Page 5

WENDY

I blink a few times, trying to wake myself up. Yesterday, I met a really cute guy, and he saved me from something horrible. This has to be some kind of dream to rationalize all of it. Surely, there's no way the Greek god of a man I met just fingered me in Mel's Diner.

Right?

No matter how hard I try, I can't ignore the fact that this is very real. It's incredibly bizarre and unusual for me to experience anything even remotely like this, but it's real.

Wolff is real.

I can't understand what it is about me that he likes. Any girl would be more than lucky to have someone like him, so why would he pick me, of all people? I tried to stop myself from questioning it because he’s such a catch.

No guy has ever shown interest in me, then he pops up out of the blue and is completely enamored like I’ve cast some kind of spell.

But then there's this connection I feel to him. It's comforting and warm, and I don't want to be far away from him. Even the fact that he sits in the bakery and watches me while I work is a nice gesture. Most people would think that's crazy, but I just can't get enough of him.

It feels safe, and that's terrifying on its own.

I've never felt safe before, and I'm unsure how to handle it.

My mom left when I was young, abandoning me and leaving me with my asshole of a father and monster of a stepmother.

I've been living in fight-or-flight mode practically my entire life, and here is this man making it seem like I don't have to do that anymore.

What will happen if that ends? I don't want to go back to the way I felt before. I never believed that good things could happen to me, and something good is sitting right beside me.

Our server finally comes with our food and sets it on the table in front of us. Her eyes linger on Wolff before looking back at me, and I'm suddenly self-conscious and wondering why he would want to be with someone like me all over again.

Obviously, I just met him, so I don't know how this whole relationship is going to work.

But I suppose, living in a delusional world where he and I are together for a long time, I might have to get used to people looking at us like this.

There will always be someone who thinks he can do better than me.

I just have to figure out a way to stop thinking about that.

“What do you do for work?” I ask as he picks up his fork and knife to dig into his steak and eggs. I pour some ketchup on my plate and tentatively eat some french fries. Trying to have a normal conversation after he just fingered me in public is surreal, and I don't know how to act.

“I guess you could think of me as somewhat of a handyman around my town,” Wolff replies hesitantly.

I raise an eyebrow and watch him as he takes a big bite of his food and savors it. “You told me you're from Oregon, but you never said where exactly in Oregon.”

“It's a small town nobody's ever heard of. It’s near Tillamook Forest, nestled in the woods,” he says with a shrug.

“Compared to Swanton, how big would you say it is?”

“It makes this place look like New York City,” he says with a laugh. “Everyone knows everyone there. Honestly, half the town is related in some way too. It's very close-knit.”

I take a bite of my sandwich and chew it slowly, all too aware of the fact that I'm eating in public. Nobody cares, but it always feels like everyone is watching me.

“That must be really nice. You grow up in a place like that, and you have this wonderful built-in community with all your neighbors and friends.” I've always wished Swanton were like that, but it's not.

Here, the only thing people in town know about me is that I'm the daughter of one of the town's most notorious drunks, and they pity me for that. Rumors spread like wildfire through this town, and anybody caught in the crosshairs is nitpicked to the point of wanting to flee.

“It has its perks. But when there's disagreements between pa—town members, things can get... messy,” he says between bites. “Do you see yourself staying here long-term?”

“Don't get me wrong, I would love to leave.

It's one of my goals in the future, for sure,” I begin, dreading what I'm about to have to tell him.

The moment he knows how much baggage I have, he's going to have to decide whether or not I'm worth staying for.

“My sister is only eight years old, and I'm kind of her main caregiver right now. Not legally, anyway. Let’s just say my dad and stepmom aren't exactly in the right state of mind most of the time.”

He sits upright and sets his utensils down as he looks at me, his eyebrows scrunched together.

I can't tell if he's angry or just really interested in what I'm saying.

Either way, it's the first time someone's taken this much of an interest in me in a long time.

The last time this happened was high school, and it was Penelope Rogers trying to invite me to a party that didn't exist. She just wanted me to show up alone so she could make fun of me.

