Mom and I are alone again in the kitchen. She’s still giving me that concerned look, so I plaster a huge smile on my face.
“I’ll be back. I have some very special deliveries to make.”
I walk outside and see all of my nieces and nephews in their Easter outfits, running through the yard. There’s nothing like the joy on a child’s face to make you forget about all of life’s troubles.
My nieces and nephews have been the brightest parts of my life since each of them was born. I’m lucky we all live in or around Philadelphia. Being able to see them hit their milestones and to be an important part of their life are all that matters to me … even if they only love me because I spoil them rotten with chocolate. I’m okay with being cool Aunt Amy who fills their bellies with high-end chocolate.
While I’d like to have a family of my own someday, I’m thankful I have these little monsters in my life to fill the gaps. My family isn’t half-bad either. Except at times like these when I walk outside and see my four siblings and their spouses staring at me like I’m covered in head-to-toe glitter.
I give them a wave. “Hey, guys. Happy Easter.”
Henry is the first to speak. “Hey, Amy. Matt told us your boyfriend got some other girl pregnant.”
Yeah, they’re not half-bad.
Half being the operative word.
Chapter Ten
I’m just about to exit my office when I hear my phone ringing. Seeing Hardin’s number on my screen is not the way I like to start my morning. I consider sending it to voice mail but know that he’ll just hang up and dial right back. It was my biggest pet peeve when we were together. If I didn’t answer his first phone call, he would dial me again and again until I did. Why would anything be different now?
I swipe the call to answer. “Yes?”
“Why do I have a lawyer calling me?” he spits out.
I shake my head while staring up at the ceiling, wondering why I ever loved this man.
“I don’t know. Maybe the landlord is suing you personally. Maybe you finally did something dumb enough to get caught. Who knows? Why would you call me?”
“Because they said it has to do with you.”
My mind wanders to Sebastian, but I have no idea why. It’s been a month since I walked out of his apartment, and we’ve had zero contact since that night.
“Are we being sued?” I ask in concern.
“No. I am!”
I sigh in relief that it’s not our old landlord. Then, I remember that him getting hit up in a lawsuit serves him right. Bastard. “Maybe Karma has finally caught up with you.”
“You had to have done something, Amy, because I’m supposed to go for a deposition or some shit.”
“Then, get a lawyer and stop bothering me, Hardin. Ask your girlfriend for help.”
“She doesn’t know about this. She’ll be devastated.”
My mouth tilts up a little at the thought of Mindy being up and disappointed because of Hardin. “Surprised she’s not used to it already.”
“Amy, you have to—”
“I don’t have to do anything for you, Hardin. I mean it when I say, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Get a fucking lawyer and stop bothering me!”
I hang up, and for once, it feels amazing. I think that’s the first time I’ve hung up on him. I only wish it were like the old days that you see in ’80s movies, where they get to actually slam down the phone and then leave it off the hook for hours so the busy tone rings in the person’s ear. Hitting the End button doesn’t have anywhere near as much physical satisfaction as I hoped, but emotionally, I feel pretty powerful.
I let out a huff and open my office door, only to see both Shawn and Charity sitting on the other side of it, staring at me, waiting for me to say something.
“What?” I ask as I walk by, acting like nothing was just going on.
“She asks what,” Charity says in disbelief to Shawn and then turns to me. “We heard you talking to somebody about a lawyer. Who was that?”
I ignore them as I tie an apron on. “It was Hardin.”
“Ew. Why is he calling?” she asks.
“He said a lawyer called him and thought I had something to do with it. He’s such a jerk. You know, I’ve tried calling him at least fifty times this month about my dog. He won’t answer my calls, and I don’t even know where he lives. If I did, I’d be there every night, demanding he give me my dog back.”
“Like you did after you first broke up? That dude pretended he wasn’t home just to avoid answering his door,” Shawn says.
“Exactly. And now, he calls, acting like I owe him a favor.”
Charity takes a seat on her stool. “We were hoping you were talking to Sebastian.”
Shawn spoons melted chocolate into molding trays. “Correction: Charity was hoping you were talking to Sebastian. I was just trying to ask what color you wanted these chocolate squares accented with when Miss Thing here stopped me, so she could be nosy.”
Charity shrugs like what he said is true and she isn’t afraid to admit it.
I look down at the order form that says the squares should be accented in pink chocolate, but we have about seven shades of pink. I walk to a supply cabinet and grab the red food coloring. “Hot pink looks the best. I’ll start melting the white chocolate to dye for the design.”
Shawn and I continue working while Charity sits there, drumming her fingers along the steel counter.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but that definitely wasn’t Sebastian,” I finally admit.
She leans her arms down. “Still no word from him, huh?”
I take a breath and stir. I think this is the tenth time she’s asked me this. It almost feels like she’s more heartbroken than I am. I mean, yes, I’m still sad over him because I really felt like we had a connection, but Charity is legit crushed over the fact that we broke it off. I get the feeling he was her last hope of finding a good guy. Like, if I found one as great as Sebastian, then she would too. I hate that I broke that last glimmer she had left.
“If he hasn’t called, then it must mean he’s happy, and that’s all that matters, right?”
“That’s bullshit. You were on cloud nine when you were with him.”
“We went on a few dates.” I laugh to myself. Crazy to think that’s all it was. It felt like a hundred.
“And it was fucking awesome!” she declares. “You should have stayed at his place. Giving him the out to be with his ex was a foolish move. I bet he would have chosen you.”
I shake my head. “That’s something I would never feel right about. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck though.”
She pouts because she knows I’m right. “What about you, Shawn? Anyone new in your life to make both of us jealous over?”
I take my time to look at Charity while she’s turned to Shawn, waiting for his answer. I’ve seen the way she’s been checking him out more and more, and if I’m not mistaken, I think she has a little something for him. And the way she said jealous, I think that means more than she’s implying.
Shawn gets a shit-eating grin on his face, which means he got laid last night.