6. ALBANY

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 alcohol, which was the reason why I avoided it as much as I could.

I already took some headache tablets, but they hadn’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. The truth was that I wanted another much closer look at that part of his body.

“Any more scrubbing and there will 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 do, 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 my cousin came with me to the bakery.” 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 found out that she’s working here? They’d close the bakery without second—”

“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 tables.

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 closed 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 exited 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 be part of that crowd, but after I opened the shop and we’d gained a good amount of customers, there hadn’t been time for late nights. Morbid thoughts filled my mind, making my shoulders sag.

I loved the 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’d want me to get rid of.