She smiled. “I wasn’t judging. I assumed you hadn’t filled anyone in on what happened in the lawyer’s office today.”
“I haven’t even been able to reach Jeremy.” The words slipped out, probably because they were the ones that kept spinning in my head.
She winced. “Shit.”
Stella was a mother. She got it. “Understatement, but yeah.”
I stared at the bottle, then shifted to Stella’s expression. I expected a hint ofI told you sooryou deserve thisbut only saw concern. Desperation. Maybe a bit of hope. That was the only explanation for my next move. That or emotional exhaustion.
I dropped the indecipherable instructions into the nearest box and picked the whole thing up. Handed another box to her. Installing could wait. “One of the benefits of owning a café is pastries. If you want them, I have some upstairs. I don’t usually admit this out loud, but I stockpile them.”
“Then I’m happy I came.”
We trudged up the steps, alarm system installation temporarily forgotten. I checked my cell three times before grabbing two glasses and a plate of Daniela’s award-winning triple chocolate cookies.
I sat with Stella on the small sectional sofa I took four months to pick out and another two months to buy. I measured, then remeasured to make sure the new furniture would fit the space. I looked at numerous options. Shopped in different stores. Then I had to choose a color.
Jeremy joked that it would have been easier to use folding chairs, and he wasn’t wrong. No matter how well the café did I hesitated about spending money and kept my emergency fund nice and fat instead.
I’d lived my entire life waiting for something to go wrong. That’s what happened when you operated without a safety net. My memories of my mom centered around her dropping me offbefore work and picking me up after. Our time together had been limited and not exactly filled with hugs and kisses.
She loved me and would have done anything for me, but she never viewed us as friends. Her job was to prepare me for life. Unfortunately, she never thought to prepare me for her premature death.
I never knew my father. Not even his name. She’d described him as irresponsible and immature and insisted it was better he never knew he had a daughter. That decision put the sole parenting burden on her. It also made me a target. School bullies loved going after kids dealing with already difficult circumstances. Something about my being weak made other kids feel stronger.
Mom worked tirelessly as the person responsible for putting food on the table and keeping the lights on. She’d tolerated an insufferable boss who thought pawing her and commenting on her tight ass was his right. When she died from ovarian cancer the cretin showed up at the funeral, praising Mom’s work ethic. I slapped him in front of his wife and detailed how he liked to chase my mom around her desk.
I liked to think my practical mother would have been proud of her eighteen-year-old daughter’s spunk.
I used what little money she left me to go to college... and then I messed that up. Not that Jeremy was a mistake. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that every part of being a mother had been a challenge.
I took another look at my phone. This boy had fifteen minutes to call back or I would get in my car and drive to school to findhim. With my mom radar, I’d track him down in no time. Then we’d have a talk about the importance of returning my calls. Embarrassment be damned.
“I guess you want the details.” I would so I couldn’t blame Stella if she did. Her curiosity had to be in overdrive.
“I’m not your therapist or your confessor.” Stella poured an impressive amount of wine in each glass. “Consider this a sisterhood thing.”
I took the glass and fought the urge to down it in one gulp. Not a great idea for someone who drank sparingly. “Really?”
“I actually hate that term, but you know what I mean.” Stella leaned back into the cushions in her perfectly tailored pantsuit.
Eggplant. I couldn’t come up with the right color for her outfit when I first saw it but settled on that. Only Stella could pull off eggplant.
“Sometimes it’s easier to say things to people you’re not invested in.” She shrugged. “We share secrets and have what I’ll affectionately callissues, but I saw your face in that room as the attorney talked. The way the light left your eyes.”
She nailed it. We weren’t friends but she knew things about me that few did. And after today’s hearing she must have fascinating theories about my private life. Her ex hadn’t been wrong. Family meant family and that’s why I needed Jeremy to pick up his damn cell.
“I never thought...” I let my head fall against the cushion behind me. “I had no idea what Xavier was planning.”
“As a member of the Tanner family tree, even tangentially, let me assure you that the entire clan possesses that trait. I’m always expecting a zig, then they zag.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me. Blame the wine or the stress but for the first time since Xavier died the heavy weight crushing my chest lifted.
After a few seconds, the amusement died down and the pain seeped back in. “It’s as if Xavier hated the idea of slipping off without landing a few more shots.”
“That’s exactly what happened.” Stella shook her head. “It’s going to take years for my mom to get over inheriting a dented truck.”
My muscles relaxed and the last of the tension pounding through me eased. “That was the highlight of my day.”
