Page 95 of Cream & Sugar

“He’s just hanging out,” I say.

“On his day off?”

Why is she grilling me on this?

“Yeah. He wanted to get some stuff done. What’s wrong with that?”

Her smile broadens. “Oh nothing, I guess. But I checked him out on Instagram. I don’t know if you know this, but I think he might be gay.”

I blink at her. “Right. And that’s…?”

She sits up straight. “Oh! No, nothingwrongwith that, obviously. Just… I dunno. I was thinking, maybe he has a little crush on you and that’s why he’s lurking around?”

Despite the sunshine radiating from her face, Lara’s choice of words bothers me.Lurking around?

“Perhaps I’ve just opened such a good café, even my own staff would rather be here than at home?” I say, trying to move things on.

Lara smiles at me like I’m a toddler who’s just handed her a potato painting.

“Sure, babe,” she leans forward and squeezes my forearm. “It’s definitely not because you’re such a cutie in that apron.”

I feel my cheeks and neck flush red. Hopefully my beard covers it. Why is she being so touchy?

“Lara, what’s going on?”

She clears her throat. “That photo, the one Viggo commented on. You didn’t delete it?”

“No,” I say, matter-of-factly.

Pulling her hand back to her ear, Lara twists her silver hoop piercing and flutters her eyelashes. “Do you miss me, Shauny?”

Flustered, I stare intently at the grooves in the wooden table. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is, do you wanna get back together with me?” She claps her hands in front of her chest. “I know, shocker, but I’m single, you’re single, and we are a good fit, you know.”

My jaw plummets. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Lara wants to get back with me? That doesn’t make a lick of sense.

“But you broke up withme—”

“Shh,” she brings a finger to her lips. “I know, babe. That was a mistake.”

Heated words from our break-up come hurtling back to me.

“You said you didn’t think I was really autistic and that I just didn’t want to spend time with you.”

“Did I?” Lara shrugs. “Doesn’t sound like something I’d say.”

“Oh. Well, you did.”

She sighs. “If I did, I didn’t know what I was saying, okay? It’s just you don’tlookautistic so I might have found it a bit hard to believe at first. Did you know autism is reallyinright now? Like, everyone is getting diagnosed these days! People online actually find it really endearing, so I promise you I don’t mind.”

A roaring starts in my ears. A shaking in my hands.

“You really hurt my feelings, Lara.”

“Aw, babe,” her eyes dart towards her phone, propped up against the saltshaker, “it’s okay. What I’m saying is I wanna be with younow, okay? Do you understand? Come on, I know you’ve missed me.” She leans in closer, giving me a full view down her top. “Just say yes, Shauny.”

Staggered by what’s happening, I shift in my seat, knocking the table leg as I do. Lara’s phone topples over and her hand snaps out to reposition it, but not before I see the camera app open on the screen.