Page 27 of No Limits

They lay six cupcake flavors in front of us, with ten frostings, all labeled.

There’s chocolate cake, vanilla, lemon, marble, red velvet, and carrot. The frostings are chocolate, vanilla, lemon, buttercream, cream cheese, strawberry, mixed berry, lavender, hazelnut, and coffee.

My eyes widen, and my heart races at the selection. It’s just so much. How are we supposed to choose?

Lochlyn takes my hand and runs his thumb over the back. “Hey. Look at me.” He must notice me practically hyperventilating.

I do, and my breath slows, lost in those crystal blues I don’t get enough of anymore.

“I know it’s a lot, but we can eliminate some already. You don’t like red velvet, so we won’t try it. And I don’t like carrot cake, so we won’t do that one either. And that eliminates at least the cream cheese frosting because it goes with both of those. Already making progress.”

I nod as my pulse returns to normal. Reaching forward, I grab the chocolate cake and hazelnut frosting. “Let’s try this first.”

“Good choice.” He gives me a wide smile that makes one span across my face in return.

We both grab our forks and dig in, an extended ‘mmm’ pulling from my chest. “This is so good.”

“It is tasty. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Let’s keep trying.” He reaches for the lemon cake and berry frosting. A good combo too and delicious.

We’re slowly making our way through, having tried at least a quarter of the combos and eliminating the strawberry frosting and lemon cake, when his phone rings.

The tune is familiar, one I hear far too often. My shoulders reach to my ears as I tense from head to toe.

With wide eyes, he mouths, “I’m sorry”as he pulls the phone from his pocket.

“Hello. Yes, sir. Yes, I understand, but I took the afternoon off. Paperwork is all finished. Well, I put in for it weeks ago, and it was okayed by Phillip. No, not a problem at all, sir. I do. Yes, I value my job. Okay. All right.” He hangs up without a goodbye.

“Let me guess. They need you back at work?” There’s nothing but defeat behind my words. I can’t even have one afternoon of his undivided attention.

“I don’t have to, but they want me to. I can say no, though, Shay.”

“Can you? Because I’m not really sure you know how.” The irritation that’s always simmering beneath the surface is boiling.

“That’s not fair, Shay.”

“Why not, Lochlyn? You’ve never said no before. Not once. Any time they call, or beckon, or smoke signal, anything, you go running.”

“It’s myjob.”

“One that apparently doesn’t allow for days off or weekends or even dinner at home.” I cross my arms against my chest and huff as I turn away from him. I just lost all interest in the rest of this afternoon.

“Which cake do you like?” He sounds defeated, like he doesn’t know what else to say or do.

“The chocolate with hazelnut.” My refusal to look at him may be childish, but right now, I don’t care.

“I think that’s a good choice. You love it, I do too, I think everybody else will.” While I know his words are meant to make amends in a small way, it’s not going to work.

“Great.”

“Why don’t we go to the bookstore after this? Digest a little, then maybe dinner?”

I turn him, eyes blazing. “Just go to work, Lochlyn. It’s what you want to do. Let’s not pretend you’d rather spend time with me. Go do your job that seems to be oh so important. I’m fine on my own.”

The small drop in his face and posture would be undetectable to anybody else. But I notice it, and it punches me in the gut. I’m mad and frustrated, but taking it out on him this way, it’s not fair. On some level, I know he’s trying to do it all.

“Lochlyn, I’m—”

“So, what did we decide?” Linda. She has the worst timing.

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