Page 8 of Finding Yesterday
I look up in thought. “Maybe not, no. But she’sextraright now.”
“Got it.” She winks. “I’ll be in touch. I miss you already.”
“Miss you too,” I reply, realizing I don’t know when I’ll see her again. She made working here so much fun. I can’t believe she gets to stay and I have to go. I never would’ve imagined, as I hired her. She’s a great cook who’s also friendly, smart, and knows how to deal with difficult customers.
When I start to walk away, I don’t turn back. I can’t. It’s not my place anymore. Worse, I’m not even welcome here.
I guess for some things in life, sorry isn’t good enough. I can’t say that I blame June. But I had to do what I did. Sometimes we have to make enemies to survive.
Between Hudson and his family liking me or me liking me, I had to choose myself.
CHAPTER FOUR
MY NEPHEW, DYLAN, Emma’s son, saunters into the guest room where I’m staying, rubbing his eyes. “Aunty Cwaire.”
He’s five, and the way he says my name turns my heart into a puddle. His Paw Patrol pajamas are twisted, only adding to his adorable charm.
“Come here, baby.” I reach out and coax him to cuddle with me in bed, which he does.
It’s been a week since June kicked me out of the restaurant, and I haven’t gotten out of bed much to speak of, except to eat and sit on the porch of Emma’s big craftsman house. A single mom, she has her life more together than I do.
When I got with Hudson, he had everything already. All I had to do was merge into the life he’d created. I moved into his apartment. It was his parents who supported us when we needed help—their home becoming our restaurant.
Me having my life together was all a mirage.
“Are you gonna live here?” Dylan asks after taking his finger out of his mouth.
“Just for a little while, sweetie.” I run my hand over his soft hair. I know I can’t live here forever. Emma and I will kill each other. But honestly, I’m not sure where I’m going to go. I signed the Tangz paperwork and sent it back, so I can use that money to start my own restaurant somewhere.
But the thought of going out on my own without a safety net knocks the breath from my chest, so I push it out of my mind. Scrubbing Dylan’s head, I say, “We’re gonna have so much fun while I’m here.”
“Take me to Tangz,” he says.
Dylan and I are never going there again. Hudson and I haven’t spoken a word since his mother kicked me out. I can’t tell Dylan that, so I say, “How about this—I can make you anything you want from Tangz.” I hold up my imaginary pen and paper. “What’s your order, good sir?”
“Hot chocolate!” Dylan yells.
I chuckle. “Aren’t you sick of chocolate yet?”
He shakes his head using his whole body. “Nope.”
We’ve been eating all the food and drinks from the wedding that were never served. There were sheets of chocolate cake, and I can’t believe the kid isn’t chocolated-out. I know I am.
I pull Dylan closer, taking in the smell of his bubble gum shampoo. I swear I could just sit like this all day and forget about everything. It’s hard to imagine trying to get back into the mode of real life. Since I’ve been hiding out in this fugue-like state, having Dylan to play with has been a lifesaver.
When he starts getting squirmy, I pat his back and say, “How about we go have a big bowl of Magic Marshmallows!”
“Yes!” He does a fist pump.
Five minutes later, Dylan and I are sitting side by side at the kitchen island, chomping on heaping bowls of cereal. We are telling each other knock-knock jokes and laughing when Emma comes in, dressed and ready for the day.
Emma is a certified sommelier, and she runs a wine store that carries Daddy’s wines along with many other local selections, including those from Blue Vine. I wonder if she’s been late a day in her life.
“What’s going on, guys?” She smiles, but it’s forced.
“Magic Marshmallows!” Dylan yells, spitting milk and cereal bits everywhere.
“Oh, wow.” Emma rubs her forehead and walks over. Peering into Dylan’s bowl, she says, “That is a whole bunch of sugar, first thing in the morning.”
