Page 52 of Restless Ink

“You’re always covered in flour, but when I come and see you during the day, you’re not usually trying to take out any anger and aggression you might have on the poor defenseless dough in front of you.”

Roxie leaned against one of the cleaner counters and would probably end up with flour on her as well, but Thea knew her sister wouldn’t really mind. Sure, her outfit was much nicer than Thea’s, and her sister scrimped and saved for them for work, but she also didn’t flee from dirt and things.

Unlike Molly.

And that was a thought Thea didn’t need to have because she hated that she kept putting the other woman down in her head. Yes, Molly had issues, but they weren’t that bad. Right?

The more Thea thought about it, the more she lingered on the digs Molly made, and the way her so-called friend had been acting lately, the more Thea worried that she was only obsessing over it to find fault because she was falling in love with Dimitri.

“Earth to Thea. What the hell is wrong? Don’t say you’re fine or nothing is wrong. That would be a lie.”

I could ask you the same.

But she didn’t.

Couldn’t.

Thea folded her arms over her chest and leaned against her other counter. “I won’t say I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

“Want to talk about it?” Roxie tilted her head, studying Thea’s face. “Is it Dimitri? Did you two have a fight? Or is it the bakery? I know the expansion sounds like a lot of work, but we’ve gone through the numbers, if you get that loan with those recommendations, you’ll do wonderfully.”

Thea shook her head, then rubbed at her temple since the action made that part of her face throb.

“It’s not that. Or maybe it’s not all of it. There’s just been a lot of change happening in a short period of time, and I feel like I’m struggling to catch up. Plus, something just feels hinky, and I have no idea why.”

“Hinky?”

“It’s a word.”

“Well, yeah it is, but what do you think is hinky?”

“It’s about Molly.”

“Your so-called best friend,” Roxie put in dryly.

“Why do you and Adrienne keep calling her that?” And, yeah, she’d used the phrase while talking to herself, but she figured her sisters were the ones that put those words into her head when it came to Molly.

“Because she’s not good for you,” Roxie said with a shrug. “I know, I know, we don’t have to like every single one of your friends, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see the two of you together. Not that we ever see you together since she doesn’t like to slum with the Montgomerys.”

“That’s not nice. She’s not slumming with us. We’re not lower class. We’re mostly blue collar, sure, but she’s not like that.” Even as she said the words, Thea wasn’t sure she was being entirely truthful with herself.

“Whatever. I know we’re not lower class or whatever the fuck Molly thinks we are. It’s not that. It’s how she treats you.”

“What are you talking about?” Thea picked at wet flour on her hand, frowning.

“She’s constantly putting you down, Thea.”

“She does not.” She paused. “Well, I don’t think she means anything by it.”

“Listen to yourself, Thea. Don’t make excuses for her. Every time you’re near her, you shrink in on yourself as if you don’t want to become too big of a target. She’s totally passive-aggressive. And she’s damn good at it. It wasn’t until recently that I felt like the gloves had come off and I could actually step back and see it clearly. She comments on yourlittle bakery, about the flour on you, the fact you have curves and have to work for a living.”

“It’s not what you think. Not really. She doesn’t do that.”

But Molly’s words came back to Thea, confusing her as she remembered the things her friend had said to her over the years.

“It’s not…it’s not that bad.”

“Thea…”