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And my heart ached. Hard.
I sighed, “I wish!”
Amy looked exasperated, “All right, boss! Spill the beans. Are you dating someone or not dating someone?”
I couldn’t help myself. I got a little choked up.
Amy came over to me and patted my shoulder, “Okay, woman. Tell Mama Amy what's going on here.”
“Aw, Amy, I like this one guy. But … He's married. Or has a steady girlfriend. I saw them together.”
Looks like I’m pretty transparent because Amy put two and two together. “Your one guy wouldn’t be our Mr. Peterson, would it?”
I nodded.
“Mr. Peterson is married? Sammie. Look at me. How do you know this? Are you sure?”
I nodded, “I was locking up one afternoon and saw him with his arms around a young lady. He kissed her. He had his arms around her shoulders.”
Amy just said, “Aww, honey! I'm sorry.”
I admitted, “I can't stop thinking of him. But he's married. Or at least he's got a girlfriend. And I won't touch that. But I think about him all the time. Oh Amy, what am I going to do?”
Amy watched me as I got even more choked up.
She went to get me a paper towel from the dispenser. I blew my nose. Amy waited me out.
I told her, “And you remember how he asked me to dinner that night? Last month? Pretending that I owed him the favor of him buying me dinner?”
Amy knew that our vandal was someone I had been briefly seeing before opening this business. I guessed (but later, when I had calmed down somewhat) that was why she asked me, “Samantha, did Mr. Peterson lay a hand on you in violence? Did he hurt you?”
I felt a surge of shock, but then again, Amy couldn’t know, could she?
I shook my head vehemently back and forth saying, “No! No, no! He didn't lay a finger on me. But he did something to me, Amy, because I can't stop thinking of the man. I can't have him when he’s with someone else.”
Amy asked meexactlyhow I knew he was with someone else. How I was so sure. So I told her what I’d seen.
“You and Alex were long gone one afternoon, way before the vandalism. I'd finished with the inventory. The bookkeeping and advertising were done. Davie hadn't arrived yet but I decided to lock up and wait on the sidewalk. Out in front of their building, there he was. He was kissing a woman with his arms around her. Then they got in a car together and drove off.”
Amy looked pensive. Then she asked, “What does this girlfriend or wife of his look like? Did you recognize her from the neighborhood? Do we know her?”
“Oh, Amy! I've never seen her before. Lean and not quite as tall as he is. The most astonishingly long, thick, wavy blonde hair. That's all I could see from here.”
I failed to notice the light of sudden realization in Amy's eyes. All she said was, “We just never know what life has in store for us, Samantha Billings. You keep the faith.”
I was too stirred up to realize I didn't know what she was talking about. I didn't understand what she meant. And later, when I thought back on her comment, she'd already gone home.
The next morning was very busy in the kitchen. I made time as always to drink down my green smoothie before Alex came in. But I don't think I went to the front shop once until at least noon.
Amy looked up at me, “Oh, good, there you are! Can you spell me for ten minutes? I have to race down to the corner to pick up my thing. It won't take longer than that.”
And without further explanation, she untied her apron and was out the front door.
Amy had been so willing lately to put in extra time and do jobs that I had not hired her to do, that I had no complaints about her doing a personal errand during her shift today.
No customers. So I stood in front of the display cases to see how things looked. To see what had sold and what was left. I made a note or two on my phone about tomorrow's baking.
Before I knew it, Amy was back.
