Harley had survived being a family of one by keeping her heart locked up tightly. Which had been a lot easier before her nieces. When the Wonder Twins were born, maintaining emotional distance became impossible. Then Casino Night from Hell happened, when Frank not only fell off the path of recovery but gambled away nine months’ rent on the bakery. Even though it was the fuckup to end all fuckups, she’d never imagined Teagan would kick her out.
But she had.
Lesson learned. As Harley had pulled out of that Seattle driveway, she’d decided it was for the best. Watching Teagan with her family, something Harley had never had and likely never would have, hurt. That was the day Harley decided that if she got too close to the fire, she was bound to get burned.
So then why was she working so hard to stay here? Sure, Bryan was part of it, but there was something else. A little whisper in the back of her head saying, “Maybe this is the time.” The time she’d finally have a full-time family.
“You let me stay through the summer and I’ll help out with the kids.”
“Why?”
If she were being honest, she wasn’t ready to leave. Suddenly, being the cool Aun-tie Har-ley who blew into town on random holidays wasn’t enough. She wanted to be a reliable presence in their life, who not only showed up for all the milestones but took part in the little things. Collecting shells at the beach, eating caramel apples at the wharf, weekend waffle breakfasts.
If she wanted to stay, she’d need to be invited—or at least prove to Teagan she wasn’t like Dale. That she wouldn’t win the girls over only to bail.
“Because you need me. And you’ve been there when I needed you.” Maybe not as adults, but Teagan had been Harley’s rock when she was little.
On nights when her parents’ arguing grew so loud the neighbors could hear, Teagan would crawl into Harley’s bed and snuggle up. She’d readBear and Rabbit’s Great Adventuresas many times as it took for Harley to fall asleep. Her sister taught her that, no matter how bad things got, or how loud and long their parents yelled, life would still go on. And if they could just make it until morning, there would be a new day filled with new possibilities.
Behind that bedroom door all they had was each other. Just like Bear and Rabbit in the children’s book.
Teagan let out a long-suffering sigh. “Okay, but there are some rules.”
“Shocker.”
“You have to take that swing back down and learn to clean up after yourself. No more plates on the counter and no more using the shower to air-dry your P. A. N. T. I. E. S.” She mouthed the last part.
“If you’re calling them P. A. N. T. I. E. S., then you clearly need a thong of your own.”
Lily whispered something to Poppy. “Lily wants to know, what’s a thong?”
Teagan sent Harley a pointed look. “Fair enough. But the swing stays.”
“You said it was negotiable.”
“That was before you considered too long. It’s like onShark Tank. If you hesitate, you lose your bargaining power. You hesitated. No deal for you.”
“Fine. But you babysit the twins whenever I need.”
“Most of my classes are early morning, and I’m working with a few places in town.” She purposely left out the fact that the places were not studios or gyms, but rather shops on Main Street, which Harley thought might be good outlets for Bread N Butter. She’d approached management, explained what their bread company could provide, then scheduled follow-up appointments.
In the kitchen, she was more of a bother than a bread baker, so she decided to help Teagan by applying her strengths—branding and sales—two things Bread N Butter was in desperate need of. But she was keeping her efforts a secret until something panned out.
She’d already met with Delores, who owned the largest boutique hotel in town. The older woman had agreed to visit the farmer’s market and taste their products. In passing, Harley explained how she could use social media to get the word out about the hot spots in town, by posting videos and photos highlighting the unique shops and scenic views the area had to offer. And how to position her hotel to appeal to millennials.
Delores hired her on the spot, and they had a follow-up meeting scheduled for Tuesday after next.
What started as Harley helping a few people had taken on a life of its own. She might as well pad her résumé while she was here. More than that, this freelance work allowed her the creative freedom she lacked back in LA.
It felt good to help the people who had known Nonna and supported her in her last years. Harley didn’t have many roots back in LA. It was hard to make deep connections when you had one foot out the door. Plus, casual connections made it easier on everyone when Harley got that itch to explore.
But her mind kept circling back to Bryan and the realization she didn’t get that itch when she was with him. Which brought her back to the reason she was here. To make things right with Teagan, earn a place in her nieces’ lives, and give Bryan the space he needed to move on.
“So we have a deal?” she asked.
“Fair enough,” Teagan all but groaned. “We’ll work out a schedule.”
“See. No hesitation. I got my deal.”
