by Roxy Wynn
As she sipped her bourbon, my bourbon, she looked like the cat that ate the canary. It could only mean one thing.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Bull shit Alex. What did you do? Did you meet with the owner?”
“Yes I did. At three, just like we discussed. I invited you. Remember?”
I had been too worried about Chrissy’s lack of contact to think about anything else. Deep down, I hoped that the deal had fallen through, or maybe wasn’t as great as she made it out to be. But she had that sparkle in her eye that meant she had gotten her way.
“And what did they say?”
“They said if we want the building its ours.” She took another sip of her bourbon, not taking her eyes off mine. “I told them we would have the paperwork drafted this evening and an official offer by the end of the week.”
“Jesus.” I felt defeated. If Alex was anyone else, I would have told her to get lost, but considering her father had financed my acting classes and first six months in Hollywood, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“And your little girlfriend was pretty upset about it. I would talk to her if I were you. Or, just ignore her and hope she goes away like the rest of them.”
“Alex, you didn’t?”
“What? Tell her your big secret? I did. She was very upset, but I’m used to disposing of your trash.” She couldn’t contain her happiness and was grinning from ear to ear.
Suddenly all the relationships Alex had taken glee in tearing apart flooded my mind. The nice girls in high school in college who dated me before the fame, their faces taunted me. The innocent ones who believed her lies. I felt shame in knowing I allowed her to destroy my life for so long.
“Alex, she’s not like the others. She’s a good person. Not someone to throw away.”
She stood from her seated position and sauntered over to where I was, placing her arm around my waist. “Jax, you know as well as I do that money belongs with money. Now, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for you. You know that. With daddy’s money financing your career, the least you could do is consider dating someone a little more sophisticated. Someone who looks a little… nicer on your arm at premiers.” She lifted my arm and placed it around her, as if to drive her point home.
“I’m very grateful for everything your father has done for me, but you know it’s never going to happen between us.”
“Do I now?”
I took my arm off of her and pushed away to grab my keys. “Yeah, you do. I’ve been telling you for years. You and I are not going to end up together. Not now, not ever.” I turned to walk out my door, but not before looking back one last time to see her taking off her jacket and shoes, and pouring another bourbon.
“Go see her Jax, then come back here so we can discuss things, in detail.”
As I drove my pickup down the center of town, I tried thinking of what I would say to Chrissy. This whole situation had gotten so out of hand. I should have just told her in the beginning about the investment company, admitted why I was there, but I didn’t want to upset her. I liked the way she liked me for me and not for the fame.
And then when I realized there was no way in hell I could buy the building? Why didn’t I come clean then? I should have told her everything and followed up with how much she means to me. How much I love her.
My history with Alex wasn’t exactly something I was proud of, and now that she was in town, she had no plans to leave until she had exactly what she wanted.
As kids, I brushed off her advances time and time again, only to have her patiently worm her way into my life under the guise of ‘helping’. Then when I got to Hollywood and found the success I wanted, she followed me faithfully, breaking up every relationship I tried to have.
At that time, we shared a house together in Beachwood Vista with a view of the Hollywood sign. She would get her claws in, befriending every woman I took home, telling them how close we were, until eventually she would have them convinced we were sleeping together.
It wasn’t until I found myself out in Louisiana that I finally escaped her.
If it wasn’t for Alex’s father, I never would have made it as far as I did. He was the one that financed my dreams and made it possible for me to audition as much as I did, so when he called me six months ago asking to me to join Alex’s investment company I didn’t hesitate.
And now that choice was going to cost me the sexiest, most career driven women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
I stopped at Ruby’s first. One by one, each person in line started reaching for their phones as I approached. There were two women at the counter, and neither of them was my Chrissy.
I know I must have caused a spectacle, but I didn’t care. “Where is she?” I asked. The short one, Sarah, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the cafe and into their office.
“Hi Jax, Chrissy isn’t here. Your ‘friend’ was here a little while ago and it made her pretty upset. She’s gone for the day.”
My eyes went to the audience that had stopped working to watch the show. “Guys, get back to work,” she yelled, closing the door to give us privacy.
“Is it true?” She asked, arms folded over her chest. If she were taller, it would have been intimidating.
“Yes.” I dropped my gaze. “It’s all true. I came to this bakery to scope it out for my investment company.”
“That you share with that tall bitchy blonde chick?”
“Alex. Yeah, that’s her. But you have to understand once I fell in love with Chrissy I tried calling the whole thing off. And, it still hasn’t gone through yet, she needs my signature which she isn’t going to get.”
“If you tried calling it off, then why did she strut in here and break my best friend’s heart. There are so many other buildings in this town to choose from. Why this one? This is our livelihood. If you kick us out, that’s it. All of our money is in that cafe.”
I sighed. “Because Alex has been in love with me since we were seventeen years old and I’ve never reciprocated that feeling. This is her way of punishing me to get what she wants.”
