Cupcake Overload (Cupcakes 2)

“The cops are looking into the biker,” he began, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with his heel. “They talked to me already.”

“Well, if you don’t mind talking to me, I’d really appreciate it. I actually met your sister briefly before she died, and I’d really like to help find the person that did this to her,” I explained, hoping the fact that I had a personal connection, even if it was a thin one, would get him to talk.

“I don’t got much to say. Sammy was a good girl. I don’t know why she was in that bar, or what she was doing with that biker. He wasn’t her type, you know … None of this makes any sense.”

“Did she have a boyfriend? A job? A best friend?” I prodded. “Anything you can tell me would help a lot.”

“She has an ex, some yuppy douche with an attitude problem,” Tony said, his lip curled up with distaste. “She worked at The Coffee Bean in The Heights, and her best friend since we were kids is Clarice.”

“From the salon in Greenswood?” I asked, hoping that was the case, since I knew Clarice pretty well and I knew she’d talk to me.

“That’s the one,” Tony answered.

He was about to go back inside when I stopped him and asked, “Do you know the yuppy douche’s name?”

Tony’s lip twitched, and I realized that if he cleaned himself up and put some meat on his bones, he’d be a pretty handsome guy.

“Carl, or some lame-ass shit like that. He works at the bank in Greenswood.”

Of course he does, I thought as I watched him disappear inside the bagel shop.

My ex, Eric, was the Branch Manager at the bank, and no matter how much I tried to avoid him whenever possible, my cases seemed to keep taking me back to that damn bank.

I took my sandwich back to the van and ate it while I listened to a morning show on the radio and thought about what my next move was going to be for Samantha. The ex seemed like the logical first stop, followed by Clarice, and then her job.

My mind wandered to my move this weekend, then, inevitably, to Cade.

Should I try to call or text him? I wondered, then thought, Hell no. He’s the one who acted like an ass, so he should be the one to get ahold of me and apologize.

I sighed, because although I knew I was right, I really, really missed him.

“Lila,” Eric said from the doorway of his office when I walked in to the bank. “Come in.”

He gestured into his office and I really had no choice but to step inside. I was doing my best to get over my anger at the humiliation he’d caused me, and keep the peace for the kids. I’d even (mostly) stopped calling him The Douche, which I thought was really big of me.

That didn’t mean I was in a place where I wanted to hang out with him.

“Hey, I actually wasn’t here to see you,” I began, keeping my voice gentle to soften the words.

“Oh, well, I was about to call you, so you saved me from that task.”

“The task of dialing your phone?”

Okay, maybe that didn’t sound very nice.

Eric sighed.

“You’re not going to tell me you can’t take the kids this weekend, are you? It’ll be so much easier for me to move if they aren’t under foot.”

“No, that’s not it, I’m happy to have them, and they’re really excited about the move,” he replied, pushing his hair up off of his forehead. “I wanted to let you know that I’m taking Mary away to the Florida Keys next week, and while we’re there, I’m going to propose.”

I noticed that he was watching me nervously, but was too busy trying to decide whether his announcement had any effect on me.

I was pleased to realize it didn’t.

I wasn’t pissed, or sad, or even hurt. I think I was actually happy for him, and for Mary, and for our kids. Mary was a nice woman, and the kids loved her. It would be good for everyone involved.

“That’s great, congratulations.”