Page 5 of Cupcake
“He was,” Amber said, lifting a brow, “as evidenced by him coming to you today. If I know Brady, and I do, he figured you’d need to see a depleted inventory sheet before you’d believe him. You tend to ignore a lot of what he says, and poo-poo his ideas before you give them any consideration. I can’t say I blame him for adding a little shock factor this time. At least you finally listened to him.”
“I don’t poo-poo anyone’s ideas!” I exclaimed, sitting upright on the couch. “That’s not fair!”
Amber lifted a brow in response. “We know you don’t do it intentionally, and we all know why you do it, but that doesn’t mean you’re not missing out on great ideas to grow the business or make your life easier. It’s been especially bad this year.”
My head fell back against the couch, and my eyes closed. Amber was probably right. I did poo-poo ideas that didn’t jive with my plans sometimes. Not all the time, but when I did, the poo-pooing usually involved Brady Pearson.
“I’m tired,” I whispered. “Thinking about or adding new ideas to an already overflowing baker’s bench stresses me out.”
“And pretending everything is fine, doesn’t?”
I opened one eye and pinned it on Amber. “No, but it does allow me to get up every morning and get through the day.”
“I’ve heard of better coping mechanisms,” Amber muttered.
I nearly choked while trying to hold in my laughter. As if Amber had any right to talk about coping mechanisms. I finally sat up and clasped my hands in front of me. “How about we have a meeting tomorrow afternoon? I’ll make a batch of peppermint bonbon brownies, and we’ll even invite Brady. We can hash out ideas, make changes that will improve business and customer flow, and see how we can change things to take a little bit of stress off everyone’s shoulders.”
Amber sat up and threw her arms around me. “I think that’s a great idea,” she whispered. “For you most of all. I’m afraid when the clock flips to midnight on July thirteenth, and you see that red X on your calendar, you’ll think your life is over.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said, ending the hug and nonchalantly waving her off. “My life isn’t over just because I’m single when I turn thirty.”
Amber’s head bobbed on her shoulders as she considered what I said. “I guess what I’m saying is, you’ve lost focus on what’s important. Instead, what focus you do have, is on that red X. You’ve been obsessing about that for the last six months instead of enjoying all the success you’ve earned over the last eight years.” She stood and held up her finger. “You know what? I forgot for a moment that I have the power to change that.”
She stomped off in the direction of the kitchen, and before I could catch up, she’d ripped the month of July off the calendar and ripped it into shreds.
“Amber! What are you doing?” I shrieked from the end of the counter, as she made confetti out of my calendar.
“I’m helping you refocus. The idea that you need to find a man by your thirtieth birthday is ridiculous, Haylee,” she said, sweeping the tiny white pieces into her hand and stomping to the bathroom. She tossed the paper into the toilet and flushed it with aplomb. “There. Officially refocused.”
My mouth opened and closed several times without words coming out. “But—but, how am I supposed to know what day it is?”
“Alexa, what day is it?” Amber asked, waiting patiently.
“Today is Saturday, June first,” Alexa said.
“Problem solved,” she answered, her hands up in the air.
I sighed and shook my head at the woman leaning against the wall of the bathroom. “No, the problem is most definitely not solved,” I whispered, my head in my hands. “That red X was a goal, Amber.”
She put her arm around my shoulders and walked me back into the living room. I sat on the couch and she refilled my wine glass. “It wasn’t a goal, Hay-Hay. It was an albatross around your neck. Love doesn’t happen because the calendar says it’s time. Love happens when the moment is right, and the person you’re with makes you forget about the days on the calendar.”
I brought my glass to my lips and drained it. Amber may be right about that, but the bigger picture was one I couldn’t let anyone see. I lowered my head to my hand and grasped my forehead. I had already found the person who made me forget about the days on the calendar, but dating him was out of the question. Nothing sucked more than working day after day with the guy you’re in love with while knowing you can never be part of his life. Amber might not understand that, but I did, all the way to my crushed and mangled soul.
