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“Milady,” I say, tipping my imaginary hat. I won’t let her get me down, at least not outwardly. Might as well play up my role as her dashing leading man.
“Hey,” she says before flicking her eyes to her laptop screen. I step to the side and catch a glimpse of an intricate graphic of a heavily wooded, snowy scene.
“That’s cool. Is it for the festival?”
Aria nods, her eyes trained on the screen. “I’m creating graphics for the committee. They’re asking all of us volunteer designers to do all we can to totally rebrand the festival. Gotta help save it, you know?”
“Aria’s so good at design that she needs to branch out. Get a real job,” Camilla says with a laugh, carrying a metal cake preserver through the swinging kitchen door.
“I have a real job. Right here.”
“Just don’t ever think I’m trying to hold you back from your dreams. I want you to stay forever. But if you did, I’d feel responsible for you being stifled. You’re destined for greatness at a big-time firm.”
I take in Aria and nod my head enthusiastically. “You’re reinventing yourself all over the place. That’s exciting.”
When she only twists her mouth to one side, Camilla chimes in. “I’m hoping doing the festival rebrand will get her thinking outside the box.” She sets the cake stand on the counter and opens her mint green display case.
“Are you serving cheesecake now?” I ask Camilla.
“Aria, get him a complimentary slice.” Camilla leaves the case door open and moves to return to the kitchen. She looks back before she disappears. “You know the rule, though, Theo.”
“Glad to see Camilla has you under some semblance of order.” Aria says, her lips toying with a smile.
“Camilla’s rule, in case you don’t know, involves me promising to spread the word if the samples she gives me are good,” I tell her.
“And do you comply?”
“Every time.” I say, and I mean it. I think my friends, coworkers, and clients are probably tired of hearing about the bakery’s many dope products, but I don’t care. I’ll proselytize all day long.
She sighs, eyes me warily again, and then reaches for a plate and the pie server in the glass case. She draws out a slice of the cherry marbled cheesecake, slides it on the plate, and gathers a paper napkin and plastic fork. “Would you like anything else?” she asks, her eyes flicking to the laptop before returning to mine.
“I’m sure you want to get back to what you were doing. But did you see our billboard?”
Two triangles of pink overtake her upper cheeks. “I did. I think they photoshopped your hitch kick.”
“What? No. I got that high.”
She giggles. “You sure, Theo?”
“Positive. But we can ask Liz to be sure. Besides, it doesn’t bother me either way. It’s an awesome photo. A lot of people think so.”
“Who? Like your mom? Jesse? All your ladies on the side?”
Is she fishing for info on my dating life again? “I don’t have any ladies on the side.” I raise my chin in the air. “I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
She snorts a laugh. “That’s good to hear.”
“Is it?”
She waves me away. I don’t think she believes me, but I’m not going to press the issue. The truth is, I haven’t been on a date in months, not since Elisha dumped me after Aria told her the truth about my bringing another woman to my brother’s wedding.
I sober as I remember. I shouldn’t have asked Gelsey to the wedding. It was a rash, last-minute decision that I regretted the minute I’d done it. I didn’t want to ask Elisha because we hadn’t reached the “attend a family wedding” stage in our relationship. Bringing a woman you’re dating to your brother’s wedding is a big deal, and I wasn’t about to turn up stag. And Gelsey’s an old friend, who happens to be a former model with a very open, noncommittal public-display-of-affection policy that I had a hard time reining in.
It meant nothing, to Gelsey or to me. Still, it was immature and unfair to Elisha, and she had every right to dump me.
But why am I thinking of all this right now? Because it was Aria, clearly bothered by my dating patterns, that woke me up. If she cared enough to be bothered, maybe she cared enough about me.
It was stupid. I realize that. But ever since then, it’s sort of like the thrill of dating has lost its appeal. Which sucks, considering Jesse moved out of our house and into a house with Camilla. It’s a little lonely at my place.
