“Where do you think he is?” Zoey asked, getting up to go look out the window to see if there was any sign of his car.
Maeve couldn’t bear it. He’d proved her right. But she didn’t feel victorious, she felt awful. “He’s probably just got held up.”
Online, there was a photo of Maeve covering her face with her hand as she walked to her car in the hospital parking lot. And one of Brodie with Zoey in the diner, Brodie was grinning and waving welcomingly at the camera, it was just the back of Zoey’s head. There were a few more details in the follow-up article, but nothing shocking. Brodie’s broad smile seemed to undercut the whole story, made it so that having a daughter was no big deal. It made Maeve wish she’d stood up straight and let the camera have her whole face.
She called Carole to come over and look after Zoey.
Throughout the day, Maeve kept checking her phone at work but there was nothing from Brodie. The messages she sent him remained unread. The sick feeling that he wasn’t coming back remained in her belly.
She took Zoey to the diner when she got home, as a treat, because she knew she was disappointed about Brodie.
Ren was serving. “Hey, guys, what can I get you?”
Maeve pointed to Zoey and said, “One Cookies and Cream Dream and—” She thought for a minute about getting a milkshake just for the fun of it, but then said, “A coffee.”
Zoey said, “Try a Mudslide, Mom, Brodie has it.”
The mention of Brodie having milkshakes made her remember the conversation where he asked her favorite flavor and how she’d wondered if he’d secretly been guessing. She thought about him telling her to lighten up. “Okay, a Mudslide, it is.”
“Great choice,” Ren said, ruffling Zoey’s hair fondly before heading back to the counter.
Bella came in then to get two coffees to take away. She caught sight of them after she’d ordered and came over to their booth. “Hey, Maeve. Hey, Zoey. How are you? Brodie here?”
“We don’t know where he is,” Zoey said matter-of-factly.
Bella’s forehead creased. “Oh. Really?” She threw a covert glance Maeve’s way.
Zoey nodded.
“I think he had to go away for a couple of days,” Maeve replied vaguely.
“You’re making that up,” Zoey said back. “I can tell.”
“I’m not making it up,” Maeve lied.
Zoey narrowed her eyes. Then she turned to Bella and said, “I think it’s because we made Slime and it went everywhere and ruined the table.”
“What? I don’t believe that!” Bella shook her head. “There’s no way Brodie would go away because of Slime. I would think Slime was right up his alley. Nah. He’s always got to go to different places, don’t worry about it.”
Maeve looked at her daughter and said seriously, “Zoey, it’s definitelynotbecause of the Slime.”
Suddenly Martha was there carrying bags of groceries. She came over, placing the bags on one of the tables next to them and said, “You okay, Zoey?” She laughed when she saw her. “You look very annoyed about something.”
“Brodie’s gone away.”
“Oh.”
Martha glanced from Zoey to Maeve to Bella and raised her brows. Maeve winced, knowing Zoey would read the subtext behind the expression.
Emmett came in then, looking around for Martha. AllMaeve needed now was Logan and Noah and the whole Carter contingent would know Brodie had disappeared.
The bell over the door rang and Maeve looked up. There was Logan. He sauntered over in his grass-stained polo kit. “I was driving past, saw you through the window,” he said to Bella. “Came in to say hi!”
Bella rolled her eyes. “I’ll be home in an hour!”
“I know.” He grinned and slid his arm around her to kiss her on the cheek.
Emmett, who had no truck for public displays of affection, looked at Martha and said, “Did you order?”
