AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey-o!” Blakely greets me. Her face is painted LAU’s red and black colors, and her curly red hair is pulled on top of her head in a messy bun as she pushes the back door of Ash’s car open. I climb inside.
Anna was on my ass all day, so I didn’t dare pull out my phone during my shift, and I knew if I hid in the bathroom for a minute to myself, I’d probably burst into tears, so I stayed distracted instead. It didn’t help. I feel awful, and I miss Mack more than anything else in the world.
Exhaustion curdles in my stomach as I pull out my phone and scan the messages from Mack, desperate to talk to him. To tell him what happened.
Macklin
I should’ve come inside. I feel guilty as shit for leaving you. I’m sorry.
Hey. Everything okay?
I’m stressing over here.
Did you talk to her? What’d she say? Does she know?
Sorry. I know you’re at work. I’ll stop bugging you. Just stressed. I’m definitely thinking about you. Hope you’re okay. Text me when you’re off work.
Missing you like crazy, Kate.
My lips pull into a sad smile as I reread his last message. I don’t text him back. Not yet. Because I don’t know what to say anymore.
Part of me wants to go home, curl into a ball, and pretend today never happened, but I miss Mack too much to go through with it.
I miss him so much.
Ash glances at me in her rearview mirror, frowning. “You okay?”
“Fine. Exhausted,” I clarify, tucking my phone back into my lap, “but fine.”
“You sure?” she prods.
“Positive.”
“Then, what’s wrong?” Blake interjects beside me.
“Nothing,” I lie.
“Kate,” Ash warns.
Mia twists in the passenger seat, her eyes thinning. “Seriously. Tell us.”
The window feels cold as I rest my forehead against it and let out a sigh, desperate to relieve a bit of the pressure in my chest that took up residence as soon as Hazel opened her mouth this morning. The old Kate would’ve stayed quiet. And I’m tired of staying quiet.
“Mack’s daughter works at Butter and Grace with me and found out I’m dating him.” The words feel good to say. Cathartic somehow. No matter how unbelievable it feels.
Mia gasps as Ash turns on her blinker. “Yikes.”
“It’s not even the worst part,” I tell them. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard about Mack and his relationship with his daughters, butrockywould be an understatement. During today’s shift, Hazel informed me if I want her to have a relationship with her dad,Ineed to have zero relationship with her dad.”
Blake’s jaw drops. “Are you shitting me?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes and search for a modicum of serenity when all I want to do is cry and maybe hit something. The combination isn’t exactly making me feel very Zen.
“What did you tell her?” Ash questions when I’ve been silent too long.
“I told her I’m not going to break up with her dad just because she wants me to.”
“Good,” Blakely announces. “We don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
