Page 69 of Return to the Waratah Inn

Simone grunted and set her feet on the carpet.

As Reeda pulled the car out of the parking lot, she spoke. “You promised me you’d watch the kids while I went for a run.”

“I changed my mind.”

“You know you’re not allowed to leave the house without permission. I had no idea where you were or what you were doing. And you’re also not allowed to smoke.”

“Since when?”

“Since now!” Reeda spat at her. “And take that smirk off your face, young lady. You’re grounded. Don’t bother asking if you can go anywhere for a week after this stunt.”

“You can’t ground me!”

“Yes, I can. Watch me.” Reeda felt anger taking over, and she inhaled a calming breath. But then Simone’s volume rose in response.

“You’re not my mother! You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. You’re just one of the many people who will let me down, give me back, not care one bit about me. You say you care, but you don’t. You’ll give up on us like everyone else has. All we have is each other!” As the words poured out of her thin frame, she shook with sobs. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and then fell down her narrow cheeks.

She’d heard the words before and knew where they came from—a heart full of pain and grief.

“I do care about you, Simone. You’ve got to give me a chance to prove it. Stop pushing me away.”

Simone sobbed silently for the rest of the drive, and Reeda gave her space to think. When she pulled into the garage, Simone leapt out of the car and thrust the door shut. Reeda followed her into the house. Simone spun on her heel to face Reeda, her red-rimmed eyes flashing.

“No one cares about us. No one! Stop pretending and just give up.” She flew down the hallway, and the bedroom door thudded shut, echoed back to Reeda.

Marc and Carly stood quietly behind her. She turned to face them. Marc’s usual bravado was gone.

Carly’s lower lip trembled. “You’re gonna give us back?”

Reeda fell to her knees and pulled the two of them to her, giving them the first real embrace since they’d arrived. They were stiff at first, but then fell into her arms, letting their own little arms wind around her neck. She held them close, unable to speak for several long seconds as tears clogged her throat.

“No, sweetheart, I’m not going to give you back. I don’t know what the future holds, but you’ll always be welcome here. Always. I hope you know that.”

Carly burst into tears and howled against Reeda’s chest. Marc sobbed quietly into her shoulder, and Reeda cried along with them. The pain of their fears and all the years of rejection came tumbling out in their cries. She felt it. It squeezed at her heart and stole away her breath. It filled her throat with an aching pain that wouldn’t give up.

“This is your home,” she whispered against Carly’s hair. “You don’t have to worry—I’m not going to give up on you. Not now, not ever.”

After several long minutes, Reeda stood to her feet. Carly and Marc looked at her with wide, wet eyes. She drew in a deep wobbling breath.

“Now, who wants to help me make pizza for lunch?”

Carly grinned widely. “Me! I do.”

“Can I add the cheese?” Marc asked.

“You absolutely can,” Reeda said, ruffling his hair. “Come on. I think Duncan will be home from his night shift any minute now, and he’ll be starving. He likes mushrooms on his. What do you like?”

“Ham and pineapple,” Carly replied.

“Cheese,” Marc said.

“We’ve got all of those things. Plenty for everyone. I’ll show you how to make the dough. It’s a lot of fun. And after lunch, we can have a swim.”

“Not right away, though,” Marc said. “You told us that.”

“You listened so well,” Reeda replied, her heart swelling with love. “We’ll have a little rest first so we can digest our food before we swim.”

“And put on suncream,” Carly added proudly.