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We were lucky enough to have the kinds of parents that were always there for us. I liked to think that Gray would be supportive as well, if he ever decided to talk to me again. The scent of bacon filled my nose and I dashed for the bathroom, ignoring my mother’s yells behind me.
When I left the restroom, she was leaning against the wall with her hands clasped. “How far along are you?” My shock must have shown. “It’s the bacon making you sick, right? I couldn’t stand the smell of meat when I was pregnant with you.”
“I think so,” I sighed, taking the spot next to her. “Jo ordered a pizza last night and the smell of the pepperoni made me sick, too. As for how far along, I don’t know yet. A few weeks maybe?”
“I’m assuming Kane is the father?”
“Yup,” I said, popping the ‘p.’
“Does he know?” she asked quietly.
“Considering he’s gone AWOL, no, he doesn’t know yet. I’m pretty mad at the jerk right now so if he ever turns up again, I’ll think about telling him then.”
“That seems fair.” She had already heard the whole story of the fight with Gray followed by Kane’s disappearance. “Do you want to go back home and get some rest?”
“No, I don’t think I can stand being there alone another second,” I told her honestly.
“Okay, sweetie, just let me know if you need a break, all right?”
“Thanks, Mom,” I hugged her quickly, feeling incredibly thankful I had such amazing parents.
We walked back into the dining area and I grabbed my apron. Looking over the customers to see who needed help, I spotted a familiar face at one of the tables and headed over.
“Needed a break from that fancy office of yours, Roe?”
He looked up from his laptop screen giving me a crooked smile. “Nah, just handling a bit of guard duty on the side.”
My own smile slipped. If Roe was here then Kane really wasn’t coming back. “Have you heard from him?” I hated myself a little bit for even asking.
He shook his head, “Sorry, Winnie, all I know is that I was told Sam and I would take turns watching over the place.” The small amount of hope I had allowed myself to feel disappeared.
“I’m glad it’s you and not my idiot brother then,” I slapped on my fake smile, hoping to look like I had it all together and my heart wasn’t broken into a thousand pieces. “Can I get you anything?”
“Nah, darlin’, don’t worry about me, I’m good.” He didn’t look like he bought my show of okayness but was kind enough not to mention it.
Thankfully my nausea eased and I was able to serve food to customers without being sick. A waitress with a green tint to her face was not appetizing.
I was beyond exhausted when it was finally time to close. Roe had me wait inside behind the locked door while he did a sweep of the parking lot. When I heard the secret knock he had shown me earlier, I set the alarm and walked out.
“I’m thinking we need a secret handshake to go with the knock. Maybe even a club name like ‘Diner Detectives’ or ‘Falls Security,’ nope, that one’s already taken,” Roe rubbed his chin, squinting his eyes as he thought.
“Goodnight, Roe,” I climbed into my Jeep with a small smile on my face.
“What about ‘Bistro Bodyguards?’” he shouted as I closed my door.
Roe was a good distraction, but as I drove, the thought of returning to my lonely house consumed me. Back to the time where my days were filled with nothing but work, coming home late and eating alone. I couldn’t even plan to spend time with Daisy until Gray pulled the stick out of his butt.
It was amazing how quickly I had become dependent on Kane being there. Dependent on his time and presence, not being alone at night. Simply being with the one person you wanted to see all the time if you could. I wished desperately to have that back.
But it didn’t really matter what I wanted, Kane had made the decision for us and chose not to consult me. I would find a way to be okay being alone. My hand drifted to my stomach again, I guess I wouldn’t be alone for long.
26
Kane
My truck bounced along the gravel driveway, making me cringe every time I hit a pothole. He really needed to fix this, but the man hated visitors, maybe it was his way of letting them know they weren’t welcome. I parked in front of the small cabin and got out, my boots crunching on the gravel.
“What’re you doing here, son?” Dad asked from one of the rocking chairs on his porch. He looked relaxed with one booted foot propped on his knee and his other rocking him back and forth.
