t do anything else for her, I can at least keep the business running. That is if she doesn’t fire me when I walk back in that room.”
“She’s not going to, and if she does, I’ll kick her ass when I get there. She loves you, Brady. I don’t know what’s going on, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. I’m half of this business, and I get a say in what goes on in it, too.”
“Okay, thanks, Amber. See you soon.”
I hung up the call and sucked in a breath to steel my nerves and get my head into focus before I walked back into her room. When I stopped in the doorway, she was sitting up higher in the bed and sipping water from the cup the nurse must have given her.
She startled when she saw me and coughed on the water. “I thought you left.”
I shook my phone in my hand. “No, I was updating Amber. She’s almost done with the police, and then she’ll be over,” I said, sitting down next to her in the chair again. “Once she gets here, I’m going to go back to The Fluffy Cupcake and get some product made for tomorrow. There aren’t any special orders for cupcakes, but there are the buns and bread that the restaurants need.”
“What about all the special orders for today?” she fretted, her hand on her forehead. “Amber will have to call them all.”
“They’re done,” I promised her, wanting to touch her but afraid to at the same time. “I stayed late yesterday and finished them. I knew you weren’t feeling well, and I wanted to get you ahead of the game for tonight’s baking. Now I’m really glad I did.”
“You did? Seriously?”