“This is one of my favorite places,” Julia told me as I looked over the menu that had already been placed at the booth. She sat across from me, seeming as though she was at home. “Of course, Zach owns this place, but he doesn’t come here often.”
“What doesn’t he own?” I mumbled to myself. I wasn’t all that surprised that he owned so many places. As the days passed, I learned he owned a lot more than I ever thought possible.
“That he sure does,” she agreed. “I love this place most out of everywhere else, and he knows that. He bought it when this small restaurant was about to go out of business a few years ago.”
“That was nice of him,” I said.
“It was,” she replied fondly. “He may be younger of the two boys, but he’s more thoughtful. And wiser when it comes to his money. I’m sure he’s trying to figure out something that will make you as happy as this place did for me.”
“I don’t need anything,” I said. “He’s already done more than enough for me. I don’t expect anything from him.”
“Which is the precise reason on why he wants to give you everything he can to make sure you are happy with a life with him,” Julia stated, looking me in the eye. “He cares about you, and everyone can see the small changes in him already.”
She paused briefly as we ordered food. Julia ordered a small stir fry dish while I ordered a shepherd pie, something that looked amazing from the ingredients that were lined out on the menu.
“I heard your mother can’t be found,” Julia hinted after a few moments of quiet between us.
“It seems so,” I confirmed with a shrug.
“Carlos has no idea where she could have gone,” she hinted again.
“Neither do I,” I deadpanned. “I wish I could help. At least to keep her safe. I know Cody; he’ll kill her if he gets to her first. But she . . . . gave me a few journals from my biological mother, and it sounds like mom knew what she had planned after she knew I was safe from Cody. She . . . she sent a note shortly before she left stating she was getting out. She had contacts.”
“Oh?” Julia said in surprise. “I didn’t know she knew many people.”
“Either did I,” I said with a small shake of my head. “I just hope she’s safe, wherever she is.”
“It sounds like she is, if she has contacts,” Julia answered my worries. Just like Zachariah, she was able to soothe my fears without much trouble. “Have you found any information in the journals about anything? Zach had mentioned that you were trying to figure out who your parents are.”
“Not much of anything,” I said with a grimace. “My mom’s name was Rachael, and she loved this man who didn’t seem to know she existed for at least a year. It wasn’t until the end of the second journal when she starts to date, a guy named Aaron.”
The journal had been really boring mostly. There wasn’t much information on anything important. To me, it seemed as though Rachael was the middle sister who ended up keeping to herself and out of trouble. She complained her parents tended to be overbearing, but not as bad as they were to her older sister, who she never named.
Towards the end, she wrote that Aaron asked her out, and they started to secretly date, despite her father’s wishes. Her words struck me to the core, as I felt similar many times growing up.
Aaron’s family is bad news, that’s what dad says. Hedemandsthat I never talk to him and forget he even took notice of someone like me. What is that supposed to mean? How can I just forget the guy I’m falling in love with? Surely daddy can look over this one thing, right? I can’t be perfect. That’s what Sassy Sissy is good for. She’salwaysfricken perfect. I will never be more than Rachael Heart.
The last name had struck something within me, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“I knew a Rachel when I was younger,” Julia mused, bringing me out of my thoughts. “It can’t possibly be the same person, though. She really was perfect in all sense. Bright, smart, and outgoing. She never married. Thinking about it, towards the end of high school, she left to go overseas and I hadn’t seen her again after that.”
I shrugged, having no answer either.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out,” she went on in a motherly fashion. “Between Zach and the journals, I’m sure he’ll be able to piece together what happened to her.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I said with a smile, knowing he’d be able to do that without any issues.
“So, Zach also tells me you don’t know what you want to do,” she implored as the food was set before us.
“No, I don’t,” I answered. “Cody had my life pretty much lined out in a way that let me know I had no chance to being something more, doing anything but being a stay at home child making machine,” I laughed with an eye roll. I hated the idea.
“You certainly don’t have to do that,” she agreed. “But you want children, don’t you?”
Julia knew easily my feelings on the subject, which shouldn’t have surprised me one bit. Zachariah had said how easy I was to read more than once, but hopefully, he couldn’t see through this. I only wanted to make him happy.
“Zachariah doesn’t,” I pointed out. “So, I don’t really know what I want to do. No college, though. I refuse to spend day and night studying anymore.”
“I didn’t do college either,” she smiled without a beat. “But I have easily filled my time helping my husband. Our family owns a number of things around the town, and it certainly keeps me busy to oversee a few things that are needed here and there.”
“That seems like a lot of work,” I stated, dreading spending my time making sure people were happy. I didn’t want to be what sounded like a manager of a bunch of places.
“It is on some days,” she agreed. “You’ll find something to keep you busy though when Zach works more hours. He can be gone days at a time sometimes.”
“Yeah, he mentioned that,” I recalled. “I’m not a people person, so I’ll easily figure something out.”
“I’m sure you will. You are one smart girl, Avidya,” Julia smiled. “I can’t wait to see how happy you can become in this family.”
“I sure hope so,” I mumbled out to myself, hoping that it was true.
I wanted to be happy. Wanted a family that made me feel like I belonged. A family that I could call my own.
