“There’s no sesame seeds. I double-checked and they know better.” Trudy pulls my hand from my neck. “Why are you all blotchy?”
I’m not allergic to sesame seeds per se but they do make me break out a little bit. I know that my current situation isn’t due to any food sensitivity, though. It is from my thoughts of Major Bennington. Even his name is sexy. He has me all twisted up, hence blotches on my skin. This always happens when I get flustered. I’m not sure why thoughts of him are still bothering me. He’s been gone for hours so I should have forgotten him already.
“It’s fine. I’m just hot,” I half lie. I am kind of hot; just hot over something I shouldn’t be. Trudy eyes me for a moment before going back to whatever it was she was talking about.
“Why are all the good-looking ones always jerks? They think they can just do anything they want.” Trudy’s next bite of chicken is more aggressive. She is still pissed about what happened. That Mr. Bennington had made it past her and into the back office.
“What was he even wearing?” I say with a laugh, trying to cool some of her anger. It earns me a smirk. I don’t know how I lucked out getting her as the store manager. Actually, I take that back. My brother found her but she and I hit it off immediately. A lot of people think I can be a little odd. They even have stupid names for me, but Trudy gets both me and my passion for my work. It’s why I trust her when she brings me someone’s order for a piece of jewelry.
“It was awful,” she agrees, scrunching her nose. “And he still looked handsome.” This time she stabs the chicken with her chopsticks. “I guess I can’t blame him for wearing a wedding ring. I bet women are always trying to get at him. Not to mention that he’s loaded and all.” She rolls her eyes. We might have done a small Google check on him. Who wouldn’t?
I lose my appetite at that. Why do I even care if women throw themselves at him? Men never hit on me. Maybe that’s why Bennington caught me off guard. I knew it was his way of trying to get something he wanted but it set me off-kilter.
“Do you think I dress funny?” I ask Trudy as I stand, cleaning up my food. I have my hair pulled back and nestled on top of my head. It’s a wild mass of curls but it’s the only way to keep it out of the way when I work. I basically wear it the same way every day so that it doesn’t bother me.
“You dress normal. Well, your normal.” My normal? What does that mean? She must tell from the look on my face that it hurts my feelings because she goes on. “I just mean you’re always in a tee, yoga pants and sneakers. It’s functional for what you do.”
Trudy is always dressed up but she is in the front with customers more than I am. My clothes often get ruined and snagged so I never put much thought into them. I know I probably look like a hot mess today. I’ve barely slept working on my brother’s ring and getting myself more behind with all of my other work. At least I know now that Mr. Bennington was only hitting on me so that he could get what he wanted from me. Because there is no way he found me remotely attractive in my get-up. Although, he is no one to judge based on his choice of clothing. God, it was so terrible.
“I need sleep and a shower.” I sigh.
“Mape.” Trudy hops up. “You’re beautiful. Don’t let him fuck with your head. That’s what men like him do.”
I know she’s right. What does it matter what I look like? I try to reassure myself. My stupid insecurities try to push through. It wasn’t even this morning that I was reminding myself that I’m not looking for a man. Now I can’t stop thinking about one.
I give her a hug. “Thanks.”
“Go.” She pushes me toward the door. “Shower, sleep, read a book.” I pull open the front door knowing she’ll shut the place down.
I make the walk to my place. My feet hurt from all of the standing I did today. I am going to shower then soak in the tub. Hopefully I can manage not to pass out in the process.
“Miss London? Maple London,” a soft voice calls to me. I turn to see an older woman who looks like she’s ready for church. She’s even wearing a flowered hat. She has the nicest smile but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Yes?” I take a step back, because something feels off.