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She paused again, staring into the bakery with blank eyes. "It's not?"
"No, we're friends aren't we? Can't a guy just call his friend?"
She winced and sighed but before she could answer he continued.
"Actually, I got some really great news and wanted to tell you first. The US Marshals called."
She frowned. "What do you mean, they called?"
His voice was higher, rushed with excitement. "They invited me to join them. I got the job!"
"Oh Mason, that's fantastic!" She felt a flood of relief at knowing she didn't kill his career in Hawaii. He sounded so excited, and that made her happy.
"I know. I've been on desk duty with the Rangers, but this is almost as good as the FBI. I never dreamed the US Marshals would come calling, so I never even had it high on my list of possibilities."
"I'm so proud of you," she said softly.
He paused, then his voice shifted deeper. "To be honest, you're the one person I couldn't wait to tell. Not even Pops knows yet. I'm calling him next, but I wanted to tell you about going to training before you found out from Pops or Helen."
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow."
Her shoulders sank, her hopes at seeing him again dashed. "Oh, well, that's exciting. How long is the training?"
"Four and a half months. I won't have a lot of time to be on my phone, which is why I wanted to talk to you before I left. I just needed to hear your voice." His voice trailed off, and she rubbed her temples.
Was she supposed to read into his words? He'd just said they were friends, but then he wants to hear her voice and she was the first person he called?
She sighed, "That's a long time. But yeah, it's good to hear your voice too."
She heard another voice in the background, then the phone muffled. When he came back, he said, "Alright. I'll try to make it to the Fourth of July at Pops and Helen's, but I'm not sure when I'll be done here. We don't have an end date set yet."
"Just take care of yourself, ok? Don't hurt your back or push it too hard trying to impress them," she said, worry for him making her words rushed.
He chuckled, and the sound echoed through her heart, warming her from the loneliness. "I'll try, but no promises. I gotta go pack now. Bye Lucy."
She hung up, her throat too choked with emotion to say anything. No sunshine or little bird. Just Lucy. They really were only friends now.
The bakery door opened and Lucy looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks. A little curvy, dark-haired woman about her age frowned at her. "Are you alright?"
Lucy nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, didn't mean to loiter."
The woman waved a hand, the pink polish matching a streak of pink in her otherwise black hair. "Don't worry about that. I'm Maryanne. I own the bakery. You're the new nail girl, right? I've seen you at yoga on Thursday nights."
Lucy nodded and held out her hand to shake. "Lucy. Nice to meet you."
"Do you want to come in for a pastry? We're closed, but I have some pretty decent leftovers from the day."
Lucy shook her head and nodded to the salon down the street. "I need to get back to work."
Maryanne held the door wider. "Do you have a client waiting for you?"
Lucy paused and shook her head. Then Maryanne waved to the door. "Then come on in. I'll load you up with some treats to take back to Katie. Plus, you look like you could use a minute or two to pull yourself together."
Lucy winced and followed her inside. "I suppose you're right."
"What's got you crying on such a beautiful day?" Maryanne said as she headed into the back. She held that door open too and said, "Come on back here. It's just us."
