“I knew you weren’t going to go with me. I knew you were going to forget. I get it. You’re busy too. Your work is important to you. Just like mine is to me. So don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t want to argue with you. I liked seeing you celebrating today. You looked happy. I miss that.”
“Well, you can miss me more when I’m in Boston,” she said. “I’m going to get some sleep. I have a busy morning. And believe me, I have everything under control.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Miranda smirked at me. “You’ll see soon enough, Liam… goodnight.”
Chapter Ten
Emily
“Miranda wants me to stop over at her apartment,” I said out loud as I read the text message.
“That can’t be good,” Ember said.
“Why not? She’s my friend.”
“Do you go over there often?” Ember asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Sometimes? That’s not confident sounding.”
“No, it’s not that. We usually have plans in advance. This is kind of…”
“Spur of the moment,” Ember said. “Damn.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said.
“What’s nothing?” Lucy asked as she walked into the back of the bakery and took off her apron.
“The bitch wants to see Emily in person,” Ember said.
“Hey,” I said. “Come on. Don’t say that.”
“Sorry,” Ember said. “Miranda wants Emily to come over.”
“When?” Lucy asked.
“I guess now,” I said. “She probably wants a glass of wine and to vent.”
“I’d rather listen to someone put nails through a paper shredder,” Lucy said.
“Would that even make noise?” I asked. “Wouldn’t the nails get stuck and the shredder would just turn off?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever the most annoying sound in the world is, I’d rather hear that than hear Miranda’s voice.”
“You two need to see Miranda the way I do,” I said. “Not the business side of her.”
“You mean, the side that constantly screws you over?” Ember asked.
“We know about the money she wants,” Lucy said.
“Your point?” I asked.
“That’s insane,” Ember said. “This place is barely making it as it is.”
I waved my hands. “If I go to her house, it’s personal. We know how to separate the lines between business and personal.”
“And I’m sure whatever she wants will benefit her,” Lucy said. “Even if it is just to vent. She texts and you’ll show up.”
“That’s what a friend does,” I said.
“If you texted her, would she show up to let you vent?” Ember asked.
“Of course she would,” I said.
“When was the last time she showed up to your apartment?” Lucy asked.
I looked left, then right. “You know what? You two suck right now. Don’t go cornering me over Miranda. If I needed her, she would be there. Have I asked her for anything? No. I like to keep to myself. That’s my personality. Plus, she’s the one with the busy job and she’s planning a wedding. She needs someone to vent to.”
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “Okay. I’m leaving. Sorry I said anything.”
“Hey,” Ember said. “We’re your friends.”
I laughed. “I know. A pain in the ass and honest.”
“And we don’t steal your money,” Lucy said.
“That’s not fair to say either,” I said.
“If you say so,” Lucy said.
I hurried to the office and gathered up my stuff.
Then I made my quick pitstop to hand out some of the baked goods that didn’t sell.
Once that was done, I used my phone to get a ride to Miranda’s apartment.
The apartment she shared with Liam.
“Don’t worry,” Miranda said as she poured me a glass of wine, “Liam won’t be coming home drunk this time.”
“You hope, right?” I asked with a grin.
Miranda shook her head. “That’s not funny, Emily.”
“Oh, I’m just messing around. I didn’t think anything of it. I’ve seen Liam drunk many times.”
“Well, it matters to me,” Miranda said. “I don’t need him fumbling around with my friends and looking like a complete asshole.”
“One night though, right?”
“Are you defending him?”
“No,” I said. “You know what? He’s an asshole. He’s the worst ever. Let’s bash him.”
Miranda finally smiled. “I get your point. So… what happened with Jon? I never got the full story.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “He just showed up to the bakery and announced he was breaking up with me. Like I told you. That was it.”
“Did you hear from him?”
“Nope.”
“Did you text him?” Miranda asked in a scolding voice.
“Nnnnoooo…,” I said and cringed.
Miranda put her head back. “Emily. You can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I asked. “I wanted a real reason. Don’t I at least get that from him?”
“Sometimes you don’t,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to walk the hell away. Like, screw him. Don’t give him the power. Every time you text him, it makes him smile.”
“Smile?” I asked.
“Yeah. Think about it. You texting means that door is still open. So let’s say Saturday night comes. He’s out with his buddies and he can’t get laid. Right? He gets home and he’s horny. His hand is no good to him. What does he do? He texts you back. Oh, girl, I’m so sorry for what I said and did. I’ve been thinking… we should work this out. Come over. Let’s talk. I miss you. I want you.”
Miranda pretended to throw up.
She had a good point.
“I stopped texting him,” I said.
“That sounds like you sent a lot of texts.”
“A few.”
“How many is a few?” Miranda asked.
“More than a few.”
“Emily…”
“I said I stopped,” I said. “This isn’t easy for me. My life is crazy right now. The bakery…” I stopped and looked down.
“Hey, we’re off the clock,” Miranda said. “This is us as friends, right?”
“The bakery is a pain in the ass,” I said. “I sometimes wish I never took it over. And my only way out without screwing you over is to have this guy who wants to buy everything, buy me out.”
“Who?” Miranda asked. Her eyes lit up. “I would love to get out from under that building. Hey, let’s do this then… you get close to this guy. Right? Worst case, sleep with him a few times. Get him on board. You unload your business and
