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I knew from Harleigh and Chloe that there was only Zane and his grandmother. I didn’t know the whole story about his parents, but by all accounts, his dad was never on the scene and his mom had abandoned him when he was just a young boy. Miriam had raised him in their stead.
“Thanks for today,” Lewis said, pulling me from my thoughts. “You did well today. Same time next week?”
“Maybe.” I smiled.
“Fair enough.” He chuckled. “Go on, get out of here. And don’t forget to take your box of cake.”
Lewis let the volunteers divide any leftovers to take home. It was a sweet gesture. One I’m sure Mom would frown upon.
I pulled the apron off and added it to the pile of dirty towels before heading to the staff room to grab my purse and jacket. When I slipped back in the hall, I spotted Zane outside, sitting on the cold hard ground.
My heart ached at the sight of him out there all alone. He looked so lost and lonely.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I headed for the door. He looked up as I stepped outside.
“What do you want?”
“You look like you could use a friend.”
“I thought we already established, we’re not friends.”
An exasperated breath left my lips. “You don’t make it easy, do you?”
He craned his neck, looking right up at me. The hopelessness in his expression my chest squeeze. “Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”
God, he was so infuriating at times. But I ignored the urge to throw the box of cake at him and shook it gently in front of him. “Hungry?”
“Not really.”
“It’s leftover cake. Everyone is hungry for cake. Here.” I handed him the box and sat down on the bench opposite.
He lifted the lid a fraction and peered inside. But to my disappointment, he let it close again and placed the box down on the ground at his feet.
“Is your grandma okay?” I asked, sensing the warring emotions rippling off him.
Anger. Sadness. Regret. Hopelessness. It was intense being in his orbit, feeling so much from one person at once.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” he replied, surprising me.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I really fucking don’t.”
“Okay.”
“Why did you come out here, Einstein?”
“Because despite what you think”—and how you treat me—“I care.”
He snorted at that.
“Is something funny?”
“Yeah, you. What are you doing here, Celeste? In this place? Trying to fix the world one coffee mug at a time? It’s fucking pathetic.”
“Are you done?” I fumed.
“You’re still here, so apparently not.” His eyes were darker than night, cutting into my skin like a thousand blades.
