“Honey, life is meant to be lived.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Mae, respectfully, mind your business,” I said using my grandpa’s favourite term.
She rolled her lips between her teeth. Her nostrils flared as if it was taking every bit of strength not to say something to me. Finally, she spoke, “One almond milk latte with sugar-free vanilla coming up.”
“Thank you.”
A moment later, she set my latte down on the counter. I pulled out my wallet, and she waved me off. “First one’s on me, sweetheart. It’s really nice having you back in town.” Mae reached out and grabbed my hand as I reached for my cup. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I remember what your Mama was like, and I shouldn’t have…” Mae’s eyes filled with emotion as she looked at me. Memories swarmed between us.
How many times had I come in here to eat my feelings after my parents dropped me off for the summer? My mom’s parting words had always been something along the lines of “make sure you don’t get fat,” which immediately led to me consuming a cinnamon bun, followed by guilt and running myself into exhaustion once I got back to my grandpa’s house.
“Thanks.” I gave her hand a small squeeze back. “I’ve found healthier ways to cope with her disappointment.” I flipped over my hand and showed her the small tattoo I had hidden on my wrist.
Mae leaned in close and read it. “Strength. That seems fitting.”
“I thought so.” I picked up my latte and took a sip of the foamy, hot liquid. Vanilla and creamy coffee hit my tongue. “Mmm, perfect. Thank you, Mae.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. Welcome home.”
My chest tightened. Home. That’s exactly what Hollow Peak had always felt like.Home. For a few weeks every summer, I felt at home in a way I never did in my own house.
I carried my coffee back to the table and sat down across from Beth. She eyed my coffee and groaned.
“What?” I asked.
“Of course you didn’t get a cinnamon bun. Now I’m just gonna look like a big pig alone,” she grumbled.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t getting dragged into whatever was going on with her. If she’d been worried about it, she wouldn’thave ordered without me. She did. So this was clearly about something else. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She sighed.
“Come on. Talk.” I nudged her with my foot. “You know you want to, and it’s a lot better for you than eating that entire thing.” I pointed at the half-destroyed cinnamon bun.
“It’s just Brian.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “How did I ever marry such a loser?”
“You were sucked in by big muscles and a good tan.”
Beth snorted.
“So, what did your asshole ex do this time?”
“He’s not paying his share of the daycare like we’d agreed.”
“What? Why?”
She shook her head. “Because why would he pay someone when his mom would do it for free for him? Oh, and she’d charge me less than the going rate, so I’d save money too.” She tore off a piece of cinnamon bun and shoved it into her mouth. “Seriously? So, he gets free childcare, and I’m still paying? Hell, no.”
I can’t say I was all that surprised by the suggestion. Brian had always been notoriously cheap.
Beth shoved her palms into the edge of the table. “There is no way I’m letting that woman look after my kids. I can’t rely on her for daycare. I can’t control who he leaves them with when he has them, but there is no way I’m putting that woman in charge of my kids.”
“Understandable.” From what I remember of Brian’s mom, she wasn’t the most reliable person.
“Right? Just because his mom is free doesn’t mean she’s the safest choice. What happens when she disappears with nothing but a note on the door that says ‘girls’ trip’?”
“What did he say about that?”
“That my family could just do it on those days. And take their turn. It’s not my family’s job to raise my kids,” she growled. “Isaid no, we needed to pay for a daycare spot, and he said he’s not paying for something he can get for free, so if I wanted that I was on my own.”
