Page 21 of Just One Spark

I got out another pan and poured the marinara sauce in, turning the heat to simmer."Clara's just happy that I'm dating one of her friends."

Hattie snorted softly."I'm not her best friend or anything.I'm more of an acquaintance."

I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest."You don't see yourself very clearly, do you?"

She frowned."What do you mean?"

"Clara obviously values your friendship or she wouldn't be happy for you," I said softly.

Hattie looked down at the countertop."I don't really let many people in."

I raised a brow, wondering why that was.She wasn't always that way, and now I was wondering if her father had something to do with why she was so closed off.

"The other shop owners are friends.But I don't lease or own a storefront.I don't feel part of that."

I grabbed a wooden spoon to stir the pasta before it clumped together."At some point, you have to ask yourself if you're the one creating all these rules and boundaries."

She was quiet for a while."You might be right about that."

I didn't want to push any harder tonight.She'd admitted a lot to me, whether she realized it or not.She had friends but didn't consider herself close to them.She felt like an outsider, and she hated to accept help or assistance of any kind.She wanted to do everything on her own.It was admirable, but at the same time, I wanted her to feel safe wherever she landed.I just hoped she'd let me in.

When the sauce was done, I transferred the pasta and steaming sauce to a bowl for each of us and sat next to her on the island."The snow's still coming down."

Hattie twisted the noodles onto her fork."Wouldn't it be nice to be snowed in for once?We could take a day off work and just laze around the house."

"Doesn't happen very often around here."

She sighed."That's why I think it would be nice.A forced vacation from life."

"Do you have any employees?"I asked, curious about how much help she had.

She smiled."Jovie works for hot chocolate.Does that count?"

"You should get more help.You're working mornings and nights."

A line formed between her brows."You know how it is in the beginning.You have to hustle hard to get anywhere."

I wasn't so sure about that.But then again, I wasn't coming from the same place she was.I already had a built-in customer base that was curious about my new business.

"When you let in the doubt and anxiety, making decisions gets hard.”

"You've always been more easygoing than me," Hattie finally said.

"I don't know about that."Our family was huge, and it felt like I never got a chance to just be me.Now that I was living on my own, I finally had the space from them I'd always craved.I wondered if Hattie felt that too, or whether she wanted distance between her and her mother.

She laughed softly."You've always been more positive and outgoing.The one who made friends easily and was always up for a good time.You never had anything weighing you down."

I paused at her last comment.Had the situation with her dad weighed her down, affecting her life?It had to be, and I hated that for her.I hadn't been there when she'd needed me.I wasn't sure there ever would be a good time to talk about her father.

She flashed a smile at me."Your family's great.I was always jealous of how close you were."

"I didn't know that."Was that another reason why she put walls up between us?

"I saw your family and mine, and the difference was glaring."

"I don't know what happened with your father?—"

She sucked in a breath.