Then, River let her add in the coloring and showed her how to move the sugar around with a spatula stick thing of her own. Once everything was mixed, River laid two rolls next to each other, rolled them together until they were one piece, and showed Kennedy how to pull the sugar over a bar until she told her it was done. They rolled two rolls out on the counter, and River showed her how to chop them into small pieces. After that, it was time to sample.
“Are you sure?” River asked her when Kennedy picked one up.
“Yeah. Why? I made it so that I can eat it, right?”
“It’s going to be really sour…”
“I can handle it,” she said before she popped the piece of candy into her mouth and did her best not to show River that she reallycouldn’thandle it. “God, this is…”
“Told you.” River laughed and held out a piece of paper towel. “You can spit it out. I won’t be offended.”
“No, I–” Kennedy stopped as her mouth puckered.
“Babe, come on. You’re still a badass, even if you can’t handle it.”
Kennedy couldn’t stop the puckering, but her eyes went serious when she heard the term of endearment on River’s lips. She dropped the candy into the paper towel in River’s hand, and River tossed it into the trash.
“Do you need something to drink?” River asked.
“Uh… I’m okay.” She coughed a little. “All good.”
“Want to make another batch? This time,I’llhold the spoon.”
“River, we have a line,” the girl from the front said as she pushed open the door.
Kennedy hadn’t caught her name when she’d walked in and looked around the brightly colored but somehow perfect candy shop.
“Hold that thought,” River said and walked over to a hook where there was a red uniform shirt. “I’ll be right back, but it might take a few minutes. There’s water in that fridge, and if you want something that won’t make your lips pucker like that, just grab whatever. There’s fudge over there, if you want.”
River nodded, but Kennedy wasnotpaying attention to where because River was now buttoning up her uniform shirt, and all Kennedy could think about wasunbuttoning it later, pulling it off River’s somewhat broad shoulders, taking off the white shirt under it, removing River’s bra, and sucking on her nipples as River was pressed to the desk.
“Okay,” she replied in a high-pitched voice.
“I’ll be right back,” River told her and went through the door.
Kennedy just stood there, replaying the moment when River had called her ‘babe,’ and everything about that term of endearment that had felt wrong on Cameron’s lips this past year felt right on River’s.
She sat down in the desk chair, not knowing what to do. Yes, everything pointed her in a direction, but everything had pointed her toward Cameron before, and she’d believed it. She had trusted her instincts and had fallen head over heels in love with someone who was meant to be her friend. She’d planned a life with a woman, and she’d gotten it wrong. How could she trust herself to fall in love with the right person this time?
Kennedy stood up, feeling a bit uneasy on her feet, and walked to the door with a small window through which she was able to see the front of the store.
“Jesus!” she said when she realized how busy they were.
There were at least twenty people in the small space. Six people were in the main line. Three people were in line over at the fudge counter, where River was making some kind of a drink. The rest of the people were milling about, looking at different candy options. River and the girl, whose name Kennedy thought she should probably learn, were both looking like they really needed help. Kennedy wasn’t sure what to do because it wasn’t like she could learn their system and ring people up in time to help with the line, but maybe shecouldhelp get them things or wrap something up. She tipped the hat down a little more, reached for a shirt that she guessed was Cal’s or maybe River’s backup shirt, and put it on. She hadn’t ever worn a uniform in her life unless it was for a role, but she smiled down at the look and decided that it worked for her.
“Can I help?” she asked when she approached River behind the counter.
“Ken? What–”
“Call me Jane,” Kennedy said, nodding toward the people at the counter.
“Right. Sorry. Uh… Jane, what are you doing out here?” River asked as she handed the woman at the counter a drink.
“I want to help.”
“You could get recognized,” River whispered and moved Kennedy aside by the hips so that she could get to the fudge counter.
“I’ll be okay. What can I do?”
