Page 20 of Falling for Her Protector

“You mean Jess? Nope, not even her. Honestly, they haven’t been a real thing since high school anyway. I think he did have one fall asleep in his bed once while he was still out partying, but I wouldn’t say that really counts,” she answers.

“No...” I breathe out, unable to believe what she’s trying to tell me. “That can’t be true.”

“Seriously, trust me, it’s true. You are the first girl that X. has spent the night with,” she smiles. “I’m going to take a quick cat nap and then we can head out and find you a job,” she says, turning and starting towards her bedroom. My head feels light and I feel dizzy as I try to wrap my mind around what Lacey just told me.

* * *

Lacey and I have stopped in at about a half dozen places, but no luck so far. I know she’ll have to head into work soon, and our search will have to end for the day. I’m a little discouraged, but I know I have plenty of time. I’m sure I’ll find something soon.

“Hey, let’s stop and grab some coffee, then I’ll drop you at the clubhouse. We’ll try again in a few days,” she offers me a small smile as she pulls into the parking lot near the bakery. This is just what I need. A little caffeine and sugar to lift my spirits.

The delicious scent of warm cinnamon and vanilla fills my nose as we step inside the shop. A friendly smile greets us from behind the counter. When we came in to get the cookies for Xavier, it was a younger girl that Lacey knew, but this woman looks to be more around my mother’s age.

“Good afternoon girls,” she welcomes us.

“Hi, Diane,” Lacey greets her by name. “Something smells really good in here.”

“Oh, that’s probably the batch of snickerdoodles I just pulled out of the oven,” she smiles.

“Those sound really good. Can we get six of those, six chocolate chip, six molasses, and then six of the frosted sugar cookies? And I’d like an iced vanilla latte with whole milk,” Lacey tells her before looking to me.

“I’ll take a caramel iced coffee with almond milk,” I tell her.

“Coming right up,” she grabs a white square box and immediately starts filling it with cookies.

I move slowly around the room, looking in all the glass cases filled with yummy looking treats. As I turn back towards the counter, my eyes stop on a small red and white sign taped to the glass. I read the bold words; HELP WANTED. Bingo.

“Are you...are you really looking for help?” I stutter over my own words.

“I am. It’s just three days a week to start, but I could use an extra set of hands around here. Especially during the morning rush,” she answers.

“Do you have an application I could fill out?” I ask.

“Nonsense. Do you have any experience?” she looks up at me.

“A little. I mean, it’s not exactly the same, but I worked at Dairy Queen a few summers when I was in high school,” I tell her.

“Well, that’s good enough for me. After I make your coffees, I'll grab some paperwork for you. You can take it home to fill out and then bring them back on Monday and we’ll get started on training you,” she replies easily.

“Really?” I ask unable to believe that she’s actually willing to give me a chance.

“Of course. I’ve known Lacey since she was born, and if she’s bringing you around here, that’s good enough for me. I’ll definitely give you a shot,” she says and I can’t keep the smile from spreading on my face.

“Thank you, so much,” I beam.

She sets the box of cookies on the counter and makes quick work preparing our coffees. After handing them both over, she disappears into a small office for a second before quickly returning with a stack of papers.

“Here you go,” she says holding them out and I let my fingers curl around the edge of the paper, taking them out of her grasp. “They’re just the typical employment forms. Just make sure you bring your ID with you on Monday, so I can look over everything and make sure it’s all by the book,” she smiles.

“What time do you want me here?” I question.

“Well, we open at six, but we get slammed pretty hard first thing. Give me until around nine thirty or ten. Most of the crowd should be cleared out and then I’ll actually be able to give you some time,” she answers.

“That’s great. Thank you again,” I start to turn, but I stop and turn back. “I’m Vanessa, by the way,” I tell her suddenly realizing that I never properly introduced myself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Vanessa. I’m Diane Stone, and this is my bakery,” she says, waving her hand in the air. “Have a nice day girls. Oh, and Lacey, tell that son of mine that I expect a call or visit. I haven’t seen that boy in a week,” she grins.

“I’ll pass on the message,” Lacey laughs in response as we step back out into the warm sun.

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