Page 90 of With Love, from Cold World
“I know you took the afternoon off,” Dolores said now as she approached, “but I had to tell you the news.”
Lauren steeled herself for it. The deal had gone through.The investment group was buying Cold World. There was a promotion in it for her—or there wasn’t. She didn’t really care.
“I took the plans you and Asa came up with to the city,” Dolores said. “They have grants for the arts and educational programs in particular, and they said we’d be a shoo-in for one if we can fill out the paperwork before the January fifteenth deadline. I know you have classes starting up, but I was hoping you and Asa might be available to help?”
Of all the things Dolores might say, Lauren hadn’t expected that. She felt a surge of hope before remembering that there was no her and Asa anymore. “Um,” she said, not wanting to turn Dolores down but not knowing what else she could say. “That seems like good news at least? That we might get a grant?”
“I did a lot of thinking after you all left my office that day,” Dolores said. “There are a lot of adjustments that could be made—including about Daniel. He’s my son and I love him, but you’re right, he was a drag on the payroll.”
Okay, of all the things she could’ve said,thatwas actually the most shocking. “Really?”
“I want to talk to you more about that comment you made as you left,” Dolores said. “But I know this isn’t the time or place. Perhaps you would be willing to come to my office tomorrow morning, and we could go over the grant and other concerns or ideas you might have about the way Cold World has been run? Asa, too, of course.”
Lauren glanced over at the ice rink, as though she’d be able to see Asa from where they stood, but of course they were too far away now. Maybe this would be good. They could work together, right?
I can’t do this anymore.She’d always known, deep down, that one day he would say something like that. It was betterthat he’d done it sooner rather than later, surely, before her heart wastooengaged.
At least that was what she told herself. But then why did it feel like every last corner of her heart had been cracked from that one sentence?
“Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve,” Lauren pointed out. “I’m off—and then the next day is New Year’s Day, when Cold World is closed. Maybe Monday?”
Dolores beamed at her. “Perfect. Will you tell Asa?” She gave Lauren’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “I love that you’re together, by the way. I had an inkling after the incident in the Snow Globe, and then when you got trapped in here overnight. The way that boy lights up when he looks at you!”
“Wait.” Lauren reached out to stop Dolores from leaving before she could think about the gesture, about how probably inappropriate it was to manhandle your boss. “Youknew? About the overnight thing, I mean?”
“Of course,” Dolores said. “Daniel told me. I asked him to check in with you, to see if you needed the security code, but he said you told him you were fine. Obviously I would appreciate if you didn’t make ahabitof staying here after hours, but I trust you and Asa. If that’s what you felt you needed to do to put together your presentation.”
And then Dolores winked at her—winked. Like “put together your presentation” was just a euphemism for something else. Lauren didn’t know if she was going to burst into flames of embarrassment or start hysterically giggling. The only thing that stopped her from doing both was that at least sheknewthere were no cameras in her office, so Dolores couldn’t know just what a euphemism that was. She also realized Asa had been right all along. Of course Doloresknew.And she didn’t care. Nobody cared. Except Lauren, and she’d messed everything up.
Lauren’s head was still spinning when she turned back to Eddie and his mom, who were kneeling down in the snow, trying to take a selfie next to a lumpy snowman Eddie must’ve built. Lauren rushed over, reaching for Ms. Ramirez’s phone.
“Here,” she said. “Let me.”
•••
After Eddie and his mom left, Lauren went everywhere, looking for Asa. He wasn’t at the rink where she’d last seen him. He wasn’t in the break room, or the gift shop, or the coffee stand. He wasn’t even outside, where some of the other employees took their smoke breaks and where he could sometimes be found if he was keeping one of them company. That was the last place she looked, so sure she’d find him there she could picture him—in the middle of laughing at something Marcus said, kicking at the gravel of the parking lot, looking up when he heard the door, his eyes turning to pinpoints of an almost black when he saw her. Would he be welcoming? Or distant, angry? She didn’t know. She just knew she needed to talk to him.
Lauren was checking out the break room one more time when Kiki came behind her.
“He went home.”
Lauren spun around. “What?”
Kiki reached to open the fridge, taking out a LaCroix she’d labeled with a piece of masking tape and a bold note written in Sharpie—KIKI’S—TOUCH UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH!“He left for the day.”
“But I thought his shift ended at eight.” Not that Laurenhad memorized his schedule, double-checked it on the board earlier.
Kiki shrugged. “Said he wasn’t feeling well.”
That wasn’t like Asa. Lauren tried to remember a time when he’d called out sick to work, and couldn’t think of one. There’d been a flu going around—was it possible he’d caught it? Or maybe food poisoning? Personally, she didn’t trust the hot dogs at Cold World because she’d seen them get left in a vat of water all day and then reheated the next morning. “Is he okay?” Lauren asked. “I mean, does he need—”
Kiki snorted at the same time she took a sip of her LaCroix, which couldn’t have felt great for her nose. “What do you think? No, he’s not okay. You broke his heart, Lauren.”
“I didn’t.”
Kiki rolled her eyes so hard it looked like it physically hurt. “Okay.”
“He broke up withme!” Lauren said. How was it possible forherto breakhisheart when it had been the other way around?
