“You think I want more kids?” I scoffed. “Just when the one I have is about to go away to college like you like to tell me with every other thing we talk about?” I asked incredulously.
“Why not?” Court asked, as if the idea could actually be plausible.
“Starting over? At my age?” I chuckled. My sister might have been right about my kiddo, but this? I doubted it. I highly doubted it.Fuck.
“Your forty-five, not seventy-five,” she argued.
“But…” I wanted to laugh. I should have laughed. The notion of me starting over was hilarious. “I’d have to fall in love and?—“
“That’s not impossible. You’re not hideous to look at. My friends like to remind me of just how good looking they think you are. And when you’re not trying to be an ogre with your child when it comes to dating, I know you can be charming.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled.
“Whatever you’re going to stay put and take a chance on the singles weekend in Moonlit Pines, or whatever you’re going to pack and head over here?” My jaw clenched. “And let me remind you, you come here, Cassie is going to be more upset than you could ever imagine.”
“Court,” I groaned, glancing around the main area of the town. It was a nice little place. A back lit window caught my eye.
“Call Cass and smooth shit out tomorrow morning.”
“You just let her go out with god knows?—“
“With the girls from the team. They’re all going to be at the pool. You know, with their coaches?”
“I bet that football punk?—“
“You mean Mace?”
“Bet Mace is going to be down there, too,” I muttered.
“And? What is it you think he is going to do? What do you think is going to happen?”
“She’s my little girl, Court.” I sighed softly.
“I know, honey, but she’s not that little anymore.” It stung, but the truth usually did.
“Right.” That was a bitter pill to swallow. “I’ll call her.”
“Tomorrow. Let her cool off today, and you go… I don’t know. Go for a walk, get some fresh air.”
“You’re not going to push me to go back into the brewery?”
“God no. I heard the singing in there. That was horrible.” My lips twitched. “Go for a walk. Get some fresh air and thinkabout… I don’t know… life. What you want from it. And maybe think about what I said when it comes to Cassie and this dating stuff.”
“Fine,” I groaned. A figure caught my attention in a window above the bakery. I blinked and realized Courtney hadn’t said anything. “Court, you still there?”
“You said fine… like you’re agreeing with me?” she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. It made my lips twitch.
“You’re right about—“ Fuck, this was going to cost me, and I had a feeling I’d never live it down. “Right about all this. Except maybe the whole starting a family thing. That train might have come and gone for me, sis.”
“Hmm… never say never,” she said carefully. My brows bunched, slightly surprised she wasn’t gloating. “Well,” she breathed in, “You go rest, walk, be safe, and talk to Cassie in the morning. Make up with each other. Tomorrow is going to be great. I’m gonna hang up before you change your mind about, well, everything.”
“Right.” I chuckled. “Good night.” And with that, I ended the call. For some reason, I looked up.
The sky was clear, dark and littered with silver stars. It had been a long time since I’d taken a moment to appreciate the stars. It reminded me of the way I used to wish on them when I’d dropped out of school and went on the road with my band. Wishing on stars that we’d make it big. I laughed, and something came over me as one of the bright stars started to shoot across the sky.
Make a wish,a quiet voice inside my head said, and my heart responded.I wish I could… be a little less alone in the world. Maybe meet the one?
It was a hopelessly stupid wish.
