Page 137 of Pinch of Love
“You’re gorgeous even when you look like a zombie,” she tried again.
“Let’s just stop with the compliments.”
“Well, I need some pumpkin in my veins, and Abby has the perfect combination of decaf coffee, pumpkin spice syrup, and organic whipped cream that makes my unborn child do flips.”
I chuckled, realizing it was a losing battle. “Fine. I’ll go. But don’t expect me to change. I like my sweats and flip-flops.”
“That’s a shoe choice for North Carolina in mid-October, not Wisconsin. Where’s your sense?”
I laughed and shook my head. “If you haven’t noticed, all sense left me when I broke up with the one man who completely understood me and liked me for me.”
Grace handed me a hair tie. “At least put your hair in a ponytail so people can’t tell it’s been days since it’s seen a brush.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. “It hasn’t been that long. Well, maybe.”
When we stepped outside, the crisp air swept over my skin, and I reveled in how quickly things changed in Wisconsin.
One minute, Cash and I were bouncing together in the frigid lake, and the next, it seemed like snow could fall.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it felt like November,” Grandma Millie said, shivering. She bundled her goose-down coat around her.
“It doesn’t snow in October, right?” I asked.
“It can, but it just doesn’t stick,” my grandma explained.
I grinned. “Ah, I see.”
As we piled into the car, I started to feel a little better, a little less guilty for leaving Cash in the dust.
I still didn’t want to bump into him, but I felt like I could breathe again.
Grace started the car as I buckled into the backseat.
“Izzy and I are going to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. Wanna come with us?” Grace asked.
I drew in a breath and thought about my odds. Would I run into Cash? Could I hide from Cash if he happened to be around?
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him, but I didn’t want to see him. I’d acted like an idiot, and even though it made sense to me at the time, it didn’t soon after.
But the damage had been done.
And I needed to get brave enough to confront him and apologize.
It also didn’t help that word got around about Rob, and I had to do lots of damage control. It wasn’t that I was protecting Rob. I was protecting my brand, which in this case meant empowerment.
After several conference calls and Zoom meetings, I felt better in control, and I’d also made the final decision to close the office and let all employees work remotely. I’d also planned a getaway at Buttercup Lodge next summer for employees and their families. I’d wanted to put on a retreat for a very long time, but it was something Rob was opposed to, and that no longer mattered.
The thought made me nearly giddy as my sister pulled in front of the coffee shop. I poked my head around, looking for any sign of his white Jeep, and was relieved it didn’t appear to be lurking. I did still wonder why he’d been parked at Daisy’s house, but it wasn’t my business. I’d broken up with him. We still weren’t together, so he could be up to all kinds of shenanigans.
And I could fully pat myself on the back for that.
Grandma Millie got out of the car before Grace had even turned it off. She stretched before trundling into the coffee shop.
“Does she remember we’re with her or...” I teased, and Grace chuckled.
“Are you okay going in for coffee?” she asked.
I laughed. “Oh, now you’re concerned?”