Page 100 of A Very Merry Enemy
“I’m not saying anything.” But she’s smiling as she pours her coffee. “Just that it’s nice to see you two together again.”
“I really have to go. I’m late.” I’m already moving toward the door.
“HoHo?”
I stop and turn back, remembering the first time she called me that in front of Lucas. He had everyone calling me HoHo at school. Went over really well.
“Don’t you hurt that boy again,” she warns.
I nod because I don’t trust my voice. The words hit me square in the chest because I was naive to think no one noticed Lucas had changed after I left. The whole town watched him break, and now they’re watching to see if I’ll do it again.
Seconds later, I’m out the door and in my car on the way to the farm before my thoughts can spiral any further.
The morning is beautiful, and I can still see some frost on the ground, sparkling like glitter.
The sky is bright and clear blue without a cloud in sight. The sun seems brighter somehow, like the whole world shifted on its axis last night. Everything seems different now. Maybe it is. Confessions is always a dangerous game.
I pull into my parking spot at the bakery and take a deep breath. Through the windows, I can see Bella, Wendy, and Bethany moving around the kitchen effortlessly. Bethany is pulling cookies from the oven. Bella is stocking the front while Wendy puts dough on baking trays.
My mouth falls open because the shop is running like a well-oiled machine. This whole time, I’ve been micromanaging everything. Even though I’m away from Paris and Dominic, I’ve been trying to control every tiny detail. I’ve trusted no one butmyself, assuming this place will fail without my constant supervision. But these girls are crushing it.
They’re talented and capable, and I’ve been treating them like they might burn the place down if I’m not there. I’ve been so afraid of losing control that I haven’t given them more responsibilities.
I take a deep breath and get out of the car. The bell jingles when I push open the door, and all three girls look up.
“Holiday!” Bella’s eyes narrow as she studies my face. “You look…different. Rough night?”
I ignore her question. “Sorry I’m late. I never oversleep and?—”
“We’ve got it covered,” Wendy says, gesturing around the immaculate kitchen. “We’re actually not far behind.”
“Amazing.” I move closer and survey their work. The dough is portioned perfectly on the baking sheets. The cookies coming out of the oven are golden and baked evenly. The workspace is clean and organized. It’s exactly how I would have done things. Maybe better.
“See?” Bethany grins. “We can handle things when you’re not hovering.”
She laughs, but her words are true. I haven’t been trusting them. I’ve been controlling things because I couldn’t let go.
“You’re right. The three of you have done an incredible job. Thank you.” I tie on an apron and move to wash my hands. “I’ve been?—”
Bella is staring at my neck with wide eyes. “Wait. What’s that?”
My hand flies up, and she moves closer, peeling my turtleneck down to reveal the other dark marks that I didn’t bother covering. All three of them are staring now.
“Is that a hickey?” Wendy gasps.
“Multiple hickeys?” Bethany asks.
“No. It’s—I burned myself. With a curling iron.”
“Four timesdown your neck?” Bella crosses her arms and fights a smile. “You suck at lying.”
My face is on fire. “Can we just?—”
Bella squeals. “You and Lucas! Finally!”
“We didn’t—nothing happened. We just—” But I can’t finish the sentence because what can I say?We just got drunk and I touched myself while he sucked on my neck?That’s something I’m going to keep to myself. This is proof that something did happen, something I can’t deny.
Wendy is already digging through her purse. She pulls out a makeup bag that’s bigger than my entire collection of cosmetics. “Here. Let me actually cover those for you because whatever you tried to use isn’t working.”
