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My daughter’s eyebrows scrunch together as she whispers, “He tries to act like my dad.”
“I’ll talk to him about that too.” Olive continues her forlorn act in the backseat.
“Are you excited to see Uncle Cam?”
“Why did he have to move out?”
I sigh. A month ago, Cam and Annie moved out of the tiny house on my property to a bigger house in town. Olive had been quieter in the mornings lately without Uncle Cam there to entertain her.
“You know the baby is coming any day now.”
“Yeah,” she says with a sigh. It’s too quiet in here. I check the rearview to make sure she didn’t jump out. While I’m elated to be an aunt, finally, I’m not looking forward to how Olive will react. Cam has been the closest thing to a father to her, and sharing him with Annie has already been challenging. Add in another girl who will inevitably take priority, and it’s going to be rough for Olive.
You can handle this. You are strong and capable, I tell myself.
The day promises heat with a touch of humidity, and sweat already collects at my hairline. After locking the car, I walk with Olive to the rear entrance. From the taproom, I hear commotion, mostly clinking and talking. I plaster a smile on my face as we walk down the hallway.
“There’s the birthday girl!” Burke yells when he sees me. He’s wearing his chef’s whites and a mega-watt smile. I smile too as he approaches me and kisses my cheek. He ruffles Olive’s hair and the scowl on her face says it all.
“Hey, kiddo, how are you?” he asks.
“I’m good.”
“Hey, Burke,” I say as my daughter drifts towards my mom. She immediately pulls Olive in and smothers her with kisses.
Burke gestures to the extravagant spread and sets his hands on his hips. “How does it look?” There’s serving trays with hints of steam, piles of croissants and biscuits, coffee carry-outs from Gold Roast, and carafes of orange juice and champagne sitting at the end of the table. It’s all wonderful and so thoughtful.
I’m not sure why I feel a heavy pit in my stomach.
Burke can’t get away from the restaurant tonight, so we decided brunch would be the next best thing.
I rest my forearms on his shoulders as he holds my waist. “It looks wonderful. But I have something to talk to you about.”
“Okay.” Whenever I say something like this, Burke always looks like I’m about to break up with him.
“Olive doesn’t like it when you call her kiddo.”
Burke’s expression collapses into concern. “I’m sorry, I…”
“It’s fine.” I kiss him quickly to end the conversation. Pulling away, I feel his hands stay on my waist until I’m out of reach.
“Happy Birthday Emily!” I hear from the hallway, and it’s my brother’s girlfriend, Shiloh. She’s wearing a cute striped dress, and her blonde curls are down, not in her usual braids. Shiloh is shorter than me by a few inches so she has to jump to wrap her arms around my neck.
“So, your boyfriend is here,” Jackson says, pulling me into a hug. When Jackson, the oldest in our family, first came home to Goldheart, he didn’t socialize much. Thank God for Shiloh. She brought him out of his shell, and he’s the Jackson he was when we were kids.
Shiloh looks behind me to the spread. “Wow, Burke did all of this?”
I shrug. “He wanted to, I guess.”
“That’s so nice! He’s a keeper!”
“I think so,” I say, injecting fake cheer into my voice. Burke is everything a girl could want and one of the few eligible bachelors in our small town of Goldheart. He cooks, and his apartment is immaculate.
When he kisses me, he acts like I’m a gourmet meal to devour. He leaves the toilet seat down and calls his mother every Sunday. On paper, he’s perfect.
Still, there’s something missing I can’t put my finger on.
My experience in dating includes a fever dream from ten years ago, so I assume the missing piece will slide into place eventually. Burke is perfect.
