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CHAPTER1
~ MILLIE ~
“So…” The word slides sluggishly past my lips like the flow of water struggling to pass through the partially clogged drain in my bathroom. “You’re saying I’m out of a job?”
My eyes track from the freshly wiped linoleum counter of the diner where I’ve worked contentedly these past years, upward to my boss—a woman I’ve come to think of as one of my closest friends here on Tybee Island.
The tiny wrinkles at the sides of Harriet’s eyes crinkle in the same subtle way they do when she talks about things like upcoming vacations or how her sole granddaughter just managed to eat solid food without spitting it out.
My frown deepens, adding, “And you’resmilingabout it?”
I can’t help the annoyance, considering the way her words have taken my perfectly stable life and turned it on its ear.
“Well, Jim and I are so excited to retire,” she responds, still smiling but with a slightly defensive tone. “Besides,” she adds hopefully, “I was kind of thinking that you’d buy me out?”
She says it like a question because she knows me well enough to understand that buying her out is theleastattractive option for me.
My jaw gapes. “Buy you out?”
“This place was barely making ends meet before you came here. Now, we’re thriving. You’ve got a natural talent for making this old diner shine.”
I scoff.
Natural talent? My sister Maggie has the natural talent in our family. My brother Harris has the brawn.
Me? I just have an MBA that I couldn’t seem to utilize in corporate America without falling apart at the seams.
“For the record, the only thing that changed since I arrived is that you let me put my grandma’s pie on the menu.”
“Not true. Advertising, online reviews, pricing and bulk purchases… you brought this place out of the dark ages. Now we’re—and I quote—‘the perfect blend of laid-back island life and southern hospitality.’”
“Who said that?”
“Someone on Yelp just yesterday.”
“And you memorized it already,” I note, shaking my head. “You obsess over reviews even more than I do.”
“Of course. Because you give me nothing more to do in this place other than obsess over reviews. You do it all. Why not just buy me out and make it your own? I mean, if it’s money you’re worried about, we could work something out. I’d be so happy to see this place go on as a diner rather than someone turning it into another store that sells cheap beach gear.”
“For the record, you do a lot more around here than just read reviews.” I can’t help feeling obliged to remind her how essential she is. “I—I just don’t think that the stress of owning a restaurant really meshes with the life I’ve built for myself here.”
I almost crack a smile unintentionally because there are days when I think I pretty much haven’t builtanythinghere. And that’s kind of the point.
I built a career in Atlanta. I built a life with my ex-fiancé Alan, each day working diligently toward our goal of getting married and owning a nice home in Buckhead.
I built a future that I could envision unfolding in front of me just like it had for all the business grads Alan and I hung out with. Two kids. Weekends at Lake Lanier. And a dog.
I do, for the record, have the dog. But the rest of the dream dissolved away in the span of one epic meltdown.
Here on Tybee Island? I didn’t build anything. I simply plopped myself down and let life happen around me.
As Harriet seems to finally notice my pallor, her smile flickers out like a candle that just reached the end of its wick. “It won’t be till the end of the summer. You have plenty of time to find another job. If you want one, that is.”
“Of course, I don’twantone. I’d much rather win the lottery, Harriet. But I have bills to pay.”
I glance at Harriet and see the joy in her eyes replaced by guilt.
I don’t want that. I don’t want to ruin this moment for her.
