Her gaze found mine. I smiled at her, hoping to comfort her. Kelly offered me a small smile that didn't quite reach her hazel eyes.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded. Then immediately shook her head.
"No. Not really,” she admitted. “Sorry for lying. I’m still working on... not saying what’s expected of me.”
“It’s okay, Kels. I understand.”
“Though you told me he’d come into the shop the other day, I hadn’t expected to see him on my first day back working.”
“I know. His visit today was unexpected.”
“I’m glad you were here with me, and hadn’t left for the wedding set up yet,” she told me.
“Even if it hadn’t been me here with you, you would’ve been fine. You handled it well.”
“Did I?” Kelly let out a nervous laugh and rubbed her hands together, still standing close to the breakroom door. “I was a trembling mess behind the counter. I didn’t know what to do.”
“But you didn’t let it show. I’m proud of you.”
This time, her smile held a little more confidence.
"I wasn’t as calm as you were,” Kelly told me. “You didn’t seem bothered at all.”
I almost laughed at that. If only she knew.
"I’m just good at acting," I admitted.
Because that’s exactly what I’d been doing...acting. Kelly studied me for a moment.
"Do you think he’ll come back?" she asked.
Considering the way he’d looked at me, yes, he would.
"He probably will,” I told her.
My answer didn’t comfort her. But I didn’t want to lie to her. We all needed to learn to put up a wall, a mask, when we faced anyone from the Cattaneo family. Especially Rome. Moving around the counter, I approached her.
When I reached her, I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as she stared around the shop again, looking as if she expected him to pop up from behind a counter or something.
"Kelly, look at me. Kels."
She looked my way.
"I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you understand?"
She swallowed. "I know."
"I mean it."
She nodded. "I know, Blossom."
"Why don't you take a break?” I told her, lowering my hand from her shoulder. “I'll work the register for a while."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
