Page 27 of Merry Little Sugar Rush
“So, what do you say we finish this masterpiece?” I ask, glancing over at her tree.
A wide smile spreads across her face. “Let’s do it.”
Those three words don’t exactly help the problem I’m having in my pants, but I somehow manage to not maul her and show her exactly what I’m dreaming about if we were todo it.
She hands over a few more handmade ornaments, and we get to work.
“DidMr. James get back into his classroom?” I ask, sitting back and smiling from ear to ear as she recounts a story from her English class freshman year.
“He did, but only because he had to do the walk of shame to the front office and tell them he somehow locked himself out of his classroom.”
I shake my head, putting as many faces with the names she gives me as she shares stories from her time in high school after I left for the East Coast. “Who actually locked him out?”
Joy shifts in her seat. “Eli.”
Of course he did. Eli was popular and everyone loved him, but I found him to be the biggest jerk in our class. “Should have guessed.”
She gives me a knowing grin, and I already know what I’m going to ask her. “So…I might have heard something. About you and Eli.”
She gives me a slow nod. I can tell by the look on her face, he’s not her favorite topic of conversation, but she doesn’t shy away from the subject. “Yeah, that was…a mistake? No, I can’t really say that because I learned a lot through that relationship.”
“How so?” I ask.
“Well, I realized I wanted to be with someone who values my time and company. Who enjoys a night in, sitting and watching our favorite shows just as much as going out and hanging with friends. Oh, and someone who doesn’t cheat on me.”
A wave of anger washes over me as her words sink in. “What a fucking douche.”
She snorts a laugh and nods in agreement. “That he is.” After a moment, she continues, “We were in very different places in our lives. Eli was always the life of the party and wanted to go out. All the time. I was starting my bakery, so my hours didn’t fit his schedule well.”
That’s horseshit. He should have gone out of his way to support her and her new business venture, and that included finding the time to be with her during her restricted hours.
“Well, I actually prefer nights in over nights out,” I find myself saying, earning me another one of her breathtaking smiles.
“Yeah?”
“Yep. And I’d never cheat. Only a real asshole does that. He’s definitely on Santa’s naughty list for the rest of his life.”
She giggles and nods before sobering. “Totally. Funny, though, both my sister and I found cheaters.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she was engaged to Andrew Detweiler before she reconnected with John. He cheated on her with the funeralhome’s office assistance, who was like eight years older than him,married, and had three kids.”
My mouth drops open. “Jesus.”
“Yep,” Joy confirms, taking a sip of her eggnog. “Eli and I had only been dating about a year. He apparently was veryfriendlywith one of the bartenders at the place he liked to hang out, if you know what I mean.”
“Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean,” I mutter, wishing the jerk was standing in front of me so I could punch him in the face for being such a douche. “You’re better off.”
She nods. “I agree completely. I don’t regret it, because I learned so much about myself as I dealt with his betrayal, and it’s all behind me now.”
“I’m glad,” I tell her, happy to hear she’s in a good place in life. “So where is the cheater at these days?” I find myself asking curiously.
“Oh, he’s around. He’s the PE teacher at the high school.”
I snort in disgust. “Of course he is.” Eli was very athletic and loved to remind those who weren’t how superior he was with his natural ability.
“I rarely see him though. He doesn’t come into the bakery at all, and I don’t exactly frequent the bars.”
