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“Thank God,” she said. “When you keto’d last month, all you did was death-glare the doughnuts.”
“It takes a lot to maintain all this.” He rubbed his hands down his chiseled belly. “Hey, you ever hear from your dad last week?”
“Nope. I still only get a birthday call when he’s sober.”Or needs cash.
Being her bestie since junior high, Ben had witnessed it all. He nodded in solidarity.
“And nothing else from Jess?”
“Just that text I showed you.” Charlie wiped the steam wand with a wet towel. Her ex-wife refused to allow the scabbed-over wound of their broken marriage to fully heal, andnever missed an opportunity to send well-wishes or trip selfies from God-knows-where.
Last week, Jess had messaged:
Happy Birthday, You! Hope you have an amazing day and splurge on a slice of Swedish lemon cake from your fave bakery in Queen Anne ;-)
For a split second after reading the text, a tiny lump grew in Charlie’s throat. But soon after, irritation took over.
“Do you have any idea how many regulars check you out? You should jump on that.” A few rogue coffee beans scattered across the counter as Ben poured them into the industrial grinder. “Maybe there’s actually light at the end of your celibate tunnel.”
“I’m not giving up a sale for booty.” She snapped a garbage liner in the air and stuffed it into the container.
“Whatever, princess.”
Charlie grabbed the sanitizing spray bottle from the cleaning station and wiped down the tables as Jess’s voice swirled in her head.
Babe—we’re talking about Spain! How can you pass this up?
Belize tickets are practically free this time of year.
Fiji, Charlie. Come on. You know you want to…
The bell over the door jingled, and the mail carrier marched toward the register.
“Eddie!”
“Afternoon, Charlie.” Eddie handed over a stack of mail to Ben.
She snatched it from Ben’s hands before he could look as her neck grew warm. “Did my invite to Macklemore’s birthday party arrive today?”
“Not today. It’ll happen.” Eddie adjusted the strap on his mailbag.
She pouted. “Five minutes alone with him and we’d be best friends.”
“Hey!” Ben snapped a towel in her direction.
“Next to Benji here, of course.” She grinned and held the mail to her chest like a shield.
“I believe in you.” Eddie nodded at Ben, who handed him a complimentary cup. “Did I tell you I used to deliver in his neighborhood in West Seattle?”
“What? Did you see him? Is he nice? Are you kidding?”
“Sure am,” he said with a chuckle, and slammed his iced coffee.
“Dang it. I thought you’d have an insider tip. Guess I’m back to square one, manifesting my dreams with crystals tonight.”
After Eddie left, Charlie flipped through the mail. “Ugh.”
Ben stopped stuffing the napkins. “Chucky? You good?”
