Page 105 of Bewitch

My chest is a bit tight as I walk inside. Pamela, though, is all smiles.

“Craig’s on board!” she says, almost singing the words. “Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yes. I, ah, I figure that this weekend, I can do some baking. I’ll need your help to sell the goods—"

“Trust me,” she says with a laugh. “That’s not going to be an issue at all! They’ll sell themselves.”

“And I have to reimburse you somehow,” I say. “For selling them for me.”

“If you can make me some on the side…” She grins.

“Are you sure that’s how you want to be paid?” I ask. “And I honestly have no idea what to charge.”

“I’m sure,” she says. “Otherwise, I would buy up half myself!”

I laugh, but the sound is a little hollow. “No Lucas today?”

Her smile fades a little. “No, no Lucas. Craig—”

“No.” I hole up a hand. “I’ll just wing it myself today.”

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “Trust me. I’m sure.”

“If you need anything…”

“Thanks, Pamela. You’re a gem.”

“Ha. I’m starting to think you’re poison.”

My expression falls, and I can feel the blood drain from my face. “Excuse me?”

Lucas did tell her everything, and now she hates me, and she’s just pretending to like me because she likes my baked goods.

She stands from behind the welcome desk and grabs her ass. “I normally only work out for twenty minutes lifting weights and another twenty minutes cardio, but I’m going to have to bump those numbers up. Rookie numbers, am I right? And all because of your balls.”

I burst out laughing so hard that there’s tears in my eyes, but it’s not because I find her remark that terribly funny. It’s because of all of the stress I’ve been under.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, trying to sound sweet.

“No, you aren’t, and that’s all right. I’m doing it to myself.”

“They are healthy,” I say.

“Most foods aren’t terrible for you in moderation, but that’s the issue, and even more so… I can’t eat too many of them. I, ah, discovered my threshold.”

“Ah. Protein overload?”

“I don’t know what’s worse—when it makes me fart or if there’s just gas that won’t come out and the pain it causes because those farts… let’s just say I can’t do them here at the desk because no one would feel welcomed then!”

“Is Gary going to have to install air fresheners around the gym?”

“I’m pretty sure he already does, but he might want to put in some new ones, yeah.”

I laugh and wave.

Once I’m in the locker room, I stare at myself in the mirror. For the first time ever, I applied makeup, all in the hopes of seeing Lucas again, of wanting to impress him.

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