Sarah looked at me with a mix of contempt of pity. “You fucked up. Big time.”
“I know.”
“You really love my Chrissy?”
“Yes.”
Sarah took a step back before opening the office door. “Then you need to stop your friend and hope to God Chrissy forgives you.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do. Thanks, Sarah. And don’t worry, I will make sure this building is yours for as long as you want it.”
Chapter Thirty
Chrissy
In times of heartbreak, I always went to Sarah’s. She lived in a cozy three-bedroom house with her mom and son just outside of Mont Clare at the end of a culdesac. After spending most of my time here as a kid, it was a second home to me. A place where I knew I would be welcomed with open arms and a plate of cookies.
Also, nothing soothes the soul better than the love of a three-year-old who adores you. Bailey did not understand when I was sad, he just knew a sleepover with Auntie Chrissy meant a night of ice cream for dinner and lots of snuggles.
When he saw me at the door with a backpack full of clothes, he lit up with the biggest smile I had ever seen.
“Hey little man,” I said, scooping him up into my arms. His fingers were sticky and his face covered in chocolate, but to be fair, so was mine. We were two peas in a pod.
He laughed when I tickled him. “Sissy!” He would learn my name at some point, but until then Sissy would have to do.
“Where’s Nana?” I asked. His hair smelled of chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to inhale him.
“Right here.” Joyce, Sarah’s mom, came out of the kitchen and gave me an enormous hug. She always knew how to make me feel better. After losing my mom as a kid, Joyce’s home became my safe space. When grandma got a little too mouthy, it was Joyce that I went to for comfort.
“I hope you don’t mind,
but Sarah said that boy is on his way here.” The way she said ‘that boy’, as if he were the high school football star gone wrong, warmed my heart. No matter how old we got, she still treated us like we were little girls.
“Jeff?” My stomach clenched at his name. I didn’t know if I was ready to face him.
She handed both Bailey and me a warm cookie before giving me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Why didn’t she call me and give me a heads up?”
“Because she knew if she did you would turn around and leave,” a voice said from behind me. When I turned to look at Jeff, he was standing on the other side of the screen door, looking like an absolute mess. His face was scruffy, and his hair was standing on end. If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was hung over.
Joyce took Bailey from my arms and walked into his bedroom. “I’ll give you two some space,” she said, closing the door behind her.
“Chrissy, I need to explain.”
I opened the door to let him inside before the neighbors got an eyeful, but pulled away before he could touch me.
“Explain how you planned to destroy my business?” I couldn’t keep the contempt from my voice. It filled my heart with so many conflicting emotions. Part of me wanted to run to him and bury my face in his neck while he covered me with kisses.
The other part of me wanted to tell him to get lost and never contact me again.
He leaned his tall body against the door frame, dropping his eyes. “I never planned to destroy your business.”
“No? That little stunt with the paparazzi almost cost me my wedding cake order. That sucked. And then those pictures of me all over the magazines and the internet?”
“I know, I’m sorry. But I never meant to hurt you.”
“Bull shit. You came in scoping out Ruby’s for your business. How was that not supposed to hurt me?” I was trying to keep my voice level and free of emotion, but with each word I spat out, I could hear it beginning to crack.
“You’re right, I was scoping out Ruby’s. I came in thinking it would be an easy flip. You had a commercial kitchen in back and a great storefront location. What I didn’t expect was falling in love with you. That part was a very welcome surprise.”
Those same words had been on the tip of my tongue last time we were together, and now here he was saying them to me. After all the deception, I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.
“Fall in love with me?”
“From the moment I saw you, Chrissy, I was head over heels. I loved how real you were. How cute you were, with flour all over your face. And most of all, how passionate you were about your work.”
“What about Alex? She seemed possessive.”
His nostrils flared. “Her family has done a lot for me. We decided she wanted me, I turned her down. She never quite got over that and has made it her life’s goal to destroy every relationship I ever had. But the thing is, I’ve never cared that much until now.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me? Come clean about everything?”
“I didn’t want you to hate me. I kept thinking if I showed her other properties, she would get bored and move on. When she said she was coming here, I thought she was bluffing.”
“Well, she wasn’t, and now I’m going to lose my bakery.”
The pain on his face almost matched the pain in my heart. He looked up at me with his large puppy dog eyes and reached for my hand. I pulled it away before he could touch me as if his fingers were lava.
“You won’t lose your bakery, Chrissy. She doesn’t have enough capital without me in on the deal, and I have no intention of signing that paper.”
Unable to trust him, I had no idea what to think, or how to feel. I busted my ass for years to build something I could be proud of. Something for my best friend and I to do together that might support us for the rest of our lives. As much as it pained me to admit, coming between me and Ruby’s was a deal breaker.
