What the hell had I been thinking?
No, it wasn't my fault. Okay, maybe it was. I should've known better than drinking so much damn wine. I couldn't handle my alcohol which was the reason why I avoided is as much as I could.
I already took some headache tablets, but they haven't kicked in yet.
Never again, I silently promised myself. The only drinking I'd do was on my own and locked safely inside my apartment. Shaking my head, I scrubbed the bowl a little harder than necessary.
My mind trailed off to this morning.
Seeing Severide naked. . .I shuddered and bit my lip. He looked great for someone his age even though I'd insulted him. How old was he though? Maybe in his late thirties?
Why are you so interested in his age?
I shrugged. I was just curious about the man, couldn't I be? He took me to his home, undressed me, and put me to bed. Had he slept next to me in bed? I shook my head. We were strangers so why on earth would he do that?
He was naked. He clearly dropped the towel to—
No, no, no! I forced the disturbing thoughts away, and focused on what needed to be done but it didn't work. His image flashed through my mind—tall, firm and completely naked. He was well endowed too. Very, very well endowed.
Embarrassment flooded me when I felt wetness flood my panties. Truth was that I wanted another much closer look at that part of his body.
"Any more scrubbing and there'll be nothing left of that bowl."
I blinked and stared at the bowl. "I'm sorry, Lee."
She handed me a dishtowel which I used to dry my hands. Turning towards her, I gave her a small apologetic smile. Lee shook her head with her brows dipped into a frown.
My mouth dropped open when she suddenly reached out and pressed a hand against my forehead. I jerked away and glared at her.
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
"I'm making sure you don't have a fever." Lee's eyes darted over my face. "You're as red as a tomato and you're sweating. Are you okay?"
I swiped the back of my hand across my forehead and sighed. "I'm fine. Just have a headache."
"It's almost closing time." She glanced at the watch. "I'll close up."
I was already shaking my head even before she'd finished her sentence. "No, I'm going to stay here until we both leave."
Lee walked over to me and surprised me by wrapping her arms around me in a hug. The only person who always hugged me was Crystal.
But she wasn't here anymore. Who was going to hug me now that she's gone? Hugs from somebody else just didn't feel the same as hers had.
Awkwardly patting her back, I squirmed until she let me go and turned my back on her. I didn't want Lee to feel bad for bringing up old memories.
"You've been through hell these past few months, Albany. Take some rest. Go home and do whatever you usually did or go away for the weekend or something."
Once I was sure that my emotions were somewhat in control, I turned to face her and smiled.
"You know we're busiest on weekends. You won't be able to handle the—"
"I will." She gave me a sheepish smile. "See, my cousin has been helping me out here. It's only on weekends and I pay her with part of my salary."
The smile slipped from my face. "When were you planning on telling me that?"
Her eyes dropped for a few seconds before darting back up to mine. Wringing her hands together, she shifted from foot to foot and bit her lip. Then she sighed and dropped her arms.
"Well, my aunt asked me to babysit and I couldn't say no to her so I brought her with me." She paused. "People love her! They think that she's adorable."
"And how old is this adorable cousin of yours?"
"She's fifteen."
"Are you mad?" I yelled at her. "You can't let a fifteen-year-old work in my shop! Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd be in if they find out that she's working here? They'd close the bakery without seconds—"
"I know that," Lee interrupted me. "Nobody knows that she's getting paid. I told her that she shouldn't tell anybody about it." She glared at me. "I'm not stupid, Albany."
I stared at her silently for a few minutes before I blew out a breath. I should probably forbid her from letting her fifteen-year-old cousin work in my bakery, but at the moment I just couldn't deal with it.
I wasn't in the mood for dealing with anything. Nothing mattered at the moment.
Shaking my head, I pulled off my apron and hung it on the hook by the door before I walked out of the kitchen. At the moment only a few people were occupying the small tables. It was near closing time anyway.
I grabbed my phone and keys from under the register and then turned to face her. "I'm leaving just like you wanted."
"Good. You look tired."
Rolling my eyes I walked around the counter but then paused and walked back over to her.
"Leave the shop close this weekend. Put up a sign and make a believable excuse."
Lee's mouth had dropped open. She stared at me, making me shift from foot to foot. Why was she looking at me like that?
"Oh my god," she breathed. "You're being serious."
"Yes. Is that going to be a problem or do—?"
"No, no," she hastily reassured me. "No problem, I'll do as you say."
Nodding I turned but smiled at her over my shoulder. "Thank you, Lee."
My eyes darted up and down the street as I exit the shop. The streets were buzzing with people. It was probably the usual weekend crowd looking for something fun to do.
Once upon a time Crystal and I used to b part of that crowd, but after she had been diagnosed there was no strength left for anything. Morbid thoughts filled my mind, making my shoulders sag. I hated those days when all we did was sit at home watching awful movies. That was a few weeks before she. . .
I gave myself a firm shake and almost ran to my car. Crystal was gone and I needed to accept it. Nothing was going to bring her back which meant that it was time for me to move on.
With a determination that kind of scared me, I got into my car and slammed the door shut. I knew exactly what I was going to do this weekend. I was going to sort through Crystal's things and get rid of the stuff she told me to get rid of.