I go to hand the muffin to Lauren, but something stops me halfway across the counter. She gives me a questioning look, probably wondering why I’m gatekeeping this muffin from a hungry girl. Even so, I pull the muffin back a bit, not ready to let this interaction with her be over yet.
“What are you up to today?”
Not taking her eyes off the muffin, she says, “I just have a few errands to run this afternoon. Austin has been visiting another ranch near Amarillo for a couple of days, so I need to get things ready before he gets back home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Will you still be running those errands at about eight o’clock tonight?”
“No, I’ll probably be curled up on the couch binge-watching Netflix by then.”
“A girl after my own heart. If it wouldn’t be ruining your plans, you should come to Ladies’ Night at the Long Neck with us instead. Callie, my mom, Carol Greer, her sister, and I are all going to go together. I think it’d be great if you came. I’d love to get to know you a little better.”
Plus, I get the sense she could use a little fun.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t had a drink in along time.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to drink at all if you don’t want to. Just come dance with us and have a good time.”
“Okay, yeah, I’ll think about it.”
“Great!” I instantly feel a wave of satisfaction wash over me, and I swear I can see the sadness start to slowly slip out of her like a ghost. “Here, give me your number so I can text you all the details after my shift.”
After she punches her number into my phone, she slips back out the door, but this time, she has a smile on her face as she crosses the threshold.
The second the bell above the door jangles, Callie comes out of the kitchen. “Are you ready for Ladies’ Night? Only one more hour till we can blow this popsicle stand!”
“Popsicle stand?”
“It’s an expression. I’m just excited.”
I laugh. “I’m excited too. I hope you don’t mind we are going to have some additional members.”
“Who?”
“I invited Carol and her sister, Aimee?—”
“Please don’t tell me this is your way of trying to set your mom up with friends for when you leave. You’re not leaving Roots. I won’t let you. You can keep working at the café. I’ll give you more hours if you’re worried about money. We will get it sorted out. You just can’t leave.”
My heart warms as I hear the desperation in her voice. “Aww, I love you too, Cal.” I wrap her up in a bear hug. I want to tell her my plan, but I can’t until everything is perfectly in place, so instead I test the waters a little. “We’ve been through this already. I can’t stay here, especially because I know every single one of you would do everything you could to help me make this work, and I’m not about to become someone’s burden.”
“You’re not a burden. We love you, and wewantto take care of you. That’s what family does for one another. You’re like family to me.”
I bite down on my lip hard, trying not to feel the sappy emotions rising in my chest. She definitely passed the test.
“Whether I stay or not, it’d be good for my mom to have a friend. Our relationship got a little rocky when I felt like the center of her universe. It doesn’t feel that way now, but I want to make sure it never does again.”
“I admire that. The Greer sisters are fun. What’s Carol going to do with the dogs?”
“She said Rhett was going to hang out on the property for a few hours, but she’s not going to stay out very late.”
Callie shakes her head. “That woman is incredible. The sacrifices she makes for those little furballs…”
“Yeah, she amazes me. Not everyone is built for that, but she does an outstanding job of handling it all. I think a night off will be good for her.”
“We all need a night off once in a while.”
“Which brings me to my next point. I invited Lauren too. I think she could use a night off as well.”
“You invited Lauren? The Lauren that was just in here? Lauren Rhodes?”
