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“Cody,” Jacob called. He came to the counter and Jacob motioned to me. “Can you do something with her while I finish ringing up our customers?”
Cody sat across from me. He didn’t say a word, only took a rubber band from his pocket and put his shoulder-length hair in a man bun.
He stared at me. His face was a pretty contradiction to the chastising, grownup expression he gave me.
“What? He is a wookie.” I held my hands out to the side of my head. “All that hair?”
Cody shook his head and went back to dressing the mannequin. I said to his back, “You deserve that job.”
I picked up a POWDER magazine and flipped through it while Jacob finished with his customers. He walked them to their car, carrying some of their packages, all with a million-dollar smile. That smile that could charm women, aged 7 to 70, into brainless flirts.
When he returned, he scowled. “Mia isn’t here, Camille. What do you want?”
“Can’t I just come see my friends?”
“No. You always need something. A favor. A partner in crime. A glass of wine. And I don’t have the patience or time for you today.” He sat across from me and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.
“I always did find it unusual that you keep wine here.” I sighed dramatically.
He gave my four-inch heels a disdainful glance. “I don’t have time for your flightiness today, Camille. I have a trip to plan. What do you want?” he repeated.
“Where’s Mia?” I asked nonchalantly. My heart was racing.
He leaned back against the leather back of the chair. “You mean you don’t know where your bestie is?”
“Don’t mock.”
He laughed. “She and John closed on their house last week. They’re meeting the movers to get their things moved in.”
“Oh, good for them. Did they decide on the one at the golf course, or up in the mountains?”
“Neither. They bought out near the airport. A couple of acres with a one story. Lots of glass. Great views.”
To hide my anxiety, I kept up with the trivial conversation. “Oh, they’ll be happy out there. Lots of room for Mia to ride her snowmobiles.”
Jacob tapped his foot.
I’d wanted to ask Mia if she knew of anyone I could stay with, but after Jacob told me she had moved out, I had a different idea.
I planted the seed slowly, unsure if Jacob would warm to the idea as much as I had. “So, she’s moved out of the upstairs apartment?”
He furrowed his brow at me. “I thought the two of you talked, like, every day, a couple of times a day.”
I shrugged, going for nonchalance. “I’ve been busy. We haven’t had time to catch up lately.”
He stood and went to the checkout counter. “Here’s their address, if you want to go out there.” He wrote the information on a Post-it Note, and handed it to me.
I folded it in half and slid it into the outside pocket of my purse. “So, you’re living upstairs all alone now?”
“Alone, but not lonely.” He winked.
“You’re sad. And that’s a dumb line.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m alone. For now. I think I might start looking for a house. A cabin or cottage. Something away from the business.”
I was a little jealous, picturing Jacob in a small cottage with another woman. Him, all burly, manly, and rugged, sitting by a fire with a golden retriever at his feet. Cliché? I know. But so fitting. I sighed.
“Are you okay, Camille?” He sat down again.
