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I had a loving family. My parents were still down in Florida, and my brother lived near them too. But ever since I moved out on my own to make something of myself, things had never been the same. It was like they all kept waiting for me to fail. Kept waiting for me to come back with my tail between my legs.
It had been three years now, and that hadn’t happened yet. I’d do anything to make sure it never did. Because while I loved my family, I hated that they never had confidence in me. I was happy little Mia. Cheerful and sweet, but nothing going on between the ears. It had been a cruel running joke when I was a kid, and as an adult, it was a painful thorn in my side.
It’s not that they thought I was stupid. Just that, I was destined for a simple life doing simple things. Why be a great thinker when I could settle down and get married and pop out some kids? Why even have a career if I was just going to leave it to be a mom anyway?
My parents were the children of immigrants and their old-world values never caught up to modern day America. It worked out for their lives, and I loved that for them. But I wanted—no, needed—more.
“We’re here,” Alex said brightly as she stopped in front of the Witch’s Brew. I shook off the thoughts of my family and smiled as I got out of the car.
“I’ve been here before. I absolutely loved it!”
“Best spot in town,” she said, and opened the door, gesturing for me to go in first.
It was just like I remembered, but the Christmas decorations had been replaced with Valentine’s Day. Strings of red and gold lights lined the walls and doorways. Each table was outfitted with a black tablecloth and white candles in vintage silver holders. Deep crimson silk ribbons and black lace hung from the ceiling in dramatic drapings across the whole room. It was like a cross between gothic Victorian England and Moulin Rouge and I couldn’t get enough.
“Hi, ladies,” the owner, Sara, said, smiling from ear to ear.
“Hey Sara, this is—”
“Mia,” she interrupted. “We met just before Christmas. Peppermint hot chocolate.”
My eyes widened. “Wow, yes. You have a great memory.”
“I generally do, but the impression you made on a certain town grump had ingrained you into it.”
“Oh.” I glanced over to Alex who was shooting a pointed look at Sara. My cheeks blushed to match the color of the silk ribbons and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
Sara’s eyes softened and she came around the counter, putting her arm around my shoulders and guiding me over to a table near the kitchen door.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad by it. It’s just, we were all so surprised when Drew became almost cheerful for once. And then, well you know…” her voice trailed off.
“Oh gosh.” I shrunk in on myself and looked around. “Am I like, infamous around here?”
“This is Moon Harbor,” Alex said, sitting down first. “Gossip is the official town sport and everyone is infamous for something.”
“But I’ve only spent a few days here.” I sat and dropped my face into my hands.
“Drew just really surprised us all when he seemed happy. And then when that went away, he was kind of, how should I put this?”
“Worse than ever?” Alex answered with a humorless laugh.
A distressed sound erupted from my throat.
“Trust me, it’s not that anyone thinks you did anything wrong. We were surprised you gave him a chance in the first place,” Sara said.
My head shot up. “What? Why?”
Drew is a bit…notorious around here for being a bit of an ass. I don’t blame you one bit for not putting up with it.”
“Well that’s not it at all.”
“Don’t get me wrong, we all love him. But it’s like sometimes he goes out of his way to try to change that.”
“No, I mean, I didn’t leave because of anything Drew did. Or at least, not anythingbadhe did. Drew was amazing.”
The two women’s eyebrows shot up and they exchanged a look. Sara glanced around, seemingly to make sure there was no one in earshot. The cafe was mostly empty, with only a few tables occupied, and they were all by the front window.
“Darn it, I’ve made a mess of everything.”