“What do you mean?” Wolff asks. “Does he hurt you two?”

“No!” I shake my head fervently and rest my hands on the table.

Maybe it's not the entire truth since there have been times in the past when he's been a little rough, but it's not intentional.

That's just the alcohol. “He's not abusive or anything, he's just absent.

He spends pretty much every spare minute of his life in the bar, and Naomi's mom, Veronica, is always there with him. I could barely get her to put down the bottle when she was pregnant.”

“And they don't do anything to take care of her now?” He's definitely angry now, and I wish I hadn't said anything. We were having a good time, and now I'm here trauma dumping my shitty life on him. I wish I could take back all the words.

“They do, sometimes. Every now and again, they'll ‘dry out’ and go above and beyond to take care of her.

They buy presents and spend time with her, you name it.

But then they pick the bottle back up, and it's like she doesn't exist.” I sigh and lean back in the booth while he watches me with something unreadable behind his eyes.

“Honestly, it's not that bad anymore. We've both come to terms with them, and I make sure Naomi's okay.

That's why I want to make sure she gets through high school, then when she's in college or working on her own, I can leave.”

“I'm sorry you have to deal with that,” Wolff says, shaking his head. “But I think it says a lot about you that you're willing to stick around. Not a lot of people would sacrifice something like that for their sibling.”

The way he looks at me with such intensity when he says that warms my heart.

It's as if he sees me in a way nobody else does, and I don't know how to act under the spotlight.

I fidget with my fingers and look away, blushing and trying to fight the smile.

I don't want to get too invested in this because when something inevitably happens that fucks all of this up, it will hurt so much more.

We finish our lunch, and he walks me back to the bakery so I can clock back in for my shift. As expected, he sits on a stool while I get to work in the kitchen, baking some pies while Walter operates the counter.

After a while, Susan stands beside me and grabs a rolling pin from my hands and forces me to look at her. “Who's that tall hunk of man you just went out with over there?”

I laugh and blush, not knowing how to answer that. “His name’s Wolff. We didn't go out. We just had lunch. He’s just passing through town, anyway.”

It's not entirely true. He did explicitly tell me it was a date. I just don't want to hype anything up to Susan right now.

“He ain't have nothing better to do than sit around here looking at you?” She nudges my shoulder playfully and raises an eyebrow.

“What? Is he supposed to spend all day at the bar like everyone else in this godforsaken town?”

“It seems to me like he's taking somewhat of an interest in you.” She looks between us, and a smile grows on her lips. “Plus, he's been walking you to and from work. There aren't a lot of men like that out there, let alone around here. You need to lock that down.”

I laugh and back away, shaking my head at her. Maybe there's some truth to what she's saying, but I'm not the type of person who can lock anyone down. I wouldn't even know how to begin to do something like that. I barely know what she even means.

“As I said, he's just passing through town,” I say with a disappointed sigh. “He's probably got some kind of girlfriend in Oregon anyway.”

“You have two options. Clock out right now and go on a proper date with that man, or I temporarily fire you until morning,” Susan says, crossing her arms in front of her like she's laying down the law.

She breaks character and steps closer, placing her hands on either side of my face and staring deep into my eyes.

“You're too good for this place. You deserve to be happy, and if going out for one wild, steamy date with a handsome man is going to make you happy, do it. We have far too few moments of joy in this life already.”

I think about it for a second and nod my head, wrapping my arms around her and trying not to tear up. Having someone who cares about me is special, and I love Susan like she's my own mother.

I take off my apron and hang it up in the back before walking into the dining room and sliding into the seat across from Wolff.

He is ecstatic about the news of our new date, and before we leave, he stops by the counter and asks for a bunch of different pastries from the display.

Walter and Susan both joke with him and laugh as he tries to pay, but they don't let him.

When he's done, we walk out of the bakery together, and I look up at him with an excited smile. This is last minute, and I have no idea what we're going to be doing. But I'm very eager to find out. If it's anything like the diner, I know I'm going to be very satisfied.