Page 110 of Loverboy
At any rate, Teagan insisted on coming in to work to help me keep the pie shop afloat. While Ginny is busy spending all her time with her traumatized child. Poor Aaron is still rattled.
“Aunt Posy is my hero,” he keeps telling my sister. “She got her hands out of handcuffs.”
We are all struggling. I haven’t even set foot in the pie shop either. My new barista is doing the best she can, but I’m still short-handed.
Max is helping with that, too. He flew in a famous barista—some guy from Portland. And he hired a pastry chef from the Culinary Institute of America on 18thStreet to fill in for me.
The one person who’s surprised me with his attentiveness has been my father. Dad keeps showing up at the hospital to see how I am. He offered to send Aaron to therapy, and he even asked me if I needed any money to hire extra labor for my business.
It’s funny, but I never wanted his help with anything before. And I couldn’t imagine turning my back on the pie shop. But with Gunnar in the hospital, I just don’t care anymore. I’ll let my dad and Max handle whatever they’re willing to handle, just so I can spend more time with the person who really matters.
Gunnar can’t die. Our story isn’t over yet.
I stick my hand in the air and hail a taxi. “NYU Medical Center please.” I need to see my man.
* * *
When I arrive, it takes me a little while to find Gunnar’s new hospital room. It’s on a special floor for important people—with paneled walls, and a hush that makes it feel more like a hotel than a hospital.
Luckily, I’m already on the list of approved visitors. That’s probably Max’s doing.
I arrive outside Gunnar’s door, which is open. Duff sits quietly in a chair next to the bed. I can’t see Gunnar’s face, though. He has a bandage on his cheekbone, and another on his jaw. His eyes are wrapped, too. But his chest rises and falls with each deep breath, and the sight of it calms me down.
He’s still here. He’s still with me. Now he just has to wake up and be okay.
I’m just about to step into the room when my phone starts to ping with a flurry of texts from Spalding, of all people.Posy, please call me. Saroya has gone missing.
Oh please. Like I’m supposed to care about that? But the texts keep rolling in.
You were right. She was trying to harm your shop.
And she wasn’t pregnant, Posy. She lied about that.
Who lies about that?
I’m beginning to think she’s unhinged. It sounds crazy, but I’m beginning to wonder if she even sought me out to break us up. Remember how she just showed up and said she worked for my health insurance company? I just got off the phone with them. They never sent her!!!!
So that’s what it looks like when Spalding gets a clue. It looks like four exclamation points.
I don’t know what to tell you, I reply.That sounds deeply suspicious. I can’t even guess what she has against me. But this is your problem, not mine. You’re the one who decided that sticking your thumb drive into her USB port was more important than our marriage.
There’s no need to be crude, Posy.
I know it’s petty. But I take a quick photo of my middle finger and text it to him. Because I really don’t see what’s wrong with a little crudeness right about now.
Duff laughs, and I look up to see him watching me. “Rough morning?”
I’m just about to answer him, when I catch sight of Gunnar’s hand. It’s moving! He raises it slowly toward his eyes.
I let out a gasp, and Duff jerks his chin toward his colleague. “Whoa there!” he says, catching Gunnar’s hand as it reaches the bandages. “Careful.”
“Duff?” Gunnar rasps.
And I’m instantly crying. My eyes spout tears, and it’s all I can do to muffle the sob that’s escaping from my chest.
“Yeah man,” Duff says. “Hang on a sec. Let me find someone who works here.”
“Why can’t I open my eyes?” Gunnar asks, sounding disoriented.
