AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sounds good. I’ll catch you later. Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
“Later, Dad.”
“See you later, Liam.”
My brother walked out of Dad’s office, and I stood there with my parents watching as he walked away.
“God, I miss seeing him happy,” Mom declared.
“It takes time,” I remarked.
Looking up at me, my mom pointed out, “It’s been nearly two years.”
I didn’t know what to say, but fortunately, my dad did. He moved toward us, wrapped his arm around my mom’s waist, and said, “He’s not going to be the same, Evelyn. She was his first love, and it ended in the worst way imaginable. He’s exactly the way I’d expect him to be. He’s how I would be if I lost you.”
Understanding the conversation was heading to a place I didn’t necessarily want to be right now, I said, “I should get going, so I can head over to the farm.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything,” Dad replied.
“I will. Wish me luck.”
The smile was back on my mom’s face. “You don’t need it, honey.”
I was relieved to see her in better spirits, so I bent, kissed her on the cheek, and said, “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
At that, I turned and walked out of my dad’s office. I made my way to my office, grabbed my keys and coat, and took off.
I had a project that needed to come to fruition, and my family was depending on me to handle this hiccup, so the pressure was on.
I could only hope a single conversation with Rhea Marks—assuming she was the one in charge—was going to get us heading in the right direction.
3
RHEA
“Enjoy the sunshine!”
On the way to the exit, my customer turned to look back at me and smiled. “I intend to. You do the same.”
A moment later, she was gone, and I decided to settle myself on my stool behind the counter for the first time since I arrived at my ice cream shop this morning. Technically, it was the first I sat down since I’d gotten out of bed today—I even ate my breakfast while I was standing, getting myself ready for my day.
It was late Friday morning, approaching lunchtime, and it was an unseasonably warm day today. As an avid runner, I checked the forecast regularly, and I was surprised when I saw it was going to hit the mid-fifties today and tomorrow. Considering we’d just gotten through weeks of below freezing temperatures and several substantial snowstorms, the mid-fifties felt like tropical weather.
Although the colder temperatures were expected to emerge again on Sunday, I liked the sneak peek at warmer weather. Spring was clearly on the way, which meant business would pick up again at my shop.
I hadn’t been sitting on my stool for more than a minute when my phone rang. Glancing down at the display and seeing the name there, I scowled.
Tristan.
My stupid ex-boyfriend.
Things had ended between us nine months ago, and yet, he still called me from time to time. In the beginning, I’d been foolish enough to answer those calls, but after the first three or four of them, where he didn’t actually have anything important to say to me, I stopped picking up. And now, for the most part, I never answered, and he never left messages.
I had no idea what his goal or motive in calling me lately had been. If he knew I wasn’t going to answer, it made no sense why he felt the need to have his name pop up on my display.
