“Seriously? That’s messed up.”
“That’s the corporate world.”
They grimaced. “I’ll stick to small-town diner life.”
I wish I could do that too.It was tempting to say it, but what good would it do? Sage and I had talked about their plans for the diner fairly frequently since I’d begun staying with them. I threw out a lot of ideas—I couldn’t help it—but they shot down most of them. We had different visions for how Sparky’s could grow into the future. Approaching them about running the diner together wasn’t an option unless I wanted to stay a server and work for them like Mickey’s Aunt Ingrid did with his dad or risk butting heads the rest of our lives.
“Well, I’m excited for you. Keep me posted.”
“I’m just not sure Boston is where I want to be anymore,” I admitted.
Sage’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought you loved it. You couldn’t wait to get out of here after you graduated.”
That was how they saw it?
“I didn’t have a choice. Mom and Dad practically pushed me out into the big, wide world.”
Confusion appeared on their face and disappeared just as quickly when new customers entered the restaurant.
“Welcome to Sparky’s! Would you like to sit at a table or the counter?”
It was probably for the best that the conversation was over. I wasn’t sure what else I wanted to share, but I felt better sharing at least a little with them.
TWENTY-FIVE
MICKEY
“I’m about to eat my weight in waffle cones. They smell divine.” Amos peered around the ice cream case at Scoops on Maple like he would find a stash of them to steal.
Sam shot me a he’s-adorable-and-you-know-it look before turning back to Amos. “There’s a waffle cone with as many scoops as you want on the house. It’s the least I can do for all the work you’re putting in for the Christmas Eve dinner. This is going to be great exposure for my new hot cocoas.”
I’d always loved how genuine Sam was. They were a great friend and fun to play darts and D&D with. They’d seemed even happier the past several months since they’d begun dating Gabe and following their dream of opening the ice cream shop. I really hoped the festival event would make a difference for them.
They’d done such a great job with the vibe of the shop. I loved the octopus mural with an ice cream cone on each arm. The place was bright and welcoming, with a few festive touches like a Santa hat pinned over the octopus’s head.
“Let me get the cocoa flight for you to sample. Holler at me if someone comes in,” Sam said.
“A flight?” I asked.
“Samples?” Amos asked eagerly.
“I thought having a flight would be a fun menu item, and I want you to pick whatever would work best with your menu.”
“That sounds great, Sam. Thanks.” Amos’s smile was genuine.
With a bounce in their step, Sam moved to their kitchen.
“Want to sit?” I suggested.
Amos nodded and followed me over to a table. I could hear Sam whistling in the back.
Amos leaned in. “How are you? Talk to your mom?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. I’m still pretty rocked by it. It’s one hell of a secret to keep for decades.” It was hard to keep the bitterness from my voice. “I haven’t talked to Mom. She texted and told me to call when I was ready to talk, but I’m not there yet. I don’t even know how I’m feeling about it. Angry, I guess. Disappointed? Like part of my life has been a lie? I don’t know how to sort through it all.”
“I totally get that. Some moments, I want to press my mom for more information, and other moments, I don’t want to be around her because it’s stressing me out to keep the secret.”
All I could do was nod. “Do you think our dads know?”
