JULY 21, 2020 I Wouldn’t Call Him a Hottie
CHAPTER 36
EZMITA
“I can’t believe you are staying here,” Rosa said as she was straightening the gum and mints in front of the register. “Have you lost your mind? You were going to be free!”
“You’ll still get my room after Christmas. I will leave in January,” I said, knowing the only reason she was upset I wasn’t leaving.
She snorted. “Too long,” she grumbled.
I agreed it was too long. I didn’t want to be in Lawton either, and I was currently applying to other universities for next semester. Papa had been pleased I was staying and acted as if he had known I would back out all along. My parents didn’t know me at all.
“Have you seen the hottie that Papa hired?” Rosa asked then, changing the subject instantly. She did that often. I was used to her jumping from one topic to the next.
“I wouldn’t call him a hottie,” I muttered. Malecon got on my nerves. Since our first encounter, he’d gone out of his way to annoy me.
“Oh yes he is. His eyes are sky blue. So clear.” She sighed as she said it.
I didn’t want Rosa to make the same mistakes I had. Fixating on a guy could mess you up. Ruin your well-laid plans. Make you act crazy. “Guys are a waste of time,” I said.
She stood up. “Uh, really? You sure didn’t think so when you were bouncing from Brett to Asa like a volleyball.”
I scowled at her. “Shut up. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I hadn’t bounced.
The sound of the bell got both our attention. Tallulah walked inside and when our gazes met, she waved at me. I returned the wave, and then she headed for the baking supplies aisle. Nothing new and no chatting. Asa must have mentioned we weren’t talking anymore. Although I don’t think you could call it a breakup since it was supposed to be casual. That word made my mouth taste sour.
“Hey, I can’t find the key to the back door where the pricing guns are. Do either of you know where it is?” Malecon asked, walking up from the back. He did have great eyes, but who cared. Not me.
“I’ll show you.” Rosa beamed at him and hurried over.
I rolled my eyes and went back to thinking how awkward it was going to be with Tallulah in a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what to say to her. Ask how she’d been? I guess that seemed normal. Like I was fine and didn’t care about Asa. Which I didn’t. I was done with that and him. Whatever.
My time to figure it out ended as Tallulah came to the counter carrying baking soda, sugar, and maple syrup. She put it down in front of me. “Hey, Ezmita,” she said, smiling.
“Hello, how have you been?” I asked, picking up the baking soda to scan the price. I was being cool. Nothing weird.
“Ah, okay, I guess, considering…,” she said, trailing off.
Considering what? Was I supposed to know what she meant by that? I just nodded and kept scanning. “That’s eleven dollars and fifteen cents,” I told her with a smile I didn’t feel at all.
She didn’t move to get any money but stood there studying me. Then she asked, “You don’t know, do you?”
I thought for a minute and couldn’t think of anything that I was supposed to know, so I shook my head. I was lost. “I don’t think I do,” I said, thinking maybe I was misunderstanding her.
She sighed and frowned. “I wondered why you hadn’t stopped by,” she said then. “We all kind of expected you to, but no one wanted to mention it to Asa.”
Yep, I was completely lost. No clue what she was talking about. If it wasn’t for the fact I liked her and didn’t want to be rude, I’d tell her I didn’t want to talk about or hear any news on Asa. I was done there.
“Asa’s mom died, of Covid,” she said, her voice dropping as if someone might hear her.
“What?” I asked in complete shock. Of all the things I was prepared to hear, this was not one of them.
She nodded. “He just found out she was in the hospital a few days ago. Then he got the call yesterday in the middle of the night.… I thought—I guess I assumed he’d call you, but he’s been in a bad place emotionally.”
His mother had died. He hadn’t seen or talked to her since he arrived back in Lawton. Oh God, how he must feel. “I didn’t… he didn’t… tell me, but I understand why. He must be broken. They hadn’t talked in so long.” I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. My emotional upheaval all seemed so shallow now. Yes, we had sex, but then his mother got sick with Covid and died. I couldn’t have known that was why he was silent, but I still felt guilty for all the things I’d called him. I hadn’t said those things to his face, but I’d felt them.