I snorted. “The stupid internet. I guess she looked up my name and found the shop’s website, and then once she knew I was in Savannah, she was able to nail down my email address.” Picking up a napkin, I wiped my lips. “Life was a lot less complicated back in the days when we didn’t have Big Brother looking over our shoulders all the time. When I was in high school, if you wanted to disappear, no one was tracking you electronically.”
“This from the woman who started her business with a virtual storefront,” Peg pointed out helpfully. “Remember when I was so worried about you losing everything if some troll online took advantage of you, and you told me that I had to get used to this brave new world?”
I shot her a withering glance. “And now you’re using my own words against me.”
“I’m just saying that you’re not exactly being reasonable.” Peg toyed with the corner of her sandwich’s paper wrapper. “Peyton, you know I love you. So does Charlie. You are not only an incredible mother and beloved surrogate daughter, we also think you’re an excellent business woman, and you make us proud every day with your determination and strength. You always have time to listen to us, to cheer us on. You give your all to your customers, too, and you support other small businesses here in town.”
“Uh huh.” I wasn’t comfortable with accolades on the best of days, but at the moment, I had a distinct sense that Peg was using these compliments to head somewhere I didn’t want to go. “Thank you?”
She ignored my tone. “But we’ve been worried about you lately.” Peg and Charlie exchanged a quick glance that I had a hunch I wasn’t meant to see. “To be honest, the reason Charlie brought lunch today was that we were planning an intervention. Sort of.”
“An intervention?” It was my turn to shoot my eyebrows skyward. “What the hell does that mean?”
“We wanted you to consider, maybe, online dating.” Charlie pasted on a bright smile. “Or you could think about joining a club or something. We feel like you need to meet people. Make friends, you know?”
“I have friends, thank you very much.” I drew myself up, glaring indignantly at my daughter. “I have—associates. People from the Savannah Women’s Business Council. Customers. I’m not some anti-social recluse.”
“Do you notice the common denominator? Those are all people you know from work, Mom. You don’t have a personal relationship with them. You don’t share yourself with them.”
“Being a private person is not a character flaw, Charlotte,” I shot back.
“No, but it doesn’t make your life any easier, either,” Peg responded gently. “Peyton, remember, I’ve known you since you were fourteen years old. You used to have lots of friends. You were a popular, outgoing girl. I understand that we all went through some turbulent years when forming relationships wasn’t exactly at the top of our priority lists, but you’re in a good place now.” She waved her hand around to indicate the store. “You have a thriving business. You own a beautiful home. Your daughter is lovely and successful?—”
“Thanks, Gram.” Charlie beamed at her grandmother.
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t have an active social life. You should be going out to dinner with friends. Attending plays and parties. Taking trips?—”
“Like, say, to Crystal Cove, where you can catch up with your old friends and make some new ones!” Charlie clapped her hands together once. “Let’s make it happen, Mom. Is there a form to fill out, or?—”
“There is, but I’m not going. There’s no one left in the Cove I want to see.” I crossed my arms and glared at both women.
“What about Jude?” inquired Peg. “You were always so close to your cousin. In these years since you’ve been away, she’s had two children, lost her husband to cancer, fell in love and remarried—and now she owns several businesses around the Cove. Don’t you want to catch up with her?”
“I’ve been in touch with Jude, thanks very much. You know that we’ve met for lunch a few times when she comes up to visit her daughter in that little town, the one that’s just about half an hour away—what’s it called again? Braxton? Barton?”
“Burton,” Charlie supplied. “I know because we had a case last year where one of the clients lived there. I visited to take depositions. Cute little place.”
“Well, Jude’s daughter is married to a farmer who lives there, apparently. So it’s not as though I haven’t seen my cousin in thirty-five years.”
“Maybe not, but Jude’s not your only connection in Crystal Cove.” Peg’s gaze rested steadily on my face. “Don’t you think it’s time you go back and make your peace, Peyton?”
My lip trembled just slightly, and I bit down, hard. “I don’t think I’m ready to go back.”
“If not now, when?” Peg leaned over and patted my arm. “She’s not getting any younger, you know.”
“She won’t want to see me,” I protested. “You know that when I didn’t go back for my father’s funeral, she told Jude that I might as well stay away forever. Which was the second time she cast me out of her life.” I could still hear my mother’s hard tone on the day I’d told her I was pregnant, telling me that she didn’t have a daughter anymore.
“People say things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment.” Peg sighed. “And if she refuses to see you, then at least you’ll know that you’ve done everything in your power to make things right. If she passes before you do that, you’ll have to live with the regret, and trust me, sweetheart, you don’t want to do that.”
I thought of the last time I’d seen my parents, of the words we’d said to each other in anger, and I shuddered. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Of course, you can.” Peg smiled at me encouragingly. “I’ve seen you do much tougher things than going back to the Cove. Besides, you’ll have fun with your old friends at the reunion. And you’ll be doing such a good deed for your friend Sheri.”
“Seriously, Mom. You need to go.” Charlie crumpled her sandwich wrapper and stood up. “I have to get back to the office, but I’m going to check in with you after work. I want to hear about your plans for driving down to Florida. Unless you want to take the train? Or fly?”
I snorted. “I’m not getting on a plane for a three-hour drive down the coast. That would be ridiculous.” Plus, I thought to myself, if I had my own car, I could always leave whenever I wanted. I wouldn’t have to worry about rearranging flights or trains.
“Good. Then it’s settled.” Peg stood up, too, and hugged me from behind. “Don’t worry about the shop, you know I can take care of everything while you’re gone.” She tapped her finger on the table, her brow furrowing. “But you should do some shopping—get some fun new outfits for your trip. You don’t spoil yourself often enough.”
