“Mom, what did you say to Dad?”Emily crashed through the front door of their house and raced into the kitchen.
“What are you talking about?”
“Dad is leaving.”
“He is?”
“Yes, he said you don’t want him here.”
She looked at her daughter and took a deep, steadying breath.“I did not say that. I told him he was free to stay in Moonbeam so he could see you all the time.”
“He said that you would make it too awkward to stay.”Emily’s eyes flashed defiantly.“I’m going to go to Paris with him this summer and we’re going to stay a month. Maybe two.”
“Emily—”
“No, Mom. I’ve had it. I’m old enough to make my own decisions. And I’ll never forgive you for chasing Dad away. We could have finally been a family.”
That hurt. Because she thought that she and Emily had been a family all along. For all these years.
Emily raced back through the house and slammed out the front door. Olivia stood, one hand on the counter. She needed a few moments to compose herself. Get her thoughts together. She’d wait until Emily calmed down and she’d talk to her. They’d always been able to talk. Always been honest with each other. They’d get through this like they’d always gotten through everything.
Wouldn’t they?
But right now, it seemed like her whole life was crashing down around her.
She glanced around the empty kitchen. She needed to get out of here. A brisk walk might help. Maybe she’d even stop by Jimmy’s and grab a drink. Listen to some music. Just give herself some time to unwind.
Standing here in the empty house with the echoes of Emily’s anger wasn’t going to help. Jimmy’s. A plan.
Heather walkedalong the wharf that evening, too restless to go back to her apartment after helping out at the cafe. She kind of liked working there, even though she knew that soon Livy planned on replacing her with a permanent employee.
But right now, she felt like she belonged there at Parker’s Cafe. She grinned to herself.Sea Glass Cafe.
She liked being here in the middle of the Parker women. She liked cooking beside her mother and hearing about Emily’s day as she bubbled with excitement after school. Many nights she had a late dinner with her mother, Aunt Donna, and Livy after the cafe closed, sitting at a table near the counter, talking about their days. She’d never felt this strong a sense of…family.
And she liked it. She liked it a lot.
A smile crept across her face. To her utter delight, she saw Livy walking toward her.“Livy! Hey.”She waved to her cousin.
Livy walked up to her. Heather could see immediately that she was upset.“What’s wrong?”
“Everything. Nothing. Life.”Livy shrugged.
“Want to go to Jimmy’s and grab a quick drink?”
“That’s where I was headed.”
They grabbed a table by the water and ordered drinks. Heather looked across at Livy.“Okay, now tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Brett. And Emily.”
“So what happened?”
“Brett and I had a talk. I told him I wasn’t happy about him telling Emily he’d take her to Paris without talking to me first. And then…”Livy paused while the server gave them their drinks.“Brett…he wanted us to try again. To date. To be a couple. Whatever.”
“I told you he still had a thing for you.”She sat back in triumph.
“I told him there was no way that was going to happen. I think…”She looked up at Heather.“I think he said he was going to move back here because Emily had been talking to him about Austin. You know, all the help he’s been giving her with learning all the technical software programs. And then mentioned I was dating Austin. So he decided he would move back here. Wants to be a family.”
