Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Knowing this and accepting it were two different things.
The hot water continued to fall, and while it washed over me, I stood there, staring at the marble tiles. Bryn’s coming here could have been fate, but then I wasn’t sure I believed in things like fate. There was a good chance she’d looked me up and come here because of me. She could have thought she could get money from me. It was almost too long of a stretch to be a coincidence. But at first, I hadn’t wanted to think that about her. I wasn’t so sure now.
I didn’t know her. This Bryn was different. The best thing I could do was put this and her behind me.
Forget it. Forget her. Move the fuck on. Leave the past where it belongs.
I’d be better off, forgetting her.
Chapter Eight
Bryn
Walking down the main street in town, I held Cullen’s hand firmly in mine. Tory had taken the car to job-hunt today while I was home, and I had picked Cullen up from school. I glanced down at the ice cream that was dripping down his hand. He couldn’t eat it fast enough to beat the heat from the sun. The smile on his face said he didn’t mind at all.
Things like ice cream delighted him. It had once been a treat he never got to have. Now, I could buy him an ice cream every day if he wanted it. I didn’t, of course, because it wasn’t healthy for him, but I loved days like today when I could stop and let him pick whatever he wanted from the ice cream stand.
The Help Wanted sign on the store up ahead caught my eye, and I turned to walk closer to the window. I could see books lining the walls and tables sitting inside along with sofas and comfy chairs. There was a bakery and coffee. Lifting my gaze, I read Signed Sips displayed on the building.
This was walking distance from our apartment. I wondered if Tory had checked here. It was maybe a quarter of a mile away from where we lived, and she could get here quickly. I couldn’t imagine a bakery and coffee shop stayed open late. She would have early hours.
“Let’s go in here,” I told Cullen, then remembered he was dripping with melted ice cream.
I stepped in front of him and bent down to wipe him up with the napkins. Once he was no longer a walking mess, I took his hand again, and we headed inside the shop.
“Cupcakes!” Cullen said gleefully as we walked toward the counter.
There were several artfully decorated cupcakes displayed. I noticed many of the items in the case were marked dairy-free, gluten-free, and even nut-free. That was rare. Every one of the cupcakes had an allergy-free sign in front of it. How something that looked so delicious with all that icing and bits of candy could be free of all those things, I had no idea.
“Welcome to Signed Sips. Can I help you?” a female voice asked.
I looked up to see an attractive brunette wearing a black apron on the other side of the counter. She had a friendly smile that put me at ease.
“Hello. Uh, yes. Could we have the pink unicorn cupcake and the …” I paused and looked down at Cullen. “Which one?” I asked him.
“The chocolate bar one!” he replied gleefully.
I glanced up at the menu hanging on the wall to see what drinks they had available. “And a caramel cappuccino, please.”
“Regular milk?” she asked me.
I had never had any other kind of milk. I nodded my head.
She walked over to the coffee machine behind her and began working on my order. I glanced down at Cullen to see his ice cream was once again beginning to drip. I quickly scanned the place for napkins, then walked him over to the counter to clean him up before he got ice cream on the floor.
“Do I get to eat a cupcake too?” he asked me.
“Yes, but not until after dinner,” I replied.
When he was no longer a mess, we walked back to the counter just as the girl was putting my coffee down along with a bag.
She glanced down at Cullen and smiled. “That looks good,” she said.
He turned and buried his face in my thigh.
“Sorry, he’s shy,” I explained.
“No worries. Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
I paused for a moment, not sure if my asking for a job application for Tory would look bad or not. The girl was very friendly though, and I doubted my sister had stopped here.
“Well, I noticed your Help Wanted sign,” I began. “Could I have an application? For my sister? She’s out on the hunt for a job today, and this is very close to our apartment.”
The girl’s eyes brightened, and her smile widened. “I don’t have any applications but we have two positions open. We need someone out here, doing what I am doing right now, and then we need someone in the back, helping with the early morning baking.”