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“Spit it out!” Camilla cries.
I turn to face her. “Okay, okay. In full rebound mode, I gave Theo a teensy tiny kiss.”
“On the lips?” Camilla gives an enquiring smile. Her eyes are blinking as though she’s had a dark hood over them and I’ve just ripped it off in a bright room.
My gaze darts to the floor. I don’t even have to say yes. She can read my mind like it’s the back of a box of her favorite cereal.
I look up and Camilla’s face shows every emotion possible, from surprise to concern. It lands on contentment, a sense of delight.
“Oh really?” She draws out the word and leans back on the countertop, her smile lazy.
I glance behind me and move in closer, lowering my voice. “Elijah and Merre could be back soon, so I don’t know how much I can tell you right now.” I shake my head to clear it. “It was almost nothing. I was feeling vulnerable. And a bit like an idiot that my ex got engaged so fast and I’d allowed us to stagnate for so long.”
I shoot out a sigh. “Lots of thoughts going on about that whole thing. And after the meeting last night, I could hear him in his office and he knocked on the wall, and we talked through it, and I invited myself over to the firm.” I squeeze her arm. “But we just stayed in the lobby and played a game.”
She slaps her forehead. “There’s so much in the words you just said, I don’t know where to begin.” She pauses, still grinning like it’s Christmas morning. “You can hear each other through your shared wall?”
“Sometimes. We sort of have to shout to understand. But it’s kind of handy.”
“That’s actually adorable.”
“It’s . . . whatever. But listen. After the card game, we stood up, I gave him a hug, he pulled away, but I—.” I bunch my lips together, embarrassment hitting me like it just barely happened. “I grabbed him and planted one on him.” I squeeze my eyes shut tightly; a year of my life being taken off because of the humiliation of it all.
“But it was short and sweet and . . .” Unbidden, my lips curve into a smile. “Soft. It was nice.” I blink rapidly. “But it was nothing. And I’m hoping by getting it off my chest, by telling you, I won’t need to discuss it with him. Ever.”
“Theo’s a very attractive man.”
I throw my hands in the air and spin away from her. “You’re not helping.”
“I’m just saying, I don’t fault you for your impetuous decision.”
“I was feeling out of sorts.” I give a firm shake of my head. “And Theo can be really nice. We had so much fun playing cards.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “It was only the quickest of reboundiest kisses.”
Camilla giggles. “We sound like we’re in junior high, you know this, right?”
“Junior high?” Merre has returned from her break, and she pushes through the swinging doors of the kitchen carrying a bag of baby carrots and a bottle of juice.
Camilla looks at me, waiting for me to respond. She knows to not say anything. Although Merre probably wouldn’t judge me for it if we told her.
“Camilla and I often revert back to our junior high days,” I say. “It can be embarrassing sometimes.”
“But it can also be fun,” Camilla counters.
Merre takes a drink of juice before stowing it and the carrots in the fridge. She adjusts her turban back over her thick, toffee-colored hair, which she has to braid in two pieces to get it to stay inside the covering. “I sort of wish I was still in contact with my junior high friends. I think I liked it more than high school, if you can believe that.”
“You grew up in Texas, right?” I ask.
She nods, but a frown crosses her features before she shrugs. “After I graduated high school, I left Plano for good. Had to get out of there. Been living in Colorado ever since.”
“You didn’t like Plano?” Camilla asks.
“No, I loved it,” Merre insists. “My family’s still there. It was the circumstances at the time.” Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. “Anyway, you do not want to hear my sob story, so I’ll spare you. But like I was saying, junior high was actually really fun for me. Good memories.”
“You’re probably in the minority with that sentiment, Merre, but I’m happy for you.” I tell her. “And I’m happy you’re here working at Shorty’s with us.”
“Aw. Thanks. Me, too. I’m almost done with my pastry certificate in Denver, and then I’m hoping I can take some of the baking off Camilla’s hands.” She raises her brows and looks at Camilla expectantly. We knew when we hired Merre that she had the potential to be a real asset to the shop with her experience.
Which should help me feel better about leaving.
