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“Grandma says he’s producing that show, Crimson. The one about the teenage vampires.”
Ruth managed not to grimace. David was producing a show she wouldn’t let Carol watch. “Maybe he is. I don’t know.”
Carol stared down at the floor again. “Grandma says maybe I could think about moving to California for a while.”
And here it is. Thanks, Grandma Lois. “You can’t move to California without my consent. When we got the divorce, we agreed you were going to live with me, and I live here in Antero.” She took another deep breath. “Are you interested in moving to California?”
Carol bit her lip. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”
Ruth fought down a quick surge of panic. Carol had probably considered it, but she wouldn’t have made any final decisions yet. That could be what the trip to California was all about—checking out her options. And if Cool Dad showed her a good time, with shopping trips and days at Disneyland, would that sway her opinion away from Mom the Drudge?
“Joanie Denton’s folks got into a fight over who she was going to live with. When her mom married that guy from the resort. Her dad made her move to Denver.” Carol’s forehead furrowed. “Do I get any say in where I live?”
“As far as I’m concerned, you get a vote. But so do I.”
“And Dad?”
Ruth closed her eyes. “Maybe. We’ll see. I’ve got primary custody, so my vote counts for a little more.”
“It isn’t fair,” Carol said softly. “You all make the decisions and I don’t get to make any.”
Welcome to the real world, kid. A lot of it isn’t fair.
“Give me a couple of weeks to think about a trip to California. Let me see what the flights are like from Grand Junction and Denver, and what kind of schedule we both have for the next couple of months.”
Carol sighed. “I guess that makes sense. I still think this is crappy, though.”
Ruth closed her eyes. “Don’t say crappy. Or don’t say it around anybody but me. Your grandmother’s likely to get upset with you if you do.”
“I know not to say it around her.”
“Okay, then.” Ruth paused for a jaw-cracking yawn. It had been a miserably long day. And it didn’t look to be ending anytime soon. “Sorry. I got up too early today.”
“Barbara Jean’s an awful cook,” Carol said flatly. “Is she going to get any better?”
“We can only hope. Assuming she sticks around, which I’m not sure she will.” If Barbara Jean left, they’d be in real trouble, since Ruth would have to do the cooking herself, which meant she wouldn’t have time to make cheese. She pushed herself to her feet, then leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. “You need to finish your sandwich or eat something else. Then you can get some sleep. We can talk more about this tomorrow.”
Carol reached up quickly and hugged her, her arms tight around Ruth’s neck. She held on for a long moment. “I love you, Mama,” she whispered.
“Love you, too, kiddo.” Ruth turned quickly, before her daughter could see the tears in her eyes. She didn’t have time for emotion right then anyway. She still had to do the dishes.
…
Liam took a half-hearted swipe at the bar with his rag. The surface didn’t need polishing—it was gleaming. And there were no customers to mess it up. Also no customers to order drinks and drop money in the tip jar.
He sighed, leaning his elbows on the bar as he checked the few occupied tables at the back of the room. Late lunch at the Black Mountain Tavern, after the afternoon thunderstorm had blown through. So far he’d poured a couple of beers and a glass of wine. The iced tea and water most of the patrons were drinking came from the kitchen and had nothing to do with him. The crowd got smaller every day. It was only a matter of time before Tim Stanton, who owned the tavern, decided they didn’t need to serve lunch at all.
In reality, Liam wouldn’t be too upset when Stanton did that, except he could use the money for last-minute expenses. Getting rid of the lunch shift would give him time to finish up at the brewery. Black Mountain Tavern was headed downhill fast, but he most likely wouldn’t be around to see it bottom out.
