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Chapter Five
~ Mimi ~
“Where is your husband?”
I glanced up from straightening the cash register area to find Greta glaring at me. Her red-tipped nails tapped where her hands were planted on her hips, and she looked ready to throttle someone. Perhaps my husband?
Hmmm… Someone had extra pits in her cherries today.
“How would I know? I’m sure you’ve heard that we’re separated.”
“Yeah, like that will last—and good thing. You guys are ruining fairytales for half of Sweetville’s population, you know. But anyway…” She waved aside her statement. “I know you went out with him last night. Marcy Jo told Ella who told me that you were seen leaving your apartment together and heading out of town.”
This town… Maybe, I should have moved to Hoover City instead of staying here where everything was familiar. In my heart, I knew it was because I hadn’t been ready to one-hundred percent give up Judd.
“Did they tell you what color my underwear was, too?”
“No,” she replied as if it were a normal question, giving no reaction whatsoever to my snarkiness. “So where is your man?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t seen him since last night.”
She pursed her lips, studying my face and I wasn’t sure if she actually believed me. “If you see him, tell him to call me immediately. Not even joking. I’m ready to kick his butt.”
“Why?”
“There’s something fishy with the maze, and I want to know what he did. He needs to draw me a map with the solution—he keeps one of those doesn’t he?”
I shrugged. I thought so, but I wasn’t really sure.
Her phone rang and interrupted whatever she might have said. She grimaced as she looked at the screen.
“Tell him to call me,” she said to me before she answered. Lifting the phone, she stomped out of the shop, which was unusual and a big clue she was in a snit. Greta never stomped. Generally, she shone like a perpetual ray of sunshine.
My hand rubbed my middle absently as I watched her go. Something from last night wasn’t agreeing with me. My stomach had been roiling off and on all day, which didn’t mesh well with the dizziness that had been randomly taking me off-guard over the past month. Together with my ongoing upset over Judd and me, they made my equilibrium pitch and I’d reached for the trashcan more than once today. Thankfully, I hadn’t actually thrown up, though. So there was that.
After several long moments of careful breathing, I had things under control again and returned to straightening the little last minute, impulse-buy items on the racks near the register.
“Do you want to take your lunch?” Jill asked, coming out of the back room just as the bell over the door tinkled to announce a customer. “Oh, I’d say yes you are. I’ll see you in an hour.”
Confused, I looked over and saw Judd striding toward me, his face determined.
Jill pointed at him. “Greta’s looking for you.”
“So I’ve heard. I’ll call her later on.”
“She said she’s about to kick your butt,” I reported, coming around the counter and heading for him.
He just smirked. “Ready for lunch?”
“Did we make a date and I don’t remember it?” I teased.
Judd looped his arms lightly around my waist and pulled me toward him. “You’re always my date, baby.”
Without waiting for me to disagree, he guided me outside. This time, I didn’t protest when he handed me into his truck and settled me into the passenger’s seat. To my surprise, though, he started up and pulled away from the curb.
“Where are we going?” I gasped. “We’re not eating here?”
“I have a surprise for you. We’ll eat there.”
