Page 18 of Crumbling Truth
She nodded. “It’s one of the few gatherings I actually enjoy, so I’ll be open for a couple hours at the start, close up so I can go see them light up the tree, then I usually sell for another hour or until I’m out of cupcakes.”
“Do you have any help? Like a sidekick or an assistant or something?”
“Do I have…a sidekick?” she repeated, blinking at me for a beat before her laughter floated around me. “Sadly, no. This might surprise you, but I don’t mind working alone.”
I was too distracted by the dimple in her cheek and the mischief in her eyes to feign shock, but I snorted. “No way.”
“Way. Why, you wanna be The Nutless Wonder’s sidekick?”
It was an odd invitation, sure, but it was clearly an invitation nonetheless. I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass. “Absolutely, I do, if you’ll accept my help.”
“I could be convinced,” she said, smirking.
“If you’re the Queen of Sweets, what would my name be?”
Her grin turned sly. “That is an excellent question. Eclair? King Cake? Oh, I’ve got it. Long John!”
“Esther,” I gasped, leaning toward her, “was that a dick joke?”
“No, of course not!” A blush crept along her cheekbones despite the denial. “A Long John is a type of donut, you perv.”
I continued to stare at her until she dissolved into giggles. The sound did something strange to my chest, flooding me with a giddy kind of pleasure. It wasn’t her usual sweet, husky laugh, but something light and carefree, fizzing in the air like champagne bubbles. I wanted to bask in it. At that moment, she looked younger, the way I imagined she must’ve looked before meeting Steve Pautler.
Maybe this was the Esther my mother had first known, the one she’d taken under her wing.
When she managed to get herself back under control, wiping at the corners of her eyes, I was still grinning like a fool. And staring at her, a fact which had slipped my mind until her eyes widened slightly.
“I like hearing you laugh,” I said before I could think better of it.
Another faint wash of rose crept along her cheekbones, but she didn’t look away when our eyes met. Even if the feeling of triumph I experienced was unwarranted, that didn’t make it any less sweet. The sparkle of humor in those minty depths faded into something warm and a little bit rueful.
“It feels good to laugh again. I’m a little rusty, I think.”
“Well,” I said softly, “cool sidekick name or not, I’d be happy to help you out at the tree lighting. I worked in restaurants all through college.”
She hesitated only a second before nodding. “If you’re sure it’s not asking too much, I would appreciate the help.”
“I have basically nothing to do around here, Esther. I’m not used to sitting on my ass so much. The Lawn Ranger’s books have never been so up to date, since that’s about all I can do from a distance. Can’t say I’d be much good at baking, but I can definitely ring up customers and hand over your delightful cupcakes to adoring fans. And I’d do just about anything for more of those cookies.”
“I recently perfected a new brownie recipe that’s nice and gooey without being oily. I’m making one last test batch tomorrow. If you behave yourself, maybe you’ll get to try one.”
My lips twitched and I tried, I really tried, to ignore the way her gaze dipped to my mouth. “Then I’ll just have to be very, very good, won’t I?”
If I wasn’t mistaken, her blush deepened as she turned her attention to her meal, and I was forced to do the same before she caught me staring at her.
Again.
To my surprise, the quiet that settled over us wasn’t uncomfortable in the least. It felt like Esther had simply used up her current allotment of chitchat and laughter, leaving her in need of time to recharge. I’d always considered myself fairly outgoing, but for once, I didn’t mind the silent camaraderie, either.
As we had before, Esther and I rinsed and loaded the dishes together. While she was pulling her boots on, her phone chirped from a hidden pocket in the waistband of her leggings. My eyebrows lifted as she tugged it free and then grimaced.
“Bad news?” I asked.
Esther shook her head. “No, but Sofia wants me to meet the group of them at The Mermaid tomorrow night for dinner.”
Before I could respond, my own phone vibrated and I glanced down to see the same invitation. “Guess I’m invited too.”
“Lucky you.”
