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Esme stood up. “I think that’s a great plan. Since you can’t wallow with me, I’m glad you’ll have someone to support your wallowing efforts. How about this? I’ll bring your drink out here and then you can go around to your car without going inside again.”
That sounded way better than my other plan, which was to go in and dump the cake on Wyatt’s head. I’d probably get in trouble for that anyway.
“It’s a plan,” I said, and Esme came back a few moments later with a drink for me and a water for herself and we sat there as I finished my drink and she chattered about anything but Wyatt, Gretchen, or babies.
A few bar patrons came outside to smoke and talk as I finished my drink and tried not to think about what Wyatt was doing.
Would he and Gretchen get married? They didn’t need to, obviously, but I wondered. They hadn’t been seeing each other that long, and I didn’t know what Gretchen’s views on marriage were, but I could sure see her being one of those girls who spent their entire life planning for that one day. She would definitely be a bridezilla, for sure.
I finished my drink and Esme got called back to the bar, so she gave me a quick kiss. Batman happened to be having a smoke at the time and I could tell he saw, but he didn’t make any comment. To be fair, Batman didn’t comment on much of anything.
I snuck around to the front of the building and got into my car without once glancing back to see if Wyatt and Gretchen and their families we’re still in there. It didn’t matter.
Linley welcomed me with open arms and a huge cheesecake.
“Bless you, my friend,” I said. “You will never guess who I saw tonight.”
I flopped down on her couch and she set the cheesecake in front of me with a fork.
“Oh no,” she said, connecting the dots immediately.
“Yup. I didn’t get a close up of the cake, but I’m guessing they enjoyed it,” I said, stabbing my fork in a corner of the cheesecake with fresh strawberries on top.
“I’m so sorry. You have the worst luck.”
I filled her in on how I’d had to tell Esme about everything and how comforting she’d been.
“She really is a good one,” Linley said, also dipping into the cheesecake with much smaller bites than mine. For me, this was medicinal cheesecake.
“Do you think she’s going to have like, forty baby showers?” Linley asked.
“As many chances as she can get to be the center of attention? Absolutely,” I said. Linley had also made tea, so I gulped down a cup of lavender tea, hoping that would calm me down. I had no idea how I was going to sleep tonight.
“Let’s not talk about it anymore. There’s nothing you can do.”
That was true. No matter how much time I spent wallowing or crying or cursing at Wyatt, it wasn’t going to change what had happened between us, or what was happening with him and Gretchen.
Even though it was hot, Linley put a blanket around my shoulders and put on a soothing baking show.
“I thought you hated this?” As a baker herself, she’d get all kinds of worked up when people were about to make a massive baking mistake.
“I know, but you like it,” she said. “I’m just going to try and keep my commentary to myself.”
I lifted the blanket so she could share it with me.
“No, yell all you want. It enhances the experience.”
* * *
In spite of everything,I ended up passing out on Linley’s couch. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in her apartment and it was morning.
I got up and looked around, completely disoriented. Linley was gone, but there was a note on the coffee table that said she’d wanted to let me sleep, and that I could help myself to anything.
Poor Potato was probably starving, so as soon as I was awake enough, I got in my car and headed home.
I was greeted by a hungry and enraged furball.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” I said, giving him pets and then rushing to fill his bowls.
