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“You’re hopeless.”
He shakes his head as he releases me, and we move into the next tent. I swap pleasantries with the locals. They were polite yet standoffish at first, but once they realized I was Henry’s daughter, all the middle-aged women became my best friend. My dad could have his pick of the town, but he refuses to date. My mom broke his heart again. I know because the pain in his eyes is the same I see in the mirror.
We head over to the photography tent and Garrett flips through a bin of vintage car photos. I spot a table with used equipment and pick up a dented camera. The pictures Vera took are priceless to me. I keep the group photos from Garrett and Dylan’s goodbye party in the drawer of my small desk in my room. I sent the pictures of Luke I had on my phone to the cloud and haven’t looked at them since. But I pull out the group photo when the pain of missing him is too great.
I’ve been searching for a hobby to fill my time since I only work at the shelter twice a week. I help my dad and uncle when I’m needed, but farm work isn’t for me.
The shop owner is an older woman who’s also the cashier at the grocery store. “How much for this, Maggie?”
She looks over and smiles. “For you dear? It’s free.”
I shake my head and pull out a few twenties. “No, I insist,” I say, shoving the money into her pocket. She laughs and relents.
Garrett stands in front of a photograph hanging on the wire wall. I join him, and we both look at the photo of my uncle’s lake, dubbed “Lake Sutton.” The photo is from the town’s annual Founders Festival coming up in a few months. My uncle won’t stop talking about it.
I wave to Maggie, and we move on. I find a dark green button-up shirt for my dad. The next shop is kid’s toys, so I keep going until I find the tent with decorative plants. I smile at a rectangular pot with purple succulents. It fits in my hand and would be cute on my desk. I glance at the price and set it down. It’s outside of my budget. I pick up a smaller one as two women enter the tent.
“It’s been months and he still won’t take my calls.” Something about the woman’s voice niggles a memory. I glance over and find a slim woman about my height. She has blonde wavy hair that sits on her shoulders and is wearing big round sunglasses. She seems too glamorous for a small town like this.
“Have you tried showing up and begging for forgiveness?” the other dark-haired woman asks.
The blonde woman sighs. “It would only make it worse. But she’s my daughter, too. Don’t I have a right to speak with her? I hate that he’s keeping me from her.”
“I don’t know, Barb. It’s such a crazy situation,” the friend says, and I freeze.
I set the plant I was holding down and stare at the blonde woman. Garrett appears at my side. “What’s wrong?”
The blonde woman looks over at us and our eyes lock. She straightens and takes off her sunglasses. I forgot how much I resemble her.
“Liv?” Barbara asks.
She smiles, but it slips when I frown. Garrett stays close on full alert.
“How… how are you, honey?” she says, fidgeting with the strap of her purse.
I continue to stare at her, frozen as I process the anger, hurt, curiosity, and fear of seeing her again for the first time in twenty years.
“Your dad showed me pictures, but wow. You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”
“Why?” I ask.
Her brows scrunch together. “Why what?”
“Why did you have to come back? We were fine without you.”
She flinches like I slapped her, but I don’t care. She sighs and gestures toward a bench under an enormous oak tree. “Why don’t we sit, and I can answer your questions.”
Garrett rests his hand on my shoulder, and I face him. His eyes are full of sympathy. He nods and I relax. He’s got me. “I’ll be nearby.”
Barbara watches him as he speaks. He turns to her and nods once before stepping aside. Her friend makes an excuse and leaves, and I follow my mom to the bench. She sets her designer purse next to her and tucks her sunglasses inside.
Anger is winning the battle of swirling emotions right now but yelling at her won’t be productive.
“I never meant to cause problems for you, honey. When I ran into your dad in Lubbock last year, the spark we used to share was dim, but it was still there. I always regretted leaving you. But I wasn’t well. After I had John, I fell into postpartum depression. I didn’t get the treatment I should have. I’m in a much better place now.”
“Then why now? Why didn’t you return when you were better?”
She clasps her hands together and averts her gaze. “I was ashamed. It took years to get well. I came back to hand your dad the signed divorce papers when you were in high school. Your dad made it clear that you and John were thriving without me. I didn’t want to ruin that. Henry wanted nothing to do with me. So, I stayed away.”
