Bittersweet (Ocean View #3)

by Morgan Elizabeth

“I built this bakery on my own. No one’s help.” “I’m not saying you didn’t—” “Yes, you are. You’re saying what everyone says. There’s no way sweet, ditzy Lola, who can’t even remember to lock her back door and loves to bake cookies and takes care of her little sister, could scrounge money and get a hefty small business loan to start her business on her own. There’s no way in hell Lola could find a space, secure a lease, and renovate a bakery by herself. There’s no fucking way she could watch YouTube videos and fix ovens she found on Craigslist, and there’s no way she could move everything she owns into her apartment single-handedly.” Okay, that one wasn’t an easy feat, and I regretted it for weeks after when my body could barely move, especially when that body couldn’t rest properly thanks to an asshole neighbor, but I did it. “And there’s no way that there would be another fucking reason that sweet, innocent Lola has to hand an envelope of cash over to some scum of the earth asshole who corners her in her own fucking business, propositioning her and telling her there are other fucking ways to pay off the debt.” My chest is heaving as I slip my shoes back on, pulling my shirt—his shirt, which I will not be returning—over my head. Tears are clawing at my throat, but I refuse to show weakness, to cry in front of another person who doesn’t believe in me. Old Lola would have. Not New Lola. “No fucking way, right, Ben? Because I’m Lola, the sweet and annoying neighbor you can’t...