by Kelsie Rae
It was only a kiss. A kiss that I practically forced to happen. But still.
My nostrils flare, and my fists squeeze at my sides.
“Levi?” Alexandra presses.
I give her a single, jerky nod. “Sure thing.”
The click-clack of her heels battle the buzzing in my ears as she guides me to her office. Once I’m inside, she closes the door behind me then motions to the chair opposite her desk.
“Take a seat.”
I do as I’m told and rest my ass against the edge of the seat.
“So,” she begins, lacing her perfectly manicured fingers on top of her pristinely organized oak desk. When I notice her professionally colored nails, I can’t help but compare them to Charlie’s. Hers wouldn’t last a week with polish. And I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
“What the hell was that out there?” she asks, grabbing my attention from her intertwined fingers.
“Like you said,” I mutter. “Private stuff.”
“Did it happen to have anything to do with a pretty girl from Get Baked?”
Brows raising in surprise, I shift in my seat. “How did you know?”
“I overheard Conner talking about it a few days ago. How long has he been dating your friend?”
“They’re not dating,” I practically growl.
“Conner seems to think differently. And by the way you’re reacting, I’m going to say you’re not okay with it.”
Bristling, I stare back at her. “Isn’t this a little personal for the office?”
“Like I said in the main area, private topics can be discussed as long as they’re privately discussed.” She lifts her chin to the closed door. “And this seems private enough. What’s going on, Levi? How can I help?”
With a subtle shake of my head, my shoulders hunch, and I slump back into the chair. “Not sure there’s much you can do. I made a huge mistake.”
“And what mistake was that?”
I open my mouth to tell her, but she cuts me off.
“Actually, let me guess. You let your friend slip through your fingers. And after seeing her date someone else, you’ve finally realized how badly you screwed up. And now you’re trying to wrap your head around the fact that the girl of your dreams is in the arms of another man. Am I close?”
Ugh.
When she puts it like that, I get the overwhelming urge to bang my head against a wall.
“Yup,” I reply, bluntly. “Sounds about right. How the hell did you know I had a thing for her, though?”
“Classic best friend scenario. Besides, I saw how you looked at her when I was at the bakery. In all honesty, I’m surprised you didn’t see it for yourself. What’s your story?”
My story? How the hell do I sum up twenty-three years of life into a few mere sentences?
Clearing my throat, I try. “My dad left right after I was born, and daycares are expensive as hell, so my mom would take me with her to clean houses and do odd jobs for people like cooking and babysitting little kids around the neighborhood while the parents went out. Then Charlie’s mom died, and her dad needed to go to work still, so the two of them figured out an arrangement where she would watch Charlie during the day for a bit of money. Charlie was only, what? Three or so?” I laugh dryly as memories of the little girl who would follow me everywhere assault me. She was a cute little shit. “Anyway, we did everything together and became best friends. I basically looked at her like my little sister, who was less annoying than the ones my friends always complained about.”
“Then you both grew up,” Alexandra surmises.
“Yeah. We did.”
“And you realized you didn’t like other boys touching her.”
“I didn’t think I cared,” I reply honestly. “I know that’s an asshole thing to say, but it’s the truth. Hell, I thought she did date, but she was just better at keeping it hidden than I was. And I was okay with that. I didn’t really like the idea of her dating anyone in the first place, so it worked for me. Then, when I found out she didn’t, I figured it was because she wasn’t interested.”
“So how’d she start dating Conner?”
I rub my palm over my face roughly, regret pooling in the pit of my stomach. “I convinced her to.”
Alexandra’s eyes widen in surprise, and she doesn’t even bother to cover it up. “I’m sorry…you convinced her to date Conner? The guy you were two seconds away from punching in the face? Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because I’m a dumbass?” I offer snarkily.
With a dry laugh, she quips, “Apparently, you are. Seriously, Levi. What were you thinking?”
“Conner was into Charlie, but she wasn’t interested, so he asked if I could put in a good word.”
“Why would he ask you?”
“Because he knew she would trust me,” I choke out.
“But why would you do it? Why would you put in a good word? Conner isn’t a bad guy, don’t get me wrong. But still. It doesn’t make any sense. What was in it for you?”
I catch Alexandra resting her elbows on the table and balancing her chin on her closed fist as she watches me curiously.
However, it doesn’t make it any easier to admit what an asshole I am. Running my tongue between my lips and the front of my teeth, I search for a response that doesn’t make me sound like the worst best friend alive. I can’t think of one.
After a few seconds, I scratch my jaw and spit out the truth. “Conner offered to back out of the contention for the job at the end of the internship if I convinced her to date him.”
Alexandra’s jaw drops. She doesn’t say a word. She simply stares at me with wide eyes.
Fidgeting with my collar, I snap, “I know! Okay? I know!”
“You’re almost as bad as Dex,” she mutters under her breath, though I don’t know what he has to do with my messed up situation.
However, the sound of Montague Enterprises’ CEO’s name piques my curiosity. “Dex, as in Dexter Truitt?”
