WARNING: this chapter may induce uncontrollable chocolate cravings!
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By the time I showered, changed, and drove into town, I was ten minutes late. Not bad in the grand scheme of lateness, but terrible for my first day of work. If Sophia fired me, so help me God, I would drag Fletcher by his entrails from this stupid bumpkin town to hell and back. I doubted getting axed from the candy shop would convince Ruby to let up on the whole a-job-builds-character crap, and then I really would have to apply at the bowling alley. The thought of handling used shoes for an entire summer made me cringe.
To top my morning off, parking in Coldwater was a bitch.
Paid spots lined the streets, but I was in no mood to worry about feeding a meter during my shift. After one more lap around the main square, I pulled into the diner car lot, 'Customers Only' sign be damned, and hopped out. The humidity was a particular kind of brutal today, thick and sticky, and that meant my still damp hair didn't stand a chance. I was going to look like a frizz ball in a matter of seconds, so as I hurried down the sidewalk, I yanked my curls into a messy bun to minimize the mane.
When I reached Kandy Kane, Sophia was refilling the large glass display case next to the register. The door was locked, so I knocked on the store window to get her attention. She startled, looked up, and realizing it was me, grinned.
That was a good sign, right? Nobody offered someone a smile before giving them the boot. Unless, of course, they were a cruel SOB, but Sophia didn't seem the type.
"I'm so sorry," I apologized as soon as she let me inside. "This morning didn't go as planned."
The corners of Sophia's mouth quirked up as she took in my frazzled appearance. "I can see that. What happened?"
"I had to deal with an drunken idiot."
"You don't mean Briella, do you?"
"No, not her. Fletcher, her friend."
At the mention of his name, Sophia frowned.
"I take it you know him?"
She nodded. "Small town, remember?" Her mouth opened like she was going to say something else, but then she hesitated, glancing away from me and pushing her bangs back. "So, um... you wouldn't happen to know why he was at the Brooks, would you?"
I arched a brow—why so interested, Sophia?—but answered anyway. "Apparently Briella's been letting him crash in the guest room without Ruby's knowledge. The room's mine now, but that's something Fletcher has yet to grasp. I went for a run when I woke up, and when I got back he was passed out in my bed. I'll have to mop the floor and wash my comforter. He tracked mud everywhere."
"Of course," she muttered to herself. "Should've guessed he'd stay with her."
"You're not a jealous ex, are you?" Because if so, you have terrible taste in men.
