I shoot an email to the landlord and ask for an appointment tomorrow, I close the laptop and feel the weight of my old life fall away.
CHAPTER 2
Summer
Present day…
My alarm clock slices through the quiet cabin. I drag myself out of bed, still half-asleep, and pad across the wooden floor. There’s no time to waste. I need to be at the coffee shop by seven to bake today’s pastries, take Mia to kindergarten by eight-thirty, and hurry back to help customers. My mornings always start like this, full, steady, and mine.
Lander became home faster than I ever thought possible. People here didn’t ask questions, they just smiled, showed up, and made space for us. Then one morning, Penny and Cas walked into Sugar & Spice, and before I even realized what was happening, I had a best friend. Penny never cared about my past, my name, or my parents’money. She saw me, and she stayed. Somewhere along the way, she became the sister my real sister never was.
I pull on my robe and tiptoe to Mia’s room, passing by the little Alexa on the kitchen counter.“Alexa, play our morning song,” I whisper. The familiar beat of Shake It Off fills the cabin, bright and cheerful. I push Mia’s door open, dancing my way in. She’s still half-asleep, curls sticking out in every direction, butthe moment she sees me dancing like an idiot, she giggles and starts bouncing on her bed.
Ever since Mia was just a few months old, I’ve done this for her. I used to wait until Kevin was gone for work, then I’d dance with her every morning to make her day bright, to fill her world with joy before it could feel heavy or cruel. It became our little rebellion against the dark, serious world we escaped. It became part of our daily routine, a rhythm that makes us both feel alive, connected, and unshakably happy.
“Come on, sleepyhead,” I laugh, spinning in a circle. She joins me, tiny feet thudding softly on the mattress. Her joy is infectious, wrapping around the room like sunshine. When the song ends, I scoop her up, covering her face with kisses until she squeals.“Mommy!” she giggles. My heart squeezes so tightly it almost hurts. This, this is my treasure. My reason for everything.
“Let’s get ready and have breakfast at the shop,” I say. We get dressed together, and I help her brush her teeth. I packed her lunch last night, so we’re ready fast. I throw on a sweater, tie my hair up, and try not to look too closely in the mirror. Some days I see the woman I’ve become, the one I’m proud of. Other days, I still see the one Kevin tried to break.
Thanksgiving was two days ago, and it was the best one of my life. The Hawthornes have taken me and Mia in as if we’ve always belonged. Josh and Lily have become her honorary grandparents, and when I watch them together, I feel at peace.
The air outside is sharp and cold as I fasten Mia into her booster seat.“It’s freezing!” she squeals, scrunching her nose. I laugh, tucking her blanket around her legs. Wyoming in late November doesn’t play around. My jacket’s too thin, but I’ll make do. Mia needs new clothes first. She’s outgrowing everything faster than I can keep up.
When we pull up to Sugar & Spice, the sight of my little shop warms me instantly. The windows are lined with faded falldecorations, pumpkins, leaves, a few cinnamon-scented candles that have melted halfway down. I’ll need to swap them for Christmas ones soon. I make a mental note to check the budget. Maybe I can make a few decorations myself, stretch things a little further.
I settle Mia at a table with her crayons, turn on the lights, and cue up soft music. The smell of fresh dough and cinnamon fills the air as I slide the first tray of buns into the oven. The timer beeps softly in the background, and for a moment, everything feels right.
“Mommy, look!” Mia calls, holding up a drawing. Two princesses, one tall and one small, their hands joined.“It’s us,” she says proudly. My throat tightens as I study the picture, me with dark hair and blue eyes, her in a pink dress with a crooked crown.
“You’re the most beautiful princess in the world,” I tell her.
She grins, cheeks sticky with syrup.“I hope I can be as beautiful as you when I grow up, mommy.” I smile and kiss the top of her head. She doesn’t know that she already is, that she’s everything I ever wanted to be. I still have days where I struggle to see my own worth, but to Mia? I’m perfect. And maybe that’s enough.
After breakfast, I drop her off at kindergarten, then stop by the children’s store downtown. A pink winter jacket in the window catches my eye, exactly the kind she’d love. I check the price and sigh. It’s steeper than I hoped. On the sales rack, I find matching mittens, a scarf, and a hat, all half-price. If I buy them, there won’t be much left for Christmas decorations. I do the math twice, then grab them anyway. Mia will be warm, and that’s what matters. I’ll find a way to decorate the shop, maybe with pinecones and old ribbons. I’ve learned to make beauty out of what’s left.
By the time I open Sugar & Spice again, the bell over the door jingles, and Steve, one of my regulars, walks in.“Summer, you’ve got to stop making these cinnamon buns,” he jokes, patting his belly.“I’ve gained five pounds since you showed up in town.”
I laugh as I hand him his coffee.“You look good and you know it, Steve.” He grins wide before settling into his usual corner.
The bell rings again, and I turn to see Penny, Cas, and Ethan walk in. I hug Penny and Cas, then my eyes land on Ethan. Tall, broad-shouldered, his brown winter coat somehow making him look like he stepped out of a cowboy ad, hair curling at the ears just enough to catch the morning light. His forest green eyes meet mine, and I swear they see too much, like he can read the parts of me I try to hide. When he smiles, the dimple at the corner of his jaw deepens, laugh lines framing those gorgeous eyes. My chest tightens, and I force myself to stay calm.
“Morning, Summer,” he says, pulling me into a quick hug that smells faintly of sandalwood and spice. My pulse skips.
“Morning,” I reply, stepping back a little too quickly. I turn to Penny.“How’s the wedding planning coming along?”
She beams at Cas, who’s watching her like she’s the only thing that exists.“We’re thinking about a May wedding.”
I smile, my chest softening. Cas proposed at Thanksgiving. Watching Penny’s face light up that night reminded me that love can heal, that maybe not all of it hurts. But I still don’t want it, not for me. I have Mia, I have my friends, and I have my little coffee shop. My life is full enough. I don’t need a man, especially not a fireman whose smile makes my knees weak and whose presence stirs up things I thought I’d buried for good.
Ethan has been flirting with me ever since I met him at Midnight Rodeo on Penny and mine’s“Thursday beer and fun” nights. I know, a lame title for a girls’night out, but Penny picked it, and somehow it stuck.
“I like that color on you, Summer,” Ethan says, and I can’t help but acknowledge him, my stomach doing a little flip.
“Thank you,” I murmur, not really believing him. I’m wearing a red sweater today that stops mid thigh and leggings. When I was with Kevin, he always told me to stick to black or dark colors because brighter shades would“make me look even bigger,” so my wardrobe was a sea of blacks, dark blues, and browns. The first thing I did when I arrived in Lander was reclaim my closet: reds, blues, pinks, even the whites and beiges my mother considered forbidden for my type of body. That was the day I stopped living for anyone else’s approval, and every bright sweater I wear since reminds me that my body, and my life, belong tome.
“It makes those baby blues pop,” Ethan smiles, and I feel something deep inside warm, a brief, electric pulse of validation. For a moment, I forget the insecurities that have haunted me for years. But then a familiar little voice sneaks in, echoing Kevin’s and my mother’s judgments: No man really likes a curvy woman.
I force a small nod and turn to the coffee machine, hiding the light tremble in my fingers.
