“Thank goodness, I’d already flushed. But no amount of Clorox will make me use that toothbrush again.”
“I agree. Glad we have a new one for you.” Lexi grabbed three boxes off the shelf. “Red, blue, or green?”
“Surprise me.” Jess held out her hand.
“You seem like a red person to me. Red personalities are active and cheerful and confident.”
Jess stared at the brush in her hand. “That’s the wrong color for me. I think I need the green, because I always get myself in a pickle.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re not the first person to drop something in a toilet.” Lexi lowered her voice as if someone could hear them, though no one else was in the shop. “Last month, I dropped my cell phone in.”
“That’s terrible, but this is worse. Way worse.”
“Come on.” Lexi moved to the deli counter, sliding onto a stool with cheery red and wh
ite polka dots. “Sit down and tell Dr. Lexi all about it.”
“Can you keep a secret? I mean, you can’t tell a soul. Especially not my Nanna.”
“In my forty years on this earth, I’ve yet to reveal a secret. Even when staked to the ground and tortured for hours by someone singing Baby Shark.”
Jess couldn’t help chuckling. “Now I know you’re lying, because you can’t possibly be forty years old.”
With her flawless skin and a sassy short haircut, Lexi could’ve passed for someone in her twenties.
“We should trade bodies, then, because I swear you’re the only twenty-two-year-old I know who’s as mature as a forty-year-old.”
Lexi patted the stool beside her, and Jessica sat down, only then realizing how tired she was.
Emotions are draining. I wish I could turn them off.
“I act older because I’ve worked my way through college. Makes you grow up fast when you’re responsible for all those bills and loans.” Jess propped her elbows on the counter, resting her chin on her hands.
“Your folks didn’t help?” Lexi asked.
“The summer I finished high school, my dad’s father had a stroke. Dad had to retire early and move up to Oklahoma to help him and work on the family farm. My folks helped as much as they could, but my three older brothers had already depleted the college fund.”
“Pretty impressive for you to do it on your own.”
Jess shrugged. “I did what I had to do. That’s why I can’t let myself date anyone until after I graduate. When I was with Parker, my grades dropped so low I almost lost my scholarship. I’m not going to make that mistake twice.”
“Parker. He’s that loser guy you were engaged to?”
“That’s the one. But he wasn’t really a loser as much as we weren’t suited for each other.”
“The guy didn’t know a good thing when he had it. That makes him a loser in my book.” Lexi cocked her head. “Is that what this is about? Are you feeling bummed because you miss your ex?”
“No way. But there’s someone else…”
“You like someone?” Lexi’s hands clapped together, delight on her face. “That’s a good thing, right? Why are you so blue?”
All her pent-up feelings spewed out in an eruption of words. “I like him, but I know I shouldn’t. And he only thinks of me as his friend’s baby sister that he has to protect. So the kisses didn’t mean anything. But everybody saw it, so they all think we’re dating. So even though we’re not dating, we need to break up. And if we break up, this other guy will ask me to the dance again, which is how this all started in the first place.”
One skeptical eyebrow lifted, and Lexi blew out a long, slow breath. “I think I should make us some lunch. I have a feeling this is going to take a while.”
Thirty minutes, one long story, and two sandwiches later, Lexi dabbed her mouth with a napkin and swiveled her stool to lean against the counter.
“You’re right. You need the pickle toothbrush.”