AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She looks at me for a second.
“I know, but sometimes bad decisions make you feel good, even if you regret them afterwards.”
“Sounds like more than just food on your mind.”
“That’s one way to put it—only my entire future. Fitting I’d come here.” I chuckle and look around at the store before my eyes land back on Molly. I can tell she doesn’t see the funny side, and I feel a wave of guilt.
“I’ll bring it over.”
My words are in bad taste, but my emotions are firing wildly and getting harder to control. Every passing day they grow closer to the surface, and that makes me uncomfortable.
The café is busy as I look around and note the dozen or so occupied tables, so I make a beeline for a small table tucked away by the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the beach. The wind’s kept the spring temperatures cool today, but the sun tries in vain to shine.
Molly’s service is prompt, and a few minutes later, a tower of a burger, complete with melted cheese, pickle, tomato, and sauce, stands proudly—with the help of a bamboo skewer through its heart—on my plate. A shovel of fries swims around the burger, all golden and crisp.
She takes a seat opposite as my mouth salivates, and I grab a few of the chips and start to eat.
“How did you know this would be enough for you?” I ask as I size up the burger and wonder how I would even attempt to eat it without spilling the contents over the table.
“What, the shop?” she clarifies.
“Tregethworth,” I correct her. She’s been here since I can remember and made it her home as well as her business.
“I can’t answer that for you because my circumstances are different from yours.” She tries to catch my eye, but I focus on the burger and wrap my lips around the juicy beef patty.
Over the years, I’ve indulged in plenty. A big house, holidays to places that helped me forget Cornwall ever existed, restaurants that served food I didn’t know how to pronounce, and all of that added up to a vision of success that I had worked hard to achieve—a vision that took me away from where my heart hurt the most. If I could get far enough away, maybe it would stop hurting altogether.
Indulging in something as mundane as a burger and fries, well, it seemed like a lifetime ago and an act so simple all at the same time.
“This isn’t just Tregethworth, though, is it?” Molly questions.
“Of course, it is.”
“And Jayce has nothing to do with any of your decisions?”
I finish chewing my mouthful of burger and drop the fries from my fingers.
“No. I hate Jayce Roberts.”
It’s Molly’s turn to chuckle at my response. “Don’t kid yourself, Zennor. If you hated him, you wouldn’t stay. I don’t know what your resources are, what your plan is, or what your other options are, but Tregethworth isn’t your last resort, and there is no way that you hate that man.”
“Molly-”
“No. Have you grieved? Ever?” Her voice is hushed, and my skin erupts in goosebumps as if a ghost just swept past us.
I turn away and look out towards the sea.
“No. Of course, you haven’t. You didn’t know how to deal with it then because you were just a child yourself. It changed you, and it’s continued to change you ever since.”
“I did the only thing I could.” I grit the words as my eyes cloud with tears, defending myself to the one person who knows every detail of why I blame Jayce for so much—who knows why the pain I feel is still so raw and jagged to my heart and why hate is the only option for me.
Molly smiles at me, and I see nothing of the years spanning our friendship.
“Hate is a poison that will infect every part of you, Zennor. You should have had every dream or wish the stars could grant, and instead, you clawed your way up from hell to make a success of your life. But I don’t believe you’ve ever been happy.” She tilts her head to the side.
It’s a painful observation from an old friend. We’ve shared Christmas cards over the years but little else, and she’s spot on. She speaks the truth that I’ve always known and been okay with.
I’ve been satisfied. Fulfilled. Comfortable.
