Ava’s sleeping soundly in my old room. I don’t want to wake her up, but I can’t resist dropping a kiss on her head and inhaling the smell of her shampoo.
“Sweet dreams, Jellybean,” I whisper, running my hand over her long brown hair.
I pick up a few strewn toys and put them in her play box before going down to the kitchen to make myself a cup of cocoa.
There’s a note on the counter from my sister.
Ava was really good tonight.
There’s some food in the fridge if you’re hungry when you get in.
Someone called in sick, so I need to open the bakery tomorrow.
You’ll have to take Ava to school, so don’t stay up late.
Love you,
My stomach rumbles when I see the portion of tuna pasta bake, but I know if I eat that much, I’ll never fall asleep. I stick to the cocoa and grab the jug of milk instead.
I sit at the table with my warm drink, my phone, and the money I’ve made from tips tonight. The people of Stillwater might like to gossip, but they do know how to tip.
This is my first week, and I’ve already made enough tip money to cover our grocery bill. Since I don’t have to pay rent because we’re in my parents’ old house, I know I’ll be able to put most of my wages aside to save for a place for Ava and me.
Even though it was a hard decision coming back to Stillwater, I know it’s the only chance I have to give Ava a nice home to grow up in. One with a backyard where she can chase ladybugs and run around.
Our apartment in Chicago wasn’t too bad, but we were definitely outgrowing it.
I check my emails and see at least two potential freelance jobs. They’ll require a trip back to Chicago, but that’s a problem for tomorrow’s Levi.
For now, I line up what I need to make pancakes for breakfast and give myself props for remembering to set the alarm on my phone so I’m up in time.
I check my bank balance one more time before going to bed.
Maybe coming back wasn’t such a bad idea.
4
ARLO
Whoever saidliving in a small town is boring clearly has never been to Stillwater.
As I walk through the staff door of Birchcraft, I’m met with a cloud of confetti and a large banner that saysCongrats on your Engagement!
“What’s going on?” I ask, coughing up a few strands of confetti that got lodged in my mouth when I gasped in surprise.
Sage, my boss and the owner of Stillwater’s craft store, stands under the banner with a wide smile and a…
“Is that a dick? I mean…huh?” I can’t even formulate the right words. He’s holding a pot with what looks like a plant wrapped around a stick, and at the end of the leaves, there are dicks. No, really.
“Morning, Arlo. I know you’ve been feeling a little down since the town meeting last week, so I thought we should celebrate your one-year anniversary at Birchcraft,” he says.
“And you figured that an engagement banner and a dick plant was the way to go?”
He looks down as if he’s only just noticing he has a pot in his hand and holds it in my direction. “It’s not a dick plant. It’s a Nepenthes,” he says as if that makes it any clearer.
“And the banner?”
He shrugs. “I already had this one at home from my brother’s husband’s proposal after they got married when they were drunk in Vegas.”
