Page 105 of Over the Line
“Oh hell no.” Frantic not to have Vanessa in her closet, pulling out hangers and tossing outfits on the bed, Sydney leaped up and dashed to her bedroom, snatching a shirt out of midair before it hit the mattress. “Out.”
“I’ll give you five minutes.” Vanessa propped her hands on her hips. “And that includes pulling your hair into a ponytail and slapping some eye cream on to disguise the fact you haven’t been sleeping and that you’ve been crying.”
Sydney scowled. “You’re the most—”
“Best,” Vanessa interrupted. “You mean best. As in I’m the best friend ever. I tell it like it is, and you appreciate it. But thanks for the compliment.” She smiled widely. “It’s good to know that you recognize how wonderful I am.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Tick tock.”
“I still think you should go away.”
In answer, Vanessa sat on the edge of the bed and made a show of studying her well-manicured nails.
It was closer to fifteen minutes by the time they were in the downtown area, near Bear Creek. Even though it was still early, the town buzzed with energy.
Vanessa found the last parking space in front of the Misty Mountain coffee shop.
Sydney swore she gained weight just from the scent of sugar when she walked through the door.
The place was amazing with its bright chairs painted a shade of green that was reminiscent of nearby pine trees. The color theme continued throughout the entire place, including the T-shirts and hats they offered for sale.
Since there was a line, she had far too much time to look at the pastry case.
“I’m thinking about a vanilla bean glazed scone,” Vanessa said.
“To go with your caramel whatever?”
“Yep. And this is my treat. Get whatever you want.”
Vanessa led her into temptation.
When they walked back outside into the bright sunshine, Sydney had a large Americano in one hand and was carrying a bag stuffed with a triple chocolate muffin. The unholy confection had fudge in the middle and chunks of dark chocolate in the batter, along with milk chocolate chips. Not satisfied with that, the baker had drizzled white chocolate on top. “I’ll never fit in my running tights tomorrow morning.”
“That’s okay.” As they walked, Vanessa took a bite of her treat. “We’re going shopping. I’ll find you something in a bigger size.”
Unable to help herself, Sydney smiled. Then she wondered, was it for the first time since she’d played the diva for Master Michael at his home?
She sighed.
Why did every thought—even happy ones—lead back to him?
Vanessa headed for a bench near the river, and she took a seat. “Perfect fall day.”
It was. Flowers still bloomed in pots, but the air held a noticeable morning chill. To ward it off, she took a drink of her coffee. “Wow. I think they added an extra shot of espresso to it.”
“I bypass every coffee shop when I come to visit you, just so I can stop at Misty Mountain.” Vanessa grinned. “Sometimes I even dip off the highway and grab a cup on my way to visit the Den.”
The mention of Master Damien’s mountain retreat made her sad again, so she reached into the bag and broke off a piece of her muffin.
Staring into the distance, she popped the bite into her mouth.
“Speaking of the Den, I’m planning to go next week with Maggie. She’s had enough of her asshole boss, and I don’t blame her.” Vanessa shrugged. “It’s been hard for her dealing with the new owner, especially since it was her family’s business, and she pretty well ran it. Now she has to answer to an alphahole. I mean, that can be fun in a club setting, right? But dealing with someone like that all day at work? Who thinks he knows your business better than you do? That’s a hard no from me.”
“He sounds like a tyrant.”
“He is.” Vanessa slurped her frozen concoction through a straw. “Maggie would quit, but he has her tied up with a Draconian employment contract. A pair of golden handcuffs. So she’s ready for a night out where she can forget about him for a while and get her butt paddled.”