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"I haven't met Heidi yet," Alexis crosses her legs. "Truth be told, I'm fucking nervous to meet her."
"I haven't met her either," I joke, causing her to snicker. "Do you plan on it?"
"Yeah." She takes a drink, swirling it around in her mouth. "I mean she's an important person to both Boone and Abel. Somehow, they all have it together, and I'd like to be included in that. I don't want to make it difficult on any of them. I have a feeling you're going to meet her before I do, though."
I don't say anything before the worker comes back, holding the dress. It shines brightly in the sun. "Oh my gosh," I breathe. "That's beautiful. Alexis, you have to try it on now." She's fallen in love with it, judging by the soft look on her face.
"Please let it fit," she whispers before getting up and heading to the dressing room.
The sales girl grins at me when Alexis shuts the door. "She's going to turn heads."
I take another drink of my champagne. "She already does. In that? She's gonna stop fucking traffic and cause her boyfriend to get in a fist fight."
We laugh as we anxiously wait for her to come out, and when she does, we clap like she's won an award. Because she's that damn beautiful.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Abel
She's fifteen minutes late, but that's nothing new. I've spent most of my life waiting for my mom. I don't normally drink caffeine, I find it causes my anxiety and heart rate to spike, but since she suggested we meet at Get Baked, I've made an exception. Gabby, the owner, comes over, a smile spread across her face.
"Hey Abel, I have a new cookie. Would you like to try it?" She holds a plate in front of my face, running it under my nose.
The smell of toffee and chocolate chips waft up to my nostrils. "My mouth is watering. What are those?"
"Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip. Don't they smell amazing? I'm testing them out to see if Kara might be able to sell them at her food truck, and since you're an expert on that..." She grins, all sassy.
"I'll take one for the team," I swipe one off the plate and put it in my mouth, moaning when the taste hits my tongue. "It's still warm," I say around it, closing my eyes to enjoy it with my senses.
"Yeah?" She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth as if she knows what she's got in her hand.
"Yes, you need to sell these by the dozen." I will be the fucking first to line up.
"That's part of the plan. You want a couple more?"
"I'll never turn that down, thank you." She puts them on a napkin and sits it in front of me. My eyes follow as she goes around the building, giving others a free sample of the baked goods. The excitement on her face is the same kind I notice on Kara's when she's serving others. I hope I get that same kind of look when we deliver a finished product to a customer.
"Hey hon, so sorry I'm late."
Heidi Keller (I think that's her last name now) rushes in with a flurry of activity surrounding her, and the overpowering smell of Cucumber Melon. She's never let it go, and to this day I can't stand to smell it. "It's okay, I haven't been here long," I lie through my teeth. "Grabbed you a tea," I indicate the plastic cup with slight condensation sitting next to my cold brew.
"You're such a good son. How are things going for you?"
I'm already suspicious. She hardly ever asks how my life is going first. It's as if she wants to test it out and see if she can drop a bomb on me. Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I fiddle with one of the cookies, losing my appetite. "Things are good. How are they going with you?"
Her eyes are brighter than normal as she takes a drink, carefully setting it back down. "I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
This doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all. "Alright."
"I know I've spent most of your life flitting in and out of it," she starts. "Many people told me I would regret that later in life, because we wouldn't be close. But I tend to think you're much more forgiving than most kids would be. You've always kind of seen me for who I am, instead of what I am, if that makes sense? You realize I love you to death, but you're better off with your dad. He's always been the more responsible of us."
The longer this drags out, the more I'm getting a sinking feeling in my stomach. She's never been scared to tell me anything, never felt the need to explain things this much. "What's going on?" I grip my coffee in my hands.
She swallows roughly. "They found a spot on my breast. It's cancer, but they've caught it very early. My prognosis is good, Abel."
Having young parents has always tended to exclude me from situations like this. They've always been too young to think of stuff like this happening. Yet here we are. I swallow past the lump in my throat. "What does that mean?"
"It means that it's stage one. I'm going to have surgery, and I won't need radiation or chemo. It's localized, and there's absolutely nothing for you to worry about," she reaches across the table, grabbing my fingers in hers. "I talked to Boone about it today, and told him I'd be letting you know. If you need to talk to your dad, he's there like he always is."
