Peter was bewildered and hurt. There were moments in his conversation with Wendy where he felt that she was really warming up to him, but then she had shut him down and practically fled from the bakery. He couldn't understand it. He appreciated the information about Slightly, but he almost wished she hadn't come in here with her blue-green eyes and wonderfully messy hair and that addictive smile that never ceased to enchant him. She would be occupying his thoughts for at least the next few hours, if not days.
Mrs. Darling came out of the kitchen just then, looking more cheerful than Peter thought anybody should.
"I washed all the pans and they're ready for the next batch," she said happily. "Did I just hear Wendy in here?"
Peter forced a disinterested expression. "Yes. She came in to tell me something about a friend of ours."
"Oh, is that all?" Mrs. Darling asked, frowning. "I wonder why she didn't stay longer, I had some interesting stories I wanted to tell her about last night."
Peter shrugged. "I don't know. She seemed pretty anxious to leave."
He must have let some hint escape, a quiver in his voice or a look in his eye, because suddenly Mrs. Darling was putting her hand on his shoulder and gazing at him with pity.
"Peter, I know that Wendy still cares very much for you."
"Well, she sure doesn't act like it," Peter responded bitterly, wondering why he was confiding in Mrs. Darling.
"I think she's just going through a difficult time right now," Mrs. Darling said, patting his shoulder in a matronly way. "She's trying to find out who she is. Plus, she's overly stressed about that little boy missing."
Peter looked away. He felt extremely guilty for concealing Trevor. His only consolation was that Trevor was having the time of his life down in Neverland. Curly had been teaching him to fly.
"She'll come around. Don't worry," Mrs. Darling assured him, moving away to organize some plastic ware.
"Is that awful girl gone?" Susan asked, walking out of the kitchen.
"Excuse me!" Mrs. Darling cried. "That girl is my daughter!"
Susan made a face. "Ugh, really? And I was just starting to like you."
Mrs. Darling snorted in an uncharacteristic way and began filling the doughnut display.
"Yes, she's gone," Peter said bitterly. "I wish she had stayed longer.
Susan flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "She's probably threatened by me."
Peter was about to laugh, but he stopped himself. Maybe Susan had a valid point. She was a beautiful girl, and he spent nearly every day with her in the bakery. Wendy didn't know how repulsive Susan was to him. It wasn't too far fetched for Wendy to suppose that Susan was more than just his coworker. The thought gave him some hope, and he resolved to explain the situation to Wendy if he ever saw her again.