As the doors slide shut on us, I spin her in my arms so that her back is to my front. God, I love her height. It’s perfect for what I’m about to do. My hand inches up the hem of her skirt.
“What…what are you doing, Topher?”
“You said you wanted me to do that thing with my fingers.”
“Yeah…”
I kiss the side of her neck. “Well, I’m just doing what I was told.”
Secrets and Mistletoe
A Dogwood Cove Novella
Julia Jarrett
Contents
1.Abby
2.Reid
3.Abby
4.Reid
5.Abby
6.Reid
7.Abby
8.Reid
9.Abby
Chapter one
Abby
When I push open the door to the bar in Westport where I’m hoping to escape my reality for an hour or two, I’m assaulted by the aroma of beer and fried food. My stomach rumbles in response and I realize that yet again, I forgot to eat since breakfast. In my defense, we drove all day yesterday to get to my uncle’s farm as quickly as possible, and today my time has been filled with relearning the ropes of running the tree farm and petting farm that Uncle Steve has run since I was a child. I used to spend so much time here when my parents and I still lived on Vancouver Island. Dogwood Cove was my second home, and just driving through filled me with memories. Memories that I hope I can now pass on to my daughter, Layla.
Lord knows we could use some happy ones.
Resolutely, I push back the thoughts that threaten to crowd my mind. Nobody ever said being a single parent would be easy, but this year has been particularly hard for Layla and I. My parents decided to become snowbirds and moved down to Arizona, Layla’s best and only friend in school left for Alberta, I lost my job as an insurance claims adjustor thanks to cutbacks, and our cat died.
When Uncle Steve called me to say he’d broken his leg and desperately needed some help on the farm, I jumped at the chance to come back to Dogwood Cove. Layla was skeptical at first, but as soon as I told her about all of the animals, she was on board. Thank goodness she has my adventurous spirit.
I slide onto a stool at the bar, and when the bartender comes over, I ask her for a sleeve of beer from a local brewery and a plate of nachos. She nods, and goes to enter the order. When my beer is slid across to me, I take it with a grateful smile and take a sip, letting the cool liquid trickle down my throat. I can feel myself relaxing, simply by being out, by myself, responsible for no one else. I love my daughter so much, but it sure as shit gets exhausting always being the sole parent, the only one in charge of her health and wellbeing, not to mention her safety, happiness, entertainment, and all the other thousand things a parent has to worry about.
But not tonight. Tonight I’m just Abby Martin, enjoying a beer and some cheesy nachos with an hour to myself.
“Is this seat taken?”
Say yes. Just say yes and enjoy the solitude, Abby.
Do I listen to that little voice? Nope, of course not. My mama raised me right, and manners dictate I must be polite.
“No, go ahea—” I trail off when I glance up and trip over my own words.
