Page 32 of Just Desserts

"What do you mean why?".

"Why do you have to wait until your divorce is finalized?" She repeated slowly.

"Well, it would, I mean it would be improper to date when I'm still married." I managed to sputter out, the look Sarah was giving me as I said it made me doubt the words as soon as they passed my lips.

"Improper? What is this Bridgerton? Never mind, there would have been more action by now. Look, can I be blunt with you?" She turned the full power of her gaze on me, and I nodded wordlessly.

"Your husband stepped out on you. With your cousin. Looks like you're pretty set on your decision to get a divorce, which - thank god. You're separated, you don't live together, you don't even see him. All that's keeping you two from officiallydivorcing right now is a piece of paper he's refusing to sign. Meanwhile, he's still sleeping with that too-faced floozy and you're afraid to even entertain the notion of being with someone else. Why does he get to move on, and you have to wait?"

I took in her expression; she was serious but also looked like she genuinely cared. I sighed before answering as honestly as I could.

"Because I'm scared. Because I'm not ready. I don't really know, but I know all of that is true. It is also true that spending time with Myles does feel right, it's one of the only things that feels right about this whole mess. And that's terrifying in its own way." I shrugged and reached for a different slice of cake. Perk of owning a bakery, plenty of food to self soothe with.

"Good." Sarah said with a nod.

"Good?" I asked with a mouth full of carrot cake.

"It would be stupid to rush into something, especially after everything you went through. It would be equally stupid to ignore the fact there's some sort of connection between the two of you. Sounds like you're right on schedule for all the emotions you are feeling. Anyway, I'm shipping you and Myles until you're emotionally ready to go through with it yourself." I laughed at her summary of my current psychological state.

Conversation moved swiftly after that and to much lighter topics. Sarah was hysterical, her personality was captivating, but she was also a smart and caring person. I was happy she had inserted herself into my life and hoped to see more of her in the future. We ended with a hug, and she headed for the door. Stopping just before I got behind the counter she called across the shop.

"Girl’s day! Next weekend. Massage, facials, whatever you want! You've earned it. I'll make appointments for us at thehotel spa. We can go upstairs for lunch after that too. I demand you attend."

Laughing at her decree, I agreed and hustled her out of my shop before she could cause any more ruckus. Overall, it was one of the best lunch breaks I've ever had.

Chapter 26

Myles

It was the Friday after I brought food to Isla's shop and I was meeting Wes for dinner. He had picked a restaurant that was pretty equal distance between the hotel and his house and I was looking forward to seeing him. Despite my recent obsession with Isla, I was concerned for my friend. I wanted to check in.

I knew he was keeping his cool but I'm sure there was a whole other side to this divorce that Wes had to deal with. I was hoping I could act as a helpful ear. I had only seen Wes get really mad a few times, he was usually easy going, preferring to joke around rather than have any sort of serious conversation. In general, Wes was always a private guy, if something was bothering him he typically kept it to himself.

The one time I remember him getting worked up happened when we were living off campus with Tyler and Sean. Wes had made several requests to try and get Tyler to stop bringing people over late at night during finals, not to mention letting random people have free reign of the place. We had woken up to a trashed apartment after being kept awake by loud music more times than I cared for as well.

That came to a sudden stop when Wes was woken up before an important exam by a random couple trying to use his room for alone time. Wes physically launched the guy out of the room then went straight for Tyler. He got a good left hook in before Sean and I managed to get into the room and hold Wes back.Physically restrained, it didn't stop him from verbally popping off at Tyler.

"You may not give a fuck about your future Ty, but why are you so determined to bring the rest of us down with you? What the fuck is wrong with you? I want everyone out, and I want you gone until exams are over. All these friends you keep bringing over? The ones you let run around taking whatever they want, doing whatever they want? Well you can go fucking stay with one of them. When you're ready to stop acting like a 12 year old, maybe then you can come back. Fucking handle your shit." With that he shook us off him and went back to his bedroom, slamming and locking the door.

It took some time but Wes and Tyler were able to work things out, ending up with Tyler feeling almost indebted to Wes for the wakeup call and labeling that night as the moment he turned his life around. Tyler was failing out of school and didn't want to tell any of us, after the confrontation with Wes he sorted himself out. He had to take extra classes and stay an extra semester but he managed to get his GPA up and graduate shortly after the rest of us.

Regardless, I had seen the slow build of Wes's rage and I was worried about him. I was willing to risk bringing up the touchy subjects because I would rather he snapped at me than say something he could never take back to his sister or parents.

Speaking of the devil, a slightly haggard looking Wes saw me sitting at the table and nodded as he made his way over. He took his jacket off, threw it into the booth seat across from me and slid in after it.

"Hey man, good to see you. I'm fucking starving, you ever been here?" Wes said as he grabbed a menu.

"No, I was thinking of just getting a burger unless yourecommend anything else."

"Nah, their burgers are great. Try one of the beers on tap though, they rotate special beers, seasonal or some shit. Anyway, I know how you like trying the local fare." Wes replied.

We placed our orders and were brought our drinks shortly. After taking a sip, I sat back in my seat. I eyed Wes seriously, taking in his tired expression.

"How are you doing man? Honestly, I know this can't be easy and I'm sure there's a lot more to it I don't know about, especially with your mom and dad. If you don't want to talk about it I understand, just know I'm here if you do."

I paused, waiting for him to make a decision. He leaned forward, dropping his head in his hand for a minute before sitting back up.

"It's a fucking mess, Myles. She's really gone and fucked things up this time and I don't know how to help her and what's making me feel even worse is I don't know if Iwantto help her."

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