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“Good morning,” I said.
“Well, good morning. Your usual?” she prompted.
“Yes, please.”
Janet began to start my coffee before I added, “Give me an extra shot of espresso in that.”
I usually got a triple-shot Americano, but I’d been a little restless last night with Humpty there.
“Coming right up. Didn’t sleep well?” she asked.
I shrugged, wiggling my hand back and forth. “So-so. Maisie was taking care of Cooper’s cat because he got called out to a fire. Apparently, their cat is not thrilled with the situation, so I took him home with me. I was a little worried, so I woke up a few times to check on him. You know how it goes.”
“Well, that’s convenient,” she said as she tapped the button to start my coffee.
“It is?”
“Cooper’s in the apartment across the hallway from you.”
“Oh! I haven’t seen him yet.”
Janet shrugged. “Works out that way sometimes.”
“It’s nice you rent those apartments out to locals,” I commented, well aware that many people all over the place had jumped on the short rental gravy train.
“Having regular renters who are local is a major benefit for me. I don’t have time to constantly deal with people online trying to do the short-term deal,” Janet explained dryly. “I’m sure Cooper will be a good neighbor.” She waggled her eyebrows.
I felt the heat start to rise in my cheeks and ignored it. “He seems like a nice guy.” I strived to sound bland.
Before Janet could reply, the bell on the door jingled. I glanced over my shoulder to see my mother walking in. “Hey, Mom,” I said, turning to face her as she approached.
She slipped her hand through my elbow and squeezed. “Good morning, hon.”
I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Janet smiled at us. “You two look so much alike.”
My mother grinned as she stepped closer to the counter, releasing my arm. “We do, but I’ve given up on keeping my hair blond. I’m going for the natural look.”
I glanced at my mother. Her once honey-blond hair had faded to white. I had gotten my coloring and build from her. We may look alike, but we were so different in other ways.
A few minutes later, we sat across from each other at a table. My mother sipped her coffee as she looked out the window. I marveled that, for the first time I could recall recently, she didn’t look tense and stressed. Maybe I should’ve missed my stepfather, but I didn’t. Not even a little. We rarely spoke of him. I didn’t know if she missed him, but she was no longer under his thumb or the victim of his gaslighting and occasional physical abuse. Gerald had died in a single-car drunk-driving accident. He'd crossed the median when he was heavily intoxicated and blessedly didn’t hit a single car when he barreled through the oncoming traffic. A utility pole had stopped him.
I took a swallow of my coffee, reminding myself to be grateful my mother could live peacefully now.
She met my gaze. “How are you?”
I shrugged lightly. “Fine. I’m taking care of someone’s cat.”
She grinned. “Maybe you should get your own cat. You always wanted one when you were growing up.”
I smiled, ignoring the tightness in my chest. “I did.”
What went unspoken was all of the history crammed into that one little comment. We’d had one pet, a dog my stepfather used to hit and kick. I had been the one who pushed back against Gerald. Never my mother.
My mother said nothing further about pets, but that was enough to remind me of all the ways I’d hated my childhood. Maybe, just maybe, this fresh start would kick in for me. If only I could let go of the past.
ChapterFive
