I was out of breath from spilling my secrets as fast as humanly possible. It was a good thing the crowds died down in the bakery, and we were currently at that time of day when no one came in. Otherwise the whole town would be talking about my one-night stand.
Both Kati and Annalee were staring at me with their jaws hanging open and eyes blown wide.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us this before," Annalee gasped.
"It wasn't my proudest moment and it was only supposed to be a one-time thing. I wasn't looking for anything serious, but Hendrix isn't exactly the kind of guy who takes no for an answer."
I rolled my eyes and Kati chuckled. "I can see that. He's a bit intense. So tell us, how's the sex? I mean, it had to be good if you were willing to bang a stranger."
My head dropped to my hands with a groan and I mumbled, "It's so good. I blame it on his pierced dick."
"Wait!" Kati practically whisper-screeched. "Hold the phone. He's pierced?"
"I can totally see that," Annalee added.
I looked at her. "You can?" I wasn't sure if I was surprised or slightly jealous she was thinking about his cock right now.
"Absolutely. He's got that dark-vibe thing going on. I could absolutely see him as the pierced anti-hero in a romance novel."
"You know what? You're right," Kati readily agreed. "But now I want to know, what kind of piercing are we talking?"
I could feel my cheeks warming. I wasn't prone to blushing, but I also never had girlfriends to talk about this stuff with. This was all new to me.
"A Jacob’s ladder," I finally confessed.
Kati fanned her face and Annalee's eyes doubled in size.
"Does it feel as good as they claim?"
My mouth fell open in shock at Annalee’s question. She always seemed so sweet and shy.
"I'm not sure what the books say, but I can attest it's probably better. I've never felt anything so good in my life."
"Then why the hell did you spend so much time staying away from him?" Kati swiped at my hands in a friendly swat.
"Because he's intense and I knew he would never agree to a sex-only situation. I wasn't ready for anything more."
"But now you are?" Annalee was definitely the romantic of the group. Even if I didn't know she read all those romance books, I could see it in her eyes.
"Yes, now I am."
I couldn't tell themwhyI hadn't been ready before. It didn't matter how close I was to them. I wasn't sure I would ever be ready to tell them about the man I killed, or the fact that Maisie wasn't my real name.
"I'm happy for you guys. I know I've only been here for a few weeks but Hendrix seems like a great guy, and after what you did for me, I know how greatyouare."
I wasn't so sure she would think that if she knew everything about me but I smiled anyway. If we were ever in the same situation, where a gun-wielding individual was after her, I would definitely stab another man for her.
"Well, thank you. Now here are your crumb cakes. On the house of course, because the two of you managed to brighten my day."
"Oh no, we couldn't do that," Kati insisted.
"Oh please. After what happened in here, this place was so damn busy that I could close for a week and still be fine. I insist."
"Well, thank you." Annalee smiled sweetly. "I better get back to the office before Owen sends out a search party. I swear he was more traumatized than I was."
I waved bye to them and then went back to checking the stock in the cases. Now that my friends were gone, the good mood they had put me in went with them. I wished they’d come back just so I could take my mind off things.
Janie emerged from the back where she had been making a batch of cookies. I was slowly handing over my responsibilities and letting her make some of the desserts. I had to give her credit, she was pretty damn good. I hired her solely to work the counter but it was nice to see she could bake as well. It made me feel better about giving her more responsibilities.