“Yes, I just can’t believe it.”
“Me neither. However, we will address all this when we are together. Hold yourself together, and I’ll see you soon. I gotta run. I have an interview and now a bunch of other things to coordinate. Talk to you later, sis.”
“Bye.”
The ache never left Angela, not even hours later when she’d hired the wellness coach, calling them overqualified for the job. “Okay, Mandy, you can start tomorrow. I’m leaving town for a few days, but the facility director at my main gym will be making his rounds. Logan is hard-nosed, more so than I, so let’s see how you handle things. Call me or Logan if you need anything.”
Rubbing at the sore spot in her chest, she felt the sorrow she had been suppressing. Having to maintain a happy, professional facade was wearing her down, and it was only lunchtime.
After a quick stop at her favorite eatery,Salad Express, she was out the door within twenty minutes, satisfied and ready to take on the rest of her day. She called Steven. “Steven, how’s it going over there? I have another stop to make at the other gym before I get back, but then we have to talk.”
“It's fine, Mom, it’s always fine. No problems here besides your son dying of boredom, doing nothing but watching the babies come and go.”
“Well, that should take up most of your time. You know, you could use the strength training equipment. It might do you some good.”
His sigh annoyed her, and his lack of drive and hard work was more than she could handle at times. “Whatever. I’m not in the mood right now, Mom.”
“Neither am I. Grandpa just passed away, and I need to go home to Mistletoe Harbor for the funeral.”
“Mom, if you think I’m going to do any of this work around here while your?—”
“No, Steven, you're coming with me. Emma and her family will be there, and I could use your help. There will be a lot to do, like cleaning up, and it's only right to attend your grandfather’s funeral.”
She knew it the moment those words left her lips, she knew what was coming next.
“What? Going to a funeral for a man I don’t know? Why would you want me to do that? I don’t even know why you're going. You haven’t spoken to him in, what, forever?”
Angela heard the anger in his voice, the annoyance flaring, directed at her. “You are coming with me, and we are not discussing this again. I currently pay all your bills, and you have no job except for what you're doing at the moment. I provide you with everything, including making the payment for the car you like so much. You are coming with me, and we are going to Mistletoe Harbor in the morning.”
He hung up, and the silence on the other end of the line offered her no relief from the pain building in her chest. It was so intense that she had to stop at a park halfway to her third fitness center.
Something snapped inside her, and the more she sat staring at the chilly landscape outside, the more the ache grew. “How am I going to do this? We never—there was no peace to be had.”
She had been estranged from her father for many years after discovering she was pregnant with Steven while her then-boyfriend, Evander, was away in the military. Tears welled up in her eyes before she could hold them back.
All the strength she had to raise a child as a single mother was now gone. Every ounce of forced will, determination, and drive crumbled. “Oh goodness, Dad, you're really gone. It's been so long since I’ve been home. How am I to go back now?”
No answers came from beyond the clear glass of her windshield, and all the rubbing on that spot in her chest did nothing to ease the pain buried so deep. She cried for a long time, grateful to be the only one in the parking lot at that moment.
When she could cry no more, she closed her eyes and let the sorrow settle in along with everything else, using that to find her strength. “You can do this, Angela. It’s no different than anything else you’ve dealt with since. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, let that sorrow settle in and get cozy with the rest, and keep moving.”
The pep talk didn’t work as well as she’d hoped. What it didn’t do, the reapplication of her flawless makeup in the visor mirror while listening to rock music did. She’d been ignoring her phone up to this point, but when she found her strength, she started moving again, driving quickly to the other gym.
“I can’t slow down. That’s how people get buried alive.” The irony of that statement, connected to how she felt in that moment—filled with negative, sad emotions—made it hard to move forward.
By day's end, when she returned to the main gym, she found Steven flirting with one of the regulars. At first glance, she sawthe annoyance flash in his eyes as she swept past him to her office.
“What’s up, Steven? You're supposed to be at the desk, not flirting with Harper.”
“I was just taking a break. Besides, you know how she is. You can’t get her to stop talking once she starts.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and she knew she was in for a treat after a hard day. “Okay, let the debate begin because I know you came in here to try to weasel your way out of this. Who's manning the desk?”
“I called Daniel, and he came in. We need to talk about this.”
“There is nothing to discuss unless you’re prepared to pay all your bills right now. Have you found a job? Are you earning any money? Because I am only asking you to do one small thing: come with me to Mistletoe Harbor for your grandfather’s funeral and help clean out his house.”
He pulled a face. Unbothered, knowing her son all too well, Angela was thankful for the protein bar she had snagged at the other gym before leaving. Picking at it, she kicked her feet up on the desk, thankful for the music echoing through the walls from the Pilates class in progress.
