Page 39 of Thorns and Ashes
I find myself smiling at her despite myself. “Yes. Blame Ainsley.”
She giggles and looks at the biscuit still in her hand with a glint in her eye before chomping down on it anyway. I stand in complete and utter shock as she starts sputtering, trying to spit out the biscuit into the wastebasket.
“These things taste awful! You make these on purpose?” She chokes as she spits out the last bit still stuck in her mouth.
I laugh until tears form in my eyes. “What is wrong with you?” I ask, handing her one of the water bottles we keep here in the fridge.
She reaches for it like a mad woman and drinks the whole bottle in one shot. “You want the list or a PowerPoint. The PowerPoint has pictures. I highly suggest it, it really gives you a glimpse into the magic happening here.” She points to her head.
I chuckle again under my breath, feeling lighter than I have in months. “You’re unbelievable.”
“What? I was curious. If I hadn’t tasted that horrible biscuit, my brain would’ve never let me focus on anything else. You’d show me where we keep the coffee filters at, and my thoughts would keep going back to ‘what’s that biscuit taste like?’” She shrugs, like this is a normal occurrence for her.
“So we can move on now, is what you’re saying?” I ask to confirm, genuinely amused by her and this whole interaction.
“Yup.” She smiles widely, popping the ‘p’.
“Great.” Heading through the swinging door, something she said sticks out. “Did you say your last name is Bolton? As in Blake Bolton?”
Cracks show in her happy demeanor at the mention of his name, making me wonder if there may be more to her than just this fun and silly version I’ve seen. Before answering, she somehow manages to look smaller.
“Yeah, he’s my half-brother,” she says softly, not making eye contact and instead looking around the cafe.
I’m not the first to know anything in this town, but since Ainsley is friendly with basically everyone, she did let me know about a 911 call a few weeks back.
“I’m sorry about everything you two are going through right now,” I say quietly, surprised by my own sincerity.
Rory’s big blue eyes meet mine, and she forces a smile, but this one is nothing like any I’ve seen so far today. “It’ll be fine,” she says quickly, like that’s what she’s been telling herself on repeat. “And thank you. But hey, here isn’t the place and there’s nothing I can do about any of it, so the way I see it is it’s better to work and stay busy.”
“Don’t I know it?” I grumble.
I spend the morning showing her the ins and outs of the cafe, the same way that Ainsley taught me months ago, along with things I’ve had to learn on my own, the hard way. We chat as we go, making the time float by with ease. Rory likes to talk, and from what I can tell, she’s candid and hilarious. Originally from Florida, at only twenty-two, she thought she didn’t have any family after her mother died from alcoholism. That is, until her big hockey star cousin from the Tampa Bay Hawks showed up, letting her know that not only does he exist, but he also told her she has a brother she never knew about. She’s still navigating all of the family drama that’s unfolding, but from what I can tell, she’s happy to be here. Which is good because she’s been easy to teach and super helpful. I may even end my day without the usual migraine and aching feet.
“I’ve worked all my life. I can’t tell you how many jobs I’ve had.” Her eyes shift over my shoulder and toward the entrance. “Ah,” she gasps, before dropping behind the counter like some kind of Raggedy Ann doll, hands covering her face like that’s enough for her to go unnoticed.
I look behind me, just in time to see the firefighters all walk in.
Andhim.
It’s been weeks since Memorial Day weekend, and I’ve perfected the art of pretending he doesn’t exist. Which is impressive, considering his words still echo when I least expect them. I don’t look at him. Not once. The moment I feel hisattention shift my way, I drop my gaze to the pink mess on the floor like she’s suddenly the most important person in the room.
“I didn’t realize your view could get any lower, but you keep surprising me,” I tease from above.
Rory gives me a sideways glare before lowering to her knees and peeking through the glass case, past the desserts, and to the cafe. Slowly, she rises to her feet and gives me a goofy smile. “Thought I dropped something.”
“Right,” I huff. “More like you thought you saw somebody. Who are you hiding from?”
Before she can answer me, Billy’s voice rises over the cafe chatter. “Pinky!”
Rory jumps slightly to attention as she looks in his direction. “Hey, Playboy.”
She meets him on our side of the counter, and I follow closely behind, eyes flicking over their faces like I’m missing a piece of the puzzle.
“I didn’t know you worked here.” He smiles, but his eyes search for Ainsley as she delivers food to a table.
“Not many people do. Think we can keep it that way?” she asks casually, which is how I know it isn’t. “It’s my first day after all, and I’d hate to have to already start messing with your orders.”
His attention snaps back to her with mock outrage. “You wouldn’t dare.”
