Stud Muffin (Donner Bakery #2) - Jiffy Kate Page 0,51
going for a can of, uh, cream of mushroom… and the next thing I know, everything is crashing down. Are you sure this is display is safe?”
His expression begins to change as my phone begins to ring.
“I’ll send Johnny over to help you,” he mutters, rubbing his bald head.
Looking at the screen of my phone, I see a local number but no identification.
“Not necessary,” I tell him, swiping my thumb across the screen to answer. “I’ll have this cleaned up in a jiffy.”
After another wordless grumble, he walks away and I place the phone to my ear, watching Mr. Henderson retreat down the aisle and breathe a sigh of relief. “Hello?”
“Tempest?”
It’s Cage. Glancing at the screen again, I don’t recognize the number, but it’s local, so maybe he’s at work. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I finally reply, “Hey.”
“Where are you?”
“Piggly Wiggly,” I tell him, looking around at the mess. “Aisle six, to be exact.”
His laugh helps ease the tightness in my chest. And I start to laugh too, because now that I know Mr. Henderson isn’t going to call my daddy… or Sheriff James… I have to admit, this is pretty damn funny.
“What exactly are you cleaning up in a jiffy?”
“Oh, God,” I groan, turning to examine the extent of the work ahead of me. “Well… I sort of knocked over an entire display of Pork N Beans.”
“What the fuck?”
He laughs again and I roll my eyes at this ridiculous predicament.
“Exactly.”
“I was actually calling to see if we’re still on for a session today. I’m just getting ready to leave the Pink Pony, had to swing by and help Floyd with a food delivery. But I could come over and help you, if you want.”
My mouth is hanging open with my typical, knee-jerk response on the tip of my tongue—no, no need… I’m fine… I’m sure you have better things to do. But instead, I tell him, “Sure.”
“Aisle six?”
The smile that spreads across my face makes my cheeks ache, and it helps weaken the lingering hurt and anger from Mindy’s revelation. “Yeah, me and about two-hundred-and-fifty cans of Pork N Beans, you can’t miss us.”
After I hang up, I slowly begin stacking the cans, trying to remember how they looked before everything came tumbling down and just as I’m placing the sixth one onto the bottom of the pile, a wave of emotion hits me.
Me and this pile of cans have something in common.
I might not be starting from the bottom, but I am starting over in so many areas of my life.
Sitting back on my haunches, in the middle of aisle six, I begin to cry… no, not just cry… sob. It’s disturbing, even to myself. So, when Cage shows up about ten minutes later, it’s a relief, because even though I didn’t think I needed help, I do. I can’t do this on my own and I don’t think I’m just talking about the cans.
It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
Lana’s words come rushing to my mind and it makes me crumble a little, right into a sobbing heap over the pile of cans.
“Hey,” Cage says, kneeling down beside me, his mouth right next to my ear so only I can hear. “You’re fine… better than fine… you’re Tempest Cassidy and you’re one of the strongest people I know, okay?” He doesn’t wait for me to reply, just continues telling me everything I need to hear. “Whatever happened here today… you’re more than that… more than however you feel… and whoever made you feel that way.”
Part of me wonders if he’s somehow creeped into my mind and stolen my thoughts, because how does he know? I haven’t even had a chance to tell him about Mindy and her ginormous revelation. “She’s pregnant,” I whisper, licking tears off my lip. “Like really, really pregnant…”
Cage’s arm wraps around my shoulder and he squeezes, letting me have my moment.
When someone walks by and makes a remark under their breath, I feel him tense and then tell them to keep walking, like only Cage Erickson can… with authority and effectiveness. He shields me until I can get myself under control and get on with it—life, my day, cleaning up these cans.
After a few more minutes, I’m able to dry my cheeks and take a deep breath.
“Let’s get this cleaned up and then we can go back to my place for a session,” he says, his ice-blue eyes darker than usual. “Okay?”