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Noelle grabs my hands, and I want to tear mine away, but I keep them there. Her being here complicates everything. I should tell her to go home so I can process. But she’s already on edge, and asking her to leave would create a catastrophe.
“Okay. If not, I can find somewhere else and you can stay with me.” She pauses. “You should call Emily. I would love to meet her. She could bring her boyfriend.” Noelle smiles like she just suggested we go to brunch, not meet my long-lost daughter.
“Sure,” I say. “Will you excuse me?”
“Of course.” Noelle turns her phone over, probably to scroll on Instagram.
I hold out my hand. “Don’t tell anyone yet. Before I figure out what to do.”
“I won’t.” She smiles sweetly and focuses on her phone.
When I close the bathroom door, I lean against it to take a deep breath. What do I do? I can’t tell Noelle to leave, but it would be easier if she wasn’t here. I pull out my phone to see a text from her. A smile crosses my lips.
Emily: Olive has been playing with her Mike toy since we got home.
This whole time, I’ve been telling myself seeing Olive complicated everything.
That’s not entirely the truth.
My feelings for Emily lived in the hollows of my being. Being around her brought them out of the shadows.
No matter how angry I am with her, Emily was my first love. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia or real feelings, but my heart battles with my head. Right now, I’m just very confused.
Emily
“Hi, Tara,” I say into my phone when she calls. “Are you dying?” We only text, so her calling me is weird.
“Em, there’s this blond guy here who was here yesterday asking about you, but he’s with this stunning woman who is very tall and they’re talking and he mentioned Olive and oh my God did your baby daddy show up?”
“Yes,” I squeak out.
Tara shrieks, and then brings it down to a whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me? This is crazy. I think it’s his girlfriend and he’s not happy she’s here. I’ve been trying to listen without getting caught. He looks so much like Olive it’s shocking.”
“I know. Olive just met him. She doesn’t know about his role. I am freaking out,” I whisper, looking to my living room. Olive sits on the couch with the Mike Wazowski stuffed animal while she reads a First Reader version of Anne of Green Gables to him. It makes my heart grow five sizes.
“Did he invite her, do you think?” I ask.
“No, I’m getting the sense she just showed up unannounced. She’d been at the coffee shop for at least two hours before he showed up. They’re going to have a hell of a time finding a place to stay. Goldheart Inn is booked, and even crappy Stake the Claim is sold out.”
I cringe. If the Stake the Claim Motel is full, there’s no rooms within fifteen miles, period. People think Stake the Claim is cute because it looks like the Rosebud Motel from Schitt’s Creek, but that’s where it ends. I’ve heard of several fungal infections that started at Stake the Claim, and then there was the unfortunate raccoon gang incident.
“Where is he staying?” Tara asks.
“At the tiny house.”
“Guuuuurrrrllll,” Tara says. “When he finally leaves, I need to know everything. Everything. Do you understand me?”
“Understood,” I say. My phone buzzes against my ear, and I pull it away to see Max calling. “He’s calling.”
“He’s not at the table. He’s calling you from the bathroom. This is getting so juicy,” Tara aggressively whispers. “I will gather as much intel as I can. Take the call.”
“Okay,” I say, ending the call and taking Max’s.
“Hey,” he says. I can hear the stress in his voice.
“Hi,” I say. “You should see Olive right now. It’s so precious.”
“Oh, I wish I could be there.”
