Page 19 of Beating Heart
“Hi, sweetheart. Did you kayak this morning?” my mother asked as Winnie and I walked to town.
“Yep. It’s such a great way to start my day. I’m so happy I was able to find a house on the water. There aren’t a lot of boats in there, especially in the morning.”
“Did Winnie get in with you this time?”
“Nope. She dipped her big ole paws in and then ran and waited for me under the tree nearby.” I chuckled.
“This is good for you, baby girl. You needed to get away from everything and everyone. Fresh start, right?”
“Yep. It’s been very peaceful. I’ve been baking every night after work, swimming in the lake, watching the sun go down before bed. It’s been just what I needed.”
“I’m so glad. Everything works out for a reason,” she said.
I hated that saying. Because I wouldn’t necessarily say everything worked out, nor that there was a reason for the shit that happened most of the time. I’d lost two of the most important people in my life. And for what reason, exactly?
“Or sometimes, people are just assholes,” I said, and she laughed.
My mom and I were very close, and I’d always been able to talk to her about anything.
“That’s very true.” She paused. “How’s the job search going?”
“I started sending out my résumé to a few hospitals on the East Coast. Maybe I can get into a good program somewhere fresh. That’s the goal.” There hadn’t been time when my life blew up with no notice a few months ago. I’d scrambled, because I’d needed to get out of the city, and I’d found an opening here in Magnolia Falls. I knew that it would buy me some time to figure out my new plan.
“Oh, I just hate the idea of you being that far away from me.”
“I know, but I don’t want to go back to a place where everyone knows my story, you know?”
“I get it. But let’s just give it some time. Don’t commit to anything yet. Is Collin still using other phone numbers to reach out to you?” Her tone turned serious. She knew I didn’t want to talk about him.
“He is. But I just block him every time.”
“He’s got some nerve. I ran into Sylvie at the grocery store.” Collin’s mom, Sylvie Waterstone, was one of my favorite people, so it sucked that now we wouldn’t be able to have a relationship. But when you give birth to the devil’s spawn, you have to know it might bite you in the ass, right?
“How’d that go?” I asked, as I walked toward Magnolia Beans to get my daily boost of caffeine.
“She cried. I cried. You know, it’s never going to be the same. She wants to reach out to you.”
“Please tell her I’ll reach out after some more time passes. I can’t talk to her right now, Mom.”
“I know, sweetheart. I just love you so much. Easton said he’s going to come see you soon, and I tried to invite myself along with him, but he played the twin card. Said he needed some alone time with you.”
I chuckled. My brother knew me well. He knew I wanted to be alone. They all knew it, so they called and texted daily to check in, and we kept it casual. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want it to be the topic of conversation anymore. My mother had taken it as hard as I had, if not harder.
“Yeah, and I’ll come home soon, I promise. I just need some time to settle into my routine here, okay?” I pulled the door open to Magnolia Beans, the cutest coffee shop in town, and stepped inside.
“You got it, sweetheart. And I can sneak away and come there any time you want.”
“You’d love it here. It’s so charming. I’ll call you later. Love you.” She said the same back, and I ended the call.
“There’s my Winnie girl,” Demi said as she came around the corner and bent down to greet my dog before hugging me.
I’d been shocked when she’d said I could bring her into the coffee shop the last time I’d been here, and I’d tied her leash to the pole out front. So now, this was our routine on my way to work.
It was slower here, more peaceful than anything I’d experienced in a long time.
Turns out, it was exactly what I’d needed.
Maybe my mom was right about things happening for a reason. Magnolia Falls was the first thing that actually made me think that staying might be right.