I took a deep breath before continuing. Placing my hand on his chest for the last time, I went on. “Jeff, I have worked so hard. I can’t jeopardize that for you, or anyone else for that matter. Our time together was wonderful, but Ruby’s comes first. I’ve worked too hard to throw my dream away for a man. I’m sorry.”
He nodded. Without a word, he removed my hand from his chest, kissed it, and walked away.
I know I made the right decision, so why do I feel like the dumbest girl in the state of Louisiana?
Chapter Thirty-One
Chrissy
Since breaking it off with Jeff, life had gotten… weird.
I stayed at Sarah’s house for a full week until the paparazzi stopped staking out my apartment. Bailey loved it because Auntie Chrissy was way more fun than mom and grandma combined. Sarah loves it because she gets to act like a teenager again and stay up all night boy talking with me.
The only one not benefiting with the setup? Joyce. She loves me, but having three grown women in a house with one bathroom and an overactive toddler was about to make her lose her mind. Like Sarah and Bailey, Joyce was a Grade A spitfire.
Back in my own apartment, in my own bed, I miss Jeff so much it hurts. I still hate his stupid face for lying to me, but I miss him too. Most nights I lay awake thinking about how much fun we had, and wondering if I should love him for that, or hate him for everything else. Not just for the wedding cake debacle, but also for the fact that my ass is still plastered all over the grocery store checkout line.
The daytime hours were easier, because work had been insanely busy. The lines at Ruby’s formed shortly after opening and continued until well after close. There were even a couple of days where we had to shut down early because we had been wiped out of all pastries before noon.
Kenneth and I did our best to keep everything stocked, but after a week, Sarah demanded we hire more bakers. I tried fighting her, but she went behind my back and put a flyer up at the culinary school. Before we knew it, we had a whole team of people ready to learn. While Tiffany and Sarah stayed up front dealing with all the new customers, I stayed in back training an all new crew.
And occasionally crying in the walk-in.
As for the building sale? Well, the day after kicking Jeff out and becoming a single lady again, I went up to Martha’s office to ask what the hell was going on. For someone at the ass end of their seventies, Martha was still sharp as a tack.
“I’m not selling anything,” she said, when I walked into her office.
Martha’s workspace was a surprisingly homey apartment on the top floor of our building, with a huge window overlooking downtown. If one didn’t know any better, they would assume it was more her home than a place of business.
She always kept cookies around and loved when Sarah and I would visit, aka, drop off our rent check.
“Hi Martha, I take it you heard the rumor. So what’s going on?” I asked, sitting on a dusky pink floral loveseat straight out of 1982. I offered her a plate of cookies, which she gleefully grabbed. For an old person with questionable dental health, she still had a sweet tooth.
“It’s my boys, they are just itching to kick me out and put me in a home. They came to me telling me they had a buyer and that I could finally retire.” She scoffed. “Retire? I don’t plan on retiring, nor do I plan on selling this building! This was my father’s building. Did you know he helped build this place with his own two hands?”
I did, in fact, know that as she happened to tell anyone who had the pleasure of stepping foot into her office.
“And once the building was finished, he worked inside, right where your bakery is. He worked at that bank and saved every penny he owned until he could afford to buy the place himself.”
“That’s great Martha,” I said, taking a bite of one of our signature oatmeal raisin cookies. Her favorite. “So did you tell Alex it wasn’t for sale?”
“Of course I did,” she said. With a huff, she grabbed another cookie off the plate. I had no intention of taking the cookies back with me, bu
t seeing her panic and double fist them was hilarious. “And do you know what that little trollop said to me?”
“No, what did she say?”
“She said it would make me a millionaire and I could retire happily.” Martha started laughing, slapping her hand on her knee. “And you know what I said to that?” Her face was red, and it was apparent she was loving every bit of her story.
“Go on.”
“I said I already have a million in the bank and I had no need for her money. I told her I intended to stay here until the day I died!”
I winced a little. Considering how many cookies Martha could put down in one sitting, I had a feeling that death might be coming sooner than later.
“But you know what else, honey?” She asked, this time a little quieter. Martha was usually jolly and a little belligerent, but occasionally she would get serious. “I plan to keep things just as they are. When I die my money will go into a trust and this building will stay a part of it. You and Sarah have a spot here as long as you want it. I like you girls.”
I smiled, blinking back a tear. “That’s awesome. Really great news, Martha. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it,” she said with a wave of her hand. “You’re self made, just like me, and just like my father before me. My boys are in for a tough time if they think they are getting one penny out of this estate. I don’t give handouts.”
I thought of the one time I met her sons. They had both strolled into Ruby’s as if they owned the place. They were showing their friends around while decked out ready for a night on the town. I asked if they wanted to purchase anything, and the oldest, Todd, had scoffed. “No, we enjoy healthy diets, but it’s great what you’ve done with the place.” They were very entitled men, and I was glad I would never have to deal with them.
“Thank you so much for everything Martha,” I said, standing up. “We really appreciate you giving us a start.”