“You okay?” I asked, even though I was sure the thought of her baby going away to college was a daunting thing.
“We’ll be fine,” she responded with a watery smile. “And I know that Craig will do great at any school he attends. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy. I just hope he doesn’t mind me showing up unexpectedly. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to go without holding my boy.”
“Jeez, Mom,” Craig replied, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was just giving her a hard time. There was no doubt that Rose was a beacon of light in this family.
When I was about to leave, Cal pulled me aside by the front door and said, “Hey man, I just wanted to let you know how excited we all are about going to the lake. Shelly’s been talking constantly about bonfires, swimming, and barbecues. We were thinking that on Sunday we could do a big barbecue, you know, to celebrate the holiday and stuff. Then we can leave Monday afternoon or evening. That way we can get the most out of the trip. Who knows when we’ll get to do something like this again, with the baby coming and all.”
I grinned at Cal’s obvious enthusiasm, I was stoked that everyone was as excited about this getaway as I was, albeit for different reasons. I was just about to let my best friend in on my plan to win Gaby over at the lake when he dropped a bomb on me.
“Oh, and TJ mentioned something to Brock about it, I hope that’s alright. You know TJ, he just figured, the more the merrier … And we’re all friends, right?” He gave me a halfhearted hug, said, “See ya,” and turned to join his family.
Fuck … inviting Brock really threw a wrench in my plans.
Chapter 10 – Gaby
I was singing along to Carrie Underwood as I frosted five dozen cupcakes, hips shaking and head bobbing as I worked, when Suzy, one of the part-time workers at the bakery, came back into the kitchen.
“Hey, Gabs, it’s pretty slow right now, is there anything I can help you with?” she asked hopefully. She was a few years younger than me, and was working here while she went to school full time. She was a sweet girl and a hard worker.
“Yeah, you can punch out the pictures so that we can apply them to the cupcakes when I’m done,” I responded. The cupcakes were for the opening of a new salon in town. The owner had requested the cupcakes say, KEEP CALM AND WAX ON. She was planning to pass them out along with coupons for a free wax. I thought it was a pretty cute idea. I’d printed them on edible paper, and would adhere them to the frosting.
We worked side by side, singing and dancing while we got the cupcakes ready, and before I knew it, we were done.
“Thanks for your help,” I said to Suzy as we boxed up the treats. “We got it done much faster than I’d planned on.” I grinned at her and asked, “Want a water?”
“Sure,” she said with a smile. She was small like me, but while I was fair and blonde, she had a dark pixie cut and caramel-colored skin.
“Hey, are you interested in picking up some extra shifts this weekend?” I asked, thinking about the lake.
“Yeah, sure, school’s closed for the holiday, and I could use the money.”
“Cool, I’ll clear it with Kat, and let you know,” I said, excited that she was available. I was really looking forward to a weekend away with my friends.
“Cool,” she echoed before going back out to the front of the store.
We’d be closing soon, so I cleaned up the kitchen and put my whites away, then headed back to talk to Kat.
I chuckled when I rounded the corner and saw her typing furiously, surrounded by stacks of files and papers.
“Kat,” I said softly, not wanting to startle her.
Kat blinked a couple times, then focused on me.
“Hey, Gaby, what’s up?”
I walked in and eased myself into the loveseat next to her desk.
“My friends are going to the lake for the holiday weekend, and I wanted to see if I could get some time off. I’ll still work Friday, but talked to Suzy, and she’ll cover me on Saturday and Sunday. Then we’re closed on Monday,” I explained. Even though I knew she’d give me the time off, I still wanted her to know that I wouldn’t leave her high and dry.
“Yeah, sounds fun. You deserve a getaway with your friends,” Kat replied. “You never did say … how’s Scott holding up?”
I thought about the last time I’d seen him, at the bar the other night. He’d seemed in pretty good spirits until the end of the night. “I think he’s doing well. He’s sad to have hurt Victoria, but he’s happy with his decision.”
“That’s good. Just give him a little time, and he’ll be back to his old self again. It’s hard to take a step back and change the person you’ve become, but he’s on the right track.”
I nodded as I let her words sink in. Scott had been changing. He’d been becoming more like his father, who’d rather give in to a situation than make waves, but I knew that there was more to him than that. Scott was a smart, strong, independent man; he’d just forgotten it over the last few years.
I thanked Kat again, then headed out to see if Suzy needed any help closing up shop. When I walked into the front, I was surprised to see Brock leaning on the display case talking to Suzy.