“You’ve got it, kiddo.” Ava smiled. “Where do I put these?” she asked, indicating her bags.
“I’m staying in Trish’s apartment. You can too,” Nikki invited her, and the two women headed in that direction.
Ava was animated for the entire time. She had only been to Camano a couple of times, but that was years ago. She couldn’t wait to go surfing and get a tan on the beach.
It didn’t take Ava long to get situated, but it was hard for Nikki to hide the swirling emotions inside her.
“She’s going to be okay,” Ava reassured her as the two sat on the sofa watching a movie. Nikki barely saw anything happening.
“I know,” she said sadly. “I just don’t know how we got here. We were closer when we were younger, but somehow, we drifted apart over the years until we were practically strangers. I used to think that was why she wouldn’t let me have the baby—that she had said no out of spite.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think that was true,” Ava replied empathetically. “She was young and confused, I’m sure.”
“Perhaps,” Nikki said and wiped her hand down her face. “Regardless, it was her decision. My inability to have children wasn’t her fault, and I could have adopted another child. I shouldn’t have been so angry with her and my parents for years because of it, and now, I could lose my entire family, and they don’t even know how sorry I am,” she said as tears ran down her face.
Ava wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and embraced Nikki as she shushed her. “It’s going to be fine. She’ll wake up, and then you can tell her,” she consoled.
Nikki could barely respond. She nodded as she clung to her friend and soaked the shoulder of her blouse with her tears.
She was drained afterward, and they both decided to retreat to their beds. Nikki lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She had made so many mistakes in her life, but she needed a loving voice, and it was interesting that Paul’s face came to mind.
Ever since the divorce, she’d struggled with dating. She’d gone on blind dates and traditional dates, but none had lasted. She knew she could attribute much of that to a lack of ability to trust anyone like she had with Josh.
Even his name in her head sparked bitterness still, but she quickly squelched it with thoughts of her sister and why she was in town. The divorce was three years ago, but its effect was still fresh despite her strength of character.
She would just have to find other ways to deal with her repressed feelings. Maybe she should date again, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if Paul might be up for it.
ChapterFive
Paul didn’t want to leave Nikki alone when she was already so low, but he had just found out one of his line cooks was threatening to quit.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he entered the kitchen.
“I can’t work with Ken,” Will complained, and the veins in his forehead bulged. “He doesn’t listen.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t listen,” Ken shouted.
“Hey!” Paul yelled at them both. “In case neither of you realized, this isn’t a preschool playground. I’m trying to run a reputable business here, and I didn’t get this far to have my main guys bickering like schoolgirls. Get your act together and start doing your jobs,” he told them.
“Ken, you’re the sous chef for a reason. I expect you to lead, not dictate. Will, he is your superior. A little respect goes a long way. What’s this talk about quitting?”
“Never mind.” Will shook his head. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“Is that so?” Paul turned to Ken. “What do you say?”
“It’s nothing. We’re cool,” he said, wiping the towel down his face.
“Great. Now, we have a dining room full of guests waiting to be served. I suggest you both get back to it. You’re good at what you do. Now act like it!”
The men nodded and returned to work. That afternoon bled into an even busier Friday evening, and Paul found himself staying at the restaurant into the busy hours. Once or twice, he joined the kitchen staff in preparing dinner tickets, but nothing too strenuous.
He was entering the dining room after preparing what he figured was his last ticket of the day when he noticed a waving Sarah by the door.
She was the spitting image of her mother, and Paul’s face lit up as he hurried over to her. “Hey, kiddo.” He lifted her off the ground in a tight squeeze.
“Dad,” she said, punching his arm playfully. “Not here.” She laughed. “And watch your back.”
“It’s not my back you need to worry about,” he said as he set her down. “It’s my heart that you’re going to break for taking so long to visit.”