“That’s the one. He full-on hid his identity from my little sister when they first started dating. It was an epic screw-up, and it took a hell of a lot of groveling. But he won her back. The question is, do you think you can win Charlie back?”
Sinking lower into my seat, a defeated laugh escapes me before I rub my face roughly.
“I have no idea where I would even start.”
“First, you need to find out if she has a thing for Conner,” she points out.
“I’m going to say yes since I walked in on them making out on my couch last night.”
“What?” she screeches.
“Oh. Conner and I are roommates,” I clarify, scoffing at how ludicrous the whole ordeal sounds. “He’d brought Charlie back to our place under the guise of watching a movie, though I’m pretty sure he was trying to sleep with her.” Bile floods my mouth at the thought.
“But, he didn’t?”
“Didn’t what?” I ask.
“Sleep with her?”
“Charlie says he didn’t even kiss her again after I walked in on them, and Conner said she turned into an ice queen as soon as I left. That’s the part you witnessed at my desk a few minutes ago,” I explain, my blood beginning to boil as the memory resurfaces.
She nods her understanding before tapping her forefinger against her pursed lips. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she assesses the information I’ve just gifted her with.
“Okay, so she didn’t sleep with him, and she acted uninterested as soon as you caught her kissing Conner. Interesting. So when was the last time you spoke with her? You said she told you that she didn’t kiss him after you walked in?”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “I didn’t know where to go after interrupting them, so I went to her place and turned on Netflix. When she showed up a couple of hours later, I’d built up in my head all the dirty shit she’d done with Conner and was pissed.”
“What did you do?” she murmurs in a quiet voice. I can see it in her eyes. She alrea
dy knows I screwed up, but she wants to hear how. I don’t know why I’m telling her this. I’m probably going to get fired for being an epic asshole.
There’s just something about Alexandra, though. Whether it’s her open expression or her sage wisdom, I don’t know, but it’s just enough to get me to come clean.
“I yelled at her,” I admit, feeling as though a weight has been lifted. Unfortunately, it’s quickly followed by a fresh wave of guilt as I picture the look of confusion painted across Charlie’s gorgeous face when I dropped my hand after almost kissing her. “I was an ass. And when she finally asked why I cared so much about who she did or didn’t sleep with…I left.”
“And you haven’t spoken to her since?”
I shake my head.
“Then it looks like your superior is craving a chocolate eclair and is sending you on an errand to pick one up.”
“What?” I ask, thoroughly confused by the random order.
“You need to fix this,” she clarifies, tapping her manicured nails against the oak surface of her desk. “Right now.”
“I screwed up—”
“Tell her that Conner isn’t the one for her. You are.”
“And what about the job?” I press. “I called off the deal, but Conner—”
“Who the hell cares about Conner? He’s a good guy, Levi. And don’t get me wrong, he’s a hard worker, and his dad knows a few people high up in the corporation. But he essentially gave up the final position as soon as he mentioned retracting his resume.”
Blood drains from my face as I ask, “What do you mean? I don’t want to get this position by tattling—”
She cuts me off. “You’re not. I’m saying that management has noticed his hesitancy, as well, and I’d bet it was long before he approached you about Charlie. You’re not a shoo-in, by any means. But they can feel his…,” she pauses to search for the right word, “Hesitation to jump in with both feet. I don’t know how to explain it, and I don’t think management can really put their finger on it, either. We’ve just felt like he’s not all in. He’s been holding back. Regardless, they’re not blind, and they reward those who put their heart and soul into the corporation. Just keep doing what you’re doing and get me that chocolate eclair, okay?”
For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can finally breathe. Like a weight that’s been burying me into the ground has finally been lifted. And everything might just work out after all.
“You sure?” I ask.
With a kind smile and a swift nod, Alexandra stands from her office chair and practically pushes me out the door.
“Get out of here, McCoy. I better get an update when you get back.”
“Sure thing, Alexandra. Thanks again.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie
“I’m sorry…he was at your place, and you didn’t jump his bones?” Suzette accuses.
My phone was blowing up with texts from her, Indie, and Sophie as soon as Levi left my home in a huff. Instead of telling the story three times, or even bothering to text it in the first place because I was so drained, I set up a group message. The answer was simple. If they wanted all the details, then they should meet at Get Baked at noon the next day, and I’d fill them in.
Needless to say, at 11:59 am, I had three sets of eyes counting down the next sixty seconds so they could get the details.
And now, here I am. I’ve rehashed the story and am getting questions thrown at me left and right. If only I knew the answers.
With my face scrunched up, I answer Suzette’s question. “Levi was on my couch with his feet propped on my coffee table and a bowl of popcorn in his lap when I showed up around eleven o’clock last night. He was a total jerk, pretty much telling me I was a slut for kissing his roommate, even though he was the one who set me up in the first place. Then he did the sexy chin grab and got all up in my business before leaving cold turkey like a bat out of hell. And I have no idea how I’m supposed to process any of it.”
“Hmm…,” Indie hums. “And what did he say again? That Conner isn’t the right guy for you?”
