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“What a fucking jackass. If I ever see him again, I’ll... Well, I’m not exactly sure what I’ll do, but I’ll be damn sure it’ll make him cry, and hopefully turn him into a soprano.” Ally crunched venomously on a cracker, making me smile. We both sat gazing into the fire for a long while. I felt more at peace than I had for months. It felt so good to get it all off my chest, to have Ally’s unwavering support. I should have told her ages ago. “It’s such a shame you have to sell. I can really see you living here.”
“Really?” I looked around at the cozy room just waiting to be lived in again. My best childhood memories were wrapped up in this house, and in Ruby’s gentle kindness. I sighed. “I can’t. I have to make things right.”
“And after that?”
I shrugged.
“You could always chef again. I haven’t seen you make so much as a slice of toast since you got back here. But you’re a damned good chef. I’m sure any good restaurant around here would take you on in a heartbeat.”
“I can’t. It feels tainted now. I think I’ve lost the passion for it. I don’t think I could bring myself to step into a professional kitchen again.”
“I understand, but still. My heart breaks for you.” Ally paused, mulling things over. “Let’s get this reno sorted out and cross all those other bridges when we get to them. And you know what? We’re going to let loose a bit. This is a ridiculously big job, but we’re gonna have some fun with it. It’s about time you did that.”
“Great idea,” I said, reaching over and clinking my glass against Ally’s.
CHAPTER4
Zara
Ihunched against the chill breeze as I joined the line at the little coffee takeout window, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my dark blue puffer jacket, the wind buffeting my back. The little café, called the Nookee, was an easy walk up the hill from my house, across the street from the corner store for daily supplies. It wasn’t in the main part of town, with all the tourist shops and cafés. Instead, it was in Esperance Valley, a subdivision built on farmland and semi-rural plots about forty years ago. The whole setup suited me just fine, since I didn’t have a car and wasn’t that interested in the hustle and bustle of the town center. As long as I had access to good coffee, the corner store would take care of everything else I might need for now. I had a fridge full of groceries because Ally had insisted on stocking up before we left New Bern. And even though she was a compulsive feeder, I didn’t see how I’d need more than milk and bread from the store and coffee from this cute little café with the adorable name.
My phone beeped, interrupting my thoughts. Pulling it from my pocket, a quick glance at the screen showed a text from Ally. I pressed the unlock button, read the message and laughed out loud.
Ally:HAVE YOU SEEN ADONIS AGAIN?
Zara:NO. WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING AT ME?
Ally:DON’T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME MISSY! IT’S TUESDAY, WHADDYA MEAN HE HASN’T BEEN BACK SINCE HE QUOTED LAST SATURDAY? WHEN WILL YOU BE SEEING HIM AGAIN?
Zara:I don’t know. He’s fitting me in between jobs so I guess he’ll just come by when he can.
Ally:Eye roll emoji.Get it together, Munro. These men don’t lay themselves.
Zara:You have a one-track mind.
Ally:And your point is? Where are you now?
Zara:Up the street, getting coffee.
I felt a wet, canine nose nudge at my hand and nearly dropped my phone. “Oh, hey Bess.” I looked around and saw Matt walking up the street.
Zara:Gotta go, he’s here now!
I quickly texted, giving a devilish little grin as I put the phone back in my pocket. That was kicking the hornet’s nest. Sure enough, my phone beeped three times in quick succession. I hastily pulled it out and glanced at the screen:
Ally:WHAT?
Ally:YOU’RE HAVING COFFEE WITH HIM?
Ally:TELL ME EVERYTHINGGGGG!
I smirked, flicked the phone to silent, and shoved it back in my pocket just as Matt arrived.
“Hey. I see Bess found you.” His smile crinkled at the sides of his eyes in a super endearing way.
“Hey.” I patted Bess, taking a moment to catch my breath.
“You’ve already figured out where to get the best coffee in town, I see.”
