“What the hell was that?” I demand.
Kauss reaches automatically for a towel. “I will clean this.”
“That is not what I asked.”
He goes quiet.
I grab another towel and start wiping milkshake from his face before I can stop myself. Anger shakes through me hard enough to make my hands tremble.
“You just stood there.”
“Yes.”
“They humiliated you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Silence.
I throw the towel into the sink. “No. Absolutely not. You do not get to go all mysterious giant warrior after somebody dumped a milkshake over your head in my bakery.”
“It is handled.”
“Handled?” I stare at him. “Handled?”
“No one was hurt.”
“You were hurt.”
“That is irrelevant.”
The words hit me like a slap.
I step back sharply. “Do not say things like that to me.”
His expression flickers slightly. “Evie.”
“No. I am serious.” My chest hurts suddenly, tight with anger and fear and confusion all tangled together. “You looked like they were peeling your skin off and you just stood there letting it happen.”
“I made an agreement.”
“With who?”
Silence again.
I laugh once, sharp and disbelieving. “Unbelievable.”
“It is complicated.”
“That’s the second time you’ve used that word right before lying to me.”
His eyes flash. “I am not lying.”
“You’re hiding things.”
“To protect you.”