Shrugging, I try to remember his exact words, but the whole thing happened so fast, and I’m not sure if I’m making his comment out to be more than he intended. “He said that if Conner didn’t make my toes curl and my…,” I clear my throat, “My boy shorts wet, then he wasn’t the guy for me.”
“And what did you say back?” Sophie probes.
With a groan of defeat, I rub my face roughly. “I asked him who he thought the right guy might be.”
Suzette continues her interrogation. “What did he say?”
“He didn’t answer. He said he had to go; then, he booked it out the door. Didn’t even finish his popcorn, and he’s anal about his popcorn,” I explain, hating how well I know him.
“And you haven’t heard from him since?” Sophie asks.
“Not one word.”
“He usually comes in before the morning rush, but we didn’t see him,” Indie adds, wringing the dishrag in her hands that we usually wipe down the counters with.
“Which means he’s probably embarrassed for being an idiot,” Sophie concludes.
Suzette puckers her lips. “And it also means we need to figure out how to get him to fess up and admit that he’s the one for you.”
“If getting front row seats to a make-out session between me and his good friend-slash-roommate isn’t enough to push him into telling me how he feels, then I don’t know what will,” I murmur honestly.
“Maybe he’s scared,” Indie offers. “I mean, that’s why you never told him how you feel about him, either. You didn’t want to screw anything up.”
“That makes sense,” Suzette agrees. “So, you’re officially writing Conner off?”
With a deep breath, I grimace. I’ve been analyzing my feelings nonstop all morning and most of last night too. After a few seconds, I answer her. “I just…I don’t get the zing with Conner. The kiss was nice. He had good technique. He even tasted pretty good. It just didn’t…wow me like it did with Levi. And that was before I knew Levi could maybe have feelings for me too.”
“Maybe?” Sophie scoffs. “I have no doubt in my mind that Levi’s in love with you, Charlie Brown.” I roll my eyes at her nickname as she continues. “Our plan worked. Now we just need to give Levi one final push,” she reiterates.
Folding her arms, Suzette looks toward the ceiling before muttering, “But how do we do that? Especially if we’re letting Conner off the hook.”
“No idea.” Sophie shrugs.
“I’m not sure I want to give him one final push,” I admit, defeated. “If he hasn’t made the leap in almost two decades, what the hell is going to make him jump now? I’m a little hurt by the crap he said too. Maybe it would be best if I just….”
“If you just…what?” Indie asks, begging me to finish my sentence.
Leaning my elbows against the glass counter, I weave my fingers into my hair and hold my head in my hands. “If I just let him go.”
The bell on the front door of Get Baked chimes, all of our heads snapping in its direction before the devil himself walks over the threshold, and the women scatter like ants. Hell, even Suzette, who definitely doesn’t work here, snatches the dishrag from Indie’s hand and begins wiping down the counters like a seasoned pro.
Tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my half-ass ponytail, I clear my throat then turn on my heel to hide behind the register. My movements are shaky as my hands fidget with the sample tray filled with bite-sized pieces of pumpkin bread. An awkwardness fills the room until I’m sure we’re all suffocating from it. Eyes darting to the side, I find Indie and Sophie whispering to each other and want to smack them upside the head.
Subtle ladies. Really subtle.
“Hey,” a gruff voice murmurs. The sound does weird things to my insides as I lick my lips and peek up at him.
“Hi.”
“
How’s your day going?”
Ugh. Small talk? Really?
“It’s fine.”
I don’t bother to ask him how his day is going because I’m too peeved at him.
“Can I get that brioche bread you’re always raving about?” he asks, sliding his hands into his front pockets. The action reminds me of when we were little. It tugs on a loose thread in the protective security blanket I’d woven around my brittle heart.
“Sure,” I mumble under my breath. After boxing up his order, I set it on the counter. “Anything else?”
“And an eclair?”
“Yup.” I grab an eclair and put it beside the brioche bun in the pink cardboard box. “Anything else?”
The shop is so quiet, I’m positive you could hear a pin drop. Glancing over his shoulder to find three sets of eyes staring holes into the side of his face, he drops his voice low. “Any chance you could take a break for a few minutes? Maybe go on a quick walk with me or something?”
“I’m working, Levi.”
“She can go!” Sophie interjects while rubbing her swollen, pregnant belly with an innocent smile.
If she wasn’t ready to pop, I’d smack her.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my voice shaky with desperation. “You weren’t scheduled to work today, remember? In fact, don’t you have a doctor’s appointment to get to?”
There is no doctor’s appointment. But it was the only excuse I could think of that would get me out of a conversation with Levi.
“Nope.” She grins. “Not ‘til next week. Go have fun. We’ll see you in a bit.”
Gritting my teeth, I untie my apron and hang it on a hook near my meddling friend.
“Traitor,” I mumble under my breath.
“Coward,” she returns just as quietly.
“Go have fun,” Indie encourages. “We’ll be here when you get back.”
When I step around the counter, I realize I hadn’t officially rung up Levi’s order. Thankfully, he’s one step ahead of me, like always, and pulls out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. Setting it on the glass counter, he lifts his chin to Indie.