AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Horseradish isn’tspicy,it’s justwarm.” I paused. “Did you sneak a burger all contraband-style past the doctor?”
She strained a smile at me. Poor Emby looked tired, too. She’d gone through the wringer, between all the work that had swamped her ever since she finished that big gig and having been the one to find me passed out on the floor. She’d stayed the whole night here with me last night, even though I told her I wasperfectlycapable of sleeping by myself. “She said you could use a burger or two.”
“Damn, but that’s advice I’ve been waiting to hear.”
“Right. You can’t act like you’re an obsessed foodie without acknowledging the fact that you passed out from malnutrition.”
I slumped back against the headboard, rolling my head back against the wall. “Oh my god. I’m literally never living this down. I’m going to be a thousand years old hobbling along on my walking stick and you’ll be hobbling over to my house to knock on my door and remind me about the chicken burger incident. Might as well just strap me in fireworks and launch me into the sun.”
“I don’t think I’m living to be a thousand. Power to you if you want to set your sights high, though.”
I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite, and it took about thirty seconds to actually swallow it. I felt full immediately, and I let my hands fall to my lap with the burger wrapper. “How have things been while I’ve been closed in here? Is Oliver still in one piece?”
She put a hand on my arm. “Please. Forget working for one second. Christ, I don’t know what to do withyouas a workaholic.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not a workaholic. I just wanna make sure my life doesn’t fall apart explosively around my ears and I end up disgraced, humiliated, lost to the eras in a—”
“Oliver’s just fine,” she said gently. “That bookstore was closed more often than not for the better part of its lifespan. Connor’s helping him out.”
“Ugh, that means they’re probably just making out in the store all the time.”
“Yeah, well, they’re both good-looking, so it’s just more sales from a bunch of girls hoping to catch the two of them going at it behind the register.”
“And Crystal Lights?”
She softened, smiling sweetly at me. Like she was patronizing me. Me! I fumed. “It can be closed for a bit.”
“Oh my god. The pull is going to be a nightmare when I get back there. The whole cycle is screwed. This is two days without croissants in production.”
“Paisley. Easy. You’re going to get yourself sicker. Eat.”
Dolefully, I took a second bite. It felt like climbing Everest. Nothing was ever supposed to be hard for me.
Emberlynn went on softly. “You know… this is what happens when you don’t look after yourself. If you burn yourself out keeping plates up, you’ll drop the plates, too.”
“Ugh, shove the plates up your butt.”
“I won’t, thanks.”
I muttered something to myself. She shook her head.
“Paisley… I’m going to say something you don’t like.”
“Thirty-three.”
“Ah-ah. Don’t bullshit your way out of this.” She folded her arms. “You can’t use work to fill the hole a person left.”
Oh, she wasn’t kidding with saying something I didn’t like. I felt something drop in my stomach, and I turned away, my head hurting. “Shut up. I know how to fill a hole.”
She cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”
I frowned. “I should have said that differently, but still. I’m good! I’ve been hollow all my life and it’s no different just because Harper went and ghosted the whole town of Bayview.”
Emberlynn put her hands up. “Okay, you have even deeper issues, then. You can’t fill those with work, either.”
“I’m not! I’m filling it with… with…” I gestured vaguely at the air. “With intention. With purpose. With action. With chicken burgers.”
“You categorically haven’t been filling up on enough chicken burgers. That’s why you’re here,” she said, gesturing to the hospital room, which looked like a plant nursery now between the pastel green walls, the window letting in rich, full sunlight, and the bazillion flowers people had left me. Mrs. Park with the floristry shop was probably delighted I’d wound up here.
