Page 69 of Heartbeats & Highways

Homer set the sonogram down onto the counter. “Grab your shit.”

I gasped. “You’re firing me? For calling you a moron?”

He rolled his eyes. “No. Now grab your shit. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I sniffed, hastily wiping underneath my eyes.

“To a place that’s gonna make you feel better.”

I frowned in confusion.

“I’m trying to be human here,” he muttered in exasperation.

I stuffed the papers back into the folder and picked up my purse. Homer already had the door open, and he waited for me. He locked up the parlor and remotely set the alarm.

Without a sound, I followed him to a bright red muscle car with black racing stripes on the hood, wondering where he was taking me.

Homer pulled into a parking spot on the street and cut the massive engine of the car.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Pie in the Sky,” he announced.

I frowned. “Andwhyare we here?”

“So you’ll stop crying.”

“I’ve already stopped crying,” I pointed out.

“There’s baked goods in there,” he muttered.

I stared at him.

“What?” he demanded.

“You’re a teddy bear,” I said in realization, my jaw dropping open.

“I’mnota teddy bear.”

“Yousoare. Why else would you bring me to a bakery if you weren’t a big ‘ol teddy bear?”

“I don’t like crying women.”

“You could’ve kicked me out of the tattoo parlor,” I said. “Or left me there by myself. You didn’t have to drive me to a place full of delicious treats to make me feel better.”

He paused. “Are you? Feeling better?”

I smiled.

Homer glared.

It only made me smile wider.

With a sigh, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here’s a twenty. Get whatever you want. Stay as long as you want. Take the day off.”

“Take the day off?”

“Yep. The last thing I need is for you to break down into tears again. Tears are bad for business.”

---