Austin leaned against the pastry case, a few feet away from Jenny. “Corabelle?” His eyes were full of misery.
God. What to say. I gave him a half-wave. “Hey.”
“Are you okay? I’ve been so worried.” His hands gripped the glass, the fingertips white from the pressure.
“I’m fine.” I opened the back of the case and pretended to rearrange the danishes. “I just — that just wasn’t my scene. I didn’t mean to be dramatic.”
Austin let go of the glass. “Okay. I didn’t have your number or anything. I sent you e-mails.”
I hadn’t looked at any of that since yesterday. “I have a dumb phone, not a smart one. I didn’t see them yet.”
“Were you okay last night?”
I flashed through the evening. Gavin on my sofa, leaning over the hula girl, pulling me close, his face hovering over my body. “Yes! Yes. I was fine.”
Austin stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away. “I guess this means you don’t want to see me again?”
Jenny glanced at us, then moved as far away as she could, next to the window and the rows of plastic water cups.
I knew I couldn’t see Austin anymore, even if I didn’t intend to stick with Gavin. I had already succumbed. Austin hadn’t kept me away, although I’m not sure anyone could have. I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
He looked so dejected, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to swallow.
“It’s not you,” I said hurriedly. “I just can’t be around — that.” I glanced at Jenny, who was certainly listening even though she was facing away. “That — that thing that was happening. It’s a thing from my past. A problem.”
Austin’s eyes grew large. “Are you in recovery?”
“No! No. I mean, yes. Yes. That’s it. I have to stay away. Even your stuff smells like it.” It wasn’t a total lie.
Austin backed away. “Okay, I get it. I can respect that. I wish it were different. I can’t move, though. And Ben, he’s a big-time toker. Not me, though.” He held up his hands. “I can’t afford it anyway.”
I focused on the pastries, arranging and rearranging the same three bear claws. This was for the best. “Seems like we’re stuck. I guess that’s the way it has to be.” Now, please, go, I thought.
Austin stepped forward again. “Wait, I think Steve is leaving. Maybe I could move to his room. His roommate’s a girl, though. Would that freak you out?”
Dang, he was persistent. “I — uh, Austin, let’s not push it. It’s still going to be around. I don’t want to — fall off the wagon.” I hated saying it. I hadn’t been hooked or anything, even back in the day. When it came time to quit, I quit. I was pretty sure weed wasn’t addictive, but I didn’t have a lot of contact with it, other than Katie.
He pressed his head against the curve of the glass case. “I guess this is it then.”
“Seems like it. It was a nice day. I had a good time.”
“Me too.” Austin stared into the shelves, then turned away.
I let out a long sigh.
Jenny grabbed my arm and dragged me inside the back door. “What is going on?”
“Date ended badly.”
“Did he put a move on you?”
“No, not at all. It just wasn’t my thing.”
Jenny pulled the door closed behind her. “Girl, you are going to talk.”
I would have to give her something. “They were all doing drugs. I’m not into that.”
“Oooooh.” Jenny tugged on one of her pink ponytails. “Well, that makes sense.” She opened the door a crack and peeked out. “Never would have figured such a goody-two-shoes-looking boy to be up in all that.”
“We should probably head back out.” I reached for the door.
“Not so fast.” Jenny blocked the handle. “Why were you so late today?”
“I overslept.”
“Not buying it. You never oversleep. Besides, you didn’t return a single text last night OR this morning.”
“I had my phone turned off.”
Jenny narrowed her eyes. “Not buying that either. It was Gavin, wasn’t it? You called him.”
I fingered the strings of my apron. “We have a history.”
“I knew it!” Jenny’s whole face lit up. “You have that look of a girl who’s been done right by her man.”
My hands flew to my cheeks. “What do you mean?”
“I just can see it! I knew when I saw him pinning you on the counter that he’d be all up in your business in no time flat.”
The front door jingled. “Someone’s here. I’ll handle them.” I pushed past Jenny and this time she let me go, still chuckling. I felt like all my secrets had suddenly gotten chalked onto the menu. Well, not all of them. But enough.
Chapter 25: Gavin
Even if Bud had told me to toss tires all day, I wouldn’t have cared. My feet barely touched the ground as I crossed the garage and clocked in. The other mechanics punched each other knowingly, and Randy shouted, “Looks like Gavin finally got something he didn’t have to take out a loan for.” I ignored their jeers. You’d think by the way they acted that nobody ever got laid around here.
Bud winked at me — was I wearing a damn sign on my back? As he handed me a clipboard and a set of keys to a Ford Explorer that needed a new belt, I realized I could never, ever bring Corabelle around here. Mario had found my preference for hookers hilarious and brag worthy, so he’d been talking about it ever since the night one of my regular girls showed up at the pool hall. Lorali. She made a show of stripping half-naked in the corner of the bar to get me to take her home. Which I had.