“I’ve been trying to catch up with you all day,” Sky complained. “You haven’t answered my texts, and when I saw you walking back from the bakery, you must not have heard me calling you.”
“I’m sorry.” Lizzie headed back to her computer and focused on her email. “I’ve just been really swamped today.” Sidetracked by a broken heart. She sifted through emails, and one caught her eye from the Food Channel Network, a cable television station. She clicked on it and skimmed the message, which asked for information about the legal owner of the show. Sky leaned uncomfortably close to the computer, and Lizzie closed the laptop, making a mental note to revisit the email after teaching her class.
“I was wondering if you and Blue wanted to join us for a barbecue over at Pete’s tonight.”
At least she had a good excuse not to go. “I wish I could, but I have a string garden class in a few minutes. Speaking of which, I’d better get ready.” She walked to the front of the store, hoping Sky would take the hint and follow, which she did.
“Okay. Maybe this weekend we can get together for a double date?” she asked as Lizzie unlocked the door.
Not likely. Her heart ached with the thought. “I’m so swamped. I didn’t get my inventory done the other night, so I’m not sure. Can we play it by ear?”
“Sure,” Sky said as Lizzie opened the door.
“Thanks for the offer, but I better…” Lizzie pointed to the back of the store.
Sky pushed the door open. “Are you okay?” She lowered her voice. “Is Blue waiting in the back for you?”
I wish. “No, but I do have a class to get ready for. I’ll stop by in the morning, okay?”
“You better. Are you sure you’re okay? You look really tired.”
“It’s just been a long day.” Lizzie thanked her for worrying about her and locked the door behind Sky, then leaned her back against the door, feeling the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. Clearly Blue hadn’t told Sky anything yet. She had no idea if that was good or bad. She couldn’t even begin to think clearly. How could anything be good right now?
She set out the supplies for her class moments before the three people who had signed up arrived. She pulled her shoulders back, thrust her chin up, and fixed a forced smile into place. One more hour—that’s all she needed to get through—and then she could go home and bury her broken heart in a pound of chocolate.
Lizzie threw herself into the class, hoping it would help ease the ache of missing Blue. She loved making string gardens, and while she wasn’t able to lose herself in making them as she’d hoped, answering questions and helping the others learn how to properly create the unique gardens was a good distraction.
She stood before Julie and Mike, the couple that had signed up earlier in the week, and Claudia, a twentysomething blonde, and said, “The first step is to knock the soil free from the roots of the plant.” She had to admit that knocking the soil from the roots of the plants was sort of cathartic.
Claudia pulled her plant carefully from the pot and shook it. Julie and Mike did the same, while passing loving glances. Lizzie tried to ignore the jealousy spiking her adrenaline.
“Sometimes the roots wrap themselves into the pot, and if that’s the case with yours, gently scrunch them and massage the soil loose.” If only she could massage away the mess her life had become.
“Once you’ve freed the roots from most of the soil, dip them in the bucket of room-temperature water on the table.” She watched Julie and Mike smile at each other as they dipped their plants in water, and she imagined doing that with Blue—sharing a smile. Would they ever smile at each other again? Or would he forever see her as a tramp that pranced around in an apron and heels for strangers?
“I think mine got too wet.” Claudia held up her plant and frowned as the sopping-wet dirt plopped to the table.
“No worries. I always keep extras close by just in case.” Lizzie helped her free the dirt and roots of a second plant, then showed her how to wet the roots without saturating them so much that they were unmanageable. There was something therapeutic about getting her hands dirty, and she realized as they laughed about the roots looking like worms that she was smiling after all.
“Now we’re going to wrap the moss around the roots and squeeze out the excess water.” She showed them how to wrap the moss around the dirt, remembering the first time she’d made a string garden and how she’d felt like she was creating a work of art. She’d been proud of her accomplishment, and as she watched her smiling students, she realized that they were probably feeling the same sense of accomplishment. Pride at being the one to have brought them that joy pushed some of the ache away, and she wondered…Does anyone watch the Naked Baker and actually like to bake? Maybe her entire audience wasn’t made up of perverts after all.