Page 12 of Everything Has Changed
She gives a half grin, just one side of her lips tipped up as a sparkle lights up in her eyes. “You can get your next one when you come back later.”
I raised my brows at her. “Awfully smug to assume I’ll want another.”
She shrugs, a playfulness I enjoyed seeing dancing in her eyes. “Not an assumption when I know how this goes. Don’t worry, you’ll be as addicted as everyone else soon enough.”
I know she’s talking about the coffee and pastry in my hands, but a part of me wonders if there’s something else I might be addicted to when I feel my chest tighten at the warmth at her smile.
Opening my mouth to say something, our locked gazes sever their connection at the sound of the front door opening.
“Welcome in,” Gwen smiles over my shoulder at the customer. I have no urge to turn away from her until I notice the upward curve falter slightly. The skin around her eyes tightens as her shoulders slam back. The easy look that had come over her with our small talk—which had me almost giddy to see her walls begin to slide away—was gone in the blink of an eye.
She takes a small step back from where she was previously leaning against one side of the counter.
I want to ask her what’s wrong, but the sound of a theatrical gasp erupts behind me. I don’t even have the chance to turn around when arms are thrown around my shoulders and turn me quickly into a constricting hug.
I pull away from the woman trying to strangle the life out of me, only to get a few inches away. But it’s enough for her to slam her lips on mine, sending me into an almost catatonic state as I try to figure out how to get myself out of this situation. Because, having my ex-girlfriend land one on me right now was not even a thought I had this morning.
5
Gwendolyn
Icouldn’t look away no matter how hard I tried. I thought for sure my eyes would pop right out of my head when I watched the car wreck that was an unsuspecting Logan getting attacked via the lips of his monstrous ex-girlfriend.
She always had impeccable timing, though.
I was falling into the trap that was Logan’s hazel eyes that seemed more gold than green this morning. Probably thanks to the grin that seemed permanently placed on his lips since I found him standing at my front counter. It was for the best that Camila chose right then to walk in as I was unconsciously finding myself gravitating closer and closer to the man in front of me. Two more minutes and I would have been laid out on the table, begging for more of his attention. I forgot having his eyes solely focused on me was a heady feeling.
He doesn’t allow her lips to touch his for longer than a beat. His hands quickly go to her shoulders and push her away.
“Camila, what the fuck?” He takes a step back, hitting his back against the counter. His eyes are wild, looking like he’s ready to be anywhere else but here. “You can’t just come up and grab me like that. We are not together. Haven’t been for awhile, and that was your doing.”
Camila rolls her big sky-blue eyes that I used to be so envious of. Actually, everything about Camila Antonio made me envious. Her shampoo commercial brunette hair that always fell in perfect bouncy waves, to her trim waist on her hourglass figure that had all the boys tracking her every move. Her flared chest and hips are a pinup girl’s dream that always made me feel childish. I felt like I had toned up nicely in my adult years, thanks to the Pilates videos I do religiously, but I still couldn’t help but compare myself to her even now.
But the one thing I was always the most envious of was her relationship with Logan Spencer. Not that that was all that shocking. I bet any girl, and even some guys, would say the same thing from our school days.
“That was a big misunderstanding, babe.”
Logan puts one hand on his hip and the other against his brow, squeezing his eyes together as if he could scrub something from his sight. His coffee sits forgotten on the counter. I had the urge to reach out and console the forgotten beverage because I knew exactly how that felt.
“What do you want, Cami?”
“First of all, I want my usual,” she snaps in my direction. I jolt as I’m pulled from watching the soap opera unfolding before me. “Gwendolyn, are you done eavesdropping so you can get that ready or not?”
I flinch as if she slapped me. Embarrassment floods my body as I keep from looking back at Logan, even though I can feel his eyes on me. I don’t say a word as I turn directly to the espresso machine. Unfortunately, I do know her usual. She made sure to hammer it into my head early on when we opened, stating she should never have to wait for her skinny iced white mocha with an extra shot ever again. Apparently, she was more important and always busier than the restof the town—her exact words that had me seeing red, but I realized some battles were not worth it, and fighting the mayor’s secretary was definitely not that.
Of course, she was her ex-boyfriend’s father’s secretary. She wasn’t at the meeting yesterday, thank all that was holy, because according to Mrs. Spencer, she had a doctor’s appointment. If the fresh puffiness of her overlined lips was any indicator, I think we can all guess which doctor she was visiting.
“Don’t be such a brat, Camila,” Logan comes to my defense.
I can’t bring myself to look at them again, but the anger is clear in his voice. It makes me want to crawl into a hole as I remember how often he came to my rescue in high school when she would interrupt our study sessions.
“Whatever, she’s so nosy,” Camila whines. She adds something else in a lower voice, but I can’t hear her as I scoop out ice from our machine for her cup.
I work fast, taking her drink over to the register to get this over with as quickly as possible. I quietly ring her up and wait for her to tap her card on the reader. We had become pros at this exchange and it required minimal talking.
I dare a glance up to Logan, catching his questioning look directed right on my face. Suddenly the pop-up on the screen asking if she wanted a receipt was very interesting as I took my time declining it for her.
“Have a great day,” I say in a low voice and take the moment to attempt my exit. I’m sure there’s something I can busy myself with behind the counter until they leave. I stare at the front door longingly, silently begging for a rush of people to come in. Instead, the cute little family that was planning their hiking day leaves while calling out a thank you with big smiles and waves.
