Page 73 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
“I’ll see you later,” Calahan said, holding up a hand in a wave. Then, he was gone.
She stood there, feeling numb. They had only been together for a little over a month so—as far as break-ups went—it shouldn’t have been anything world-shattering, but it was the first week of November. Winter was a mere few weeks away, and she would never meet her deadline now.
Dismay swept through her as she walked to her car. Her eyes filled up with tears, her chest constricting with panic. “You’re fine,” she told herself, hysterically blinking the tears away. “You’re fine.”
She got back to her car, trying not to cry. But as she sat down in the driver’s seat, enveloped in silence, worry set in. If she hadn’t been able to make it work with Calahan, who was perfect, she wouldn’t be able to make it work with anyone. The fault was in her.
A long life alone stretched ahead of her; she wouldn’t have what her parents had. She wouldn’t have a partnership, a marriage, a family. She would be alone.
The feeling was only made worse by Calahan’s comment about her and Theo.
She wanted that! She wanted that more than anything, but Theo didn’t. If he did, he would have made it happen. He didn’t want her.
Lavinia started her car, driving home, feeling more and more unraveled as the minutes passed. She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to comfort her bruised and battered heart.
This whole time she had been heartbroken by Theo’srejection, but she had been trying to convince herself that it was for the best. To move on with Calahan—but evenhecould see what a mess she was.
Her feelings for Theo were not going away. If anything, they were getting worse. After that kiss, after everything this past month. She had tried distracting herself from it with Calahan, but now there was nothing left to distract herself with.
She had to face the truth.
When she arrived home, she ran straight up to her room, closing the door. Heart hammering, she reached into the drawer of her vanity. She pulled out Theo’s cologne, spraying it in the air.
The scent hit her, and she started crying as the realization sank in.
She was in love with her best friend.
And everyone knew but him.
Chapter 26
Being an adult was ridiculous because she had gotten broken up with and was having a severe spiral and yet she still had to go to class the next day. Lavinia was barely holding it together by a thread, and things only got worse.
She had told Beena and Garrett about the breakup that night after class, something she always hated to do because her parents were always so upset on her behalf, which only made it all feel worse.
Then came Saturday, when she had to go to work with her ex, a fact that she probably should have thought about before starting this whole thing with him. When she arrived at the Baby Dragon Cafe on Saturday morning, Calahan was already there, taking down the chairs from the tables.
Her heart hammered when she saw him, and she stopped in her tracks by the front door, skin prickling. He paused, looking over at her then away, body language tense. Awkward tension hung between them.
“Hey,” she said, and goodness, why was her voice so loud? She lowered it an octave. “Good morning.” And now her voicewas too quiet. “Good morning,” she repeated, hoping her voice was normal.
“G’morning,” Calahan replied, giving her a small smile, and seeing that eased some of her nerves. She walked to the counter, setting down her purse and coat before going to take down chairs from the other tables.
She glanced over at Calahan, wondering if she should say something or not. She didn’t want things to be tense between them when they’d still be working together. As she continued preparing the cafe, she nibbled on her lower lip.
“All done with midterms?” Calahan asked, when they had both finished with the chairs. She nodded, and they both walked over to the counter.
“Yes, thankfully,” she replied, getting the lighter to light the candles on the tables. “Though you probably have loads of grading to do, now.”
“Yeah,” he said, turning in the direction of the kitchen, “but it shouldn’t be too terrible.”
“Well, good luck,” she said, turning toward the tables.
“Thanks.” With a small smile, he went into the kitchen, and she released a breath. That wasn’t too bad.
Calahan was being mature about the whole thing, and while things were a little awkward throughout the day, it wasn’t too horrible. He was such a great guy—a fact she kept returning to, even later that night when she was home.
She had taken Calahan for granted, and he deserved much better than what she had been giving him. And while she knew Calahan would be okay, she was even more devastated for herself.
