I stepped back and shrugged his hands off my shoulders. “I have to go.”
“Wait,” he said as he reached for my hand. “I can let them know I won’t be there.”
“Oh, you can?” My tone was laced with sarcasm.
He nodded, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I’ll book us the bed-and-breakfast we like in town.”
I didn’t like it. He did.
“I’m staying with Miri, Brendan. You can’t expect me to leave her.”
It took a moment for my words to sink in. He nodded and blinked a couple of times. “No, you’re right.”
I closed my eyes and rolled my neck; the long-standing tension had built to an almost unbearable throb. “I gotta go.” I stepped forward to kiss him but pulled up short. Giving him affection felt off. A sensation was gnawing, telling me now was not the time.
“I’ll be there for Cutter’s game.”
“Thanks.” I left his office and went to mine with the folders Brendan had so kindly given me. I grabbed what I needed and made my way to my car without stopping to talk to anyone else. An email to the staff would suffice, letting them know I would be working remotely for the foreseeable future. The only time I could see myself leaving Miri’s side would be to go see a client’s facility and observe how they operated. Other than that, everything could be done via email or video conference.
At my apartment, I met with the property manager and told him I would be gone for a bit and that my apartment would be empty. We made an agreement: He would go in once a week and make sure everything was in working order. The last thing I needed was for a pipe to burst.
I packed more clothes, cleaned out the refrigerator, and grabbed all my essentials. After a quick trip to the garbage bin, I headed to my car and made my way north.
At this time of the day, traffic in the city was minimal. The highlight of this drive was the snowcapped mountains in the distance. They looked beautiful with the way the sun bounced off them. They were nice to look at while driving, but you’d never catch me on one. Snow wasn’t my thing. Despite Boston being in New England, its annual snow accumulation wasn’t as much as people thought it was, and while it did snow, it melted quickly.
As I drove, my mind drifted to the conversation Miri and I had had about me taking the kids. It was what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure how they were going to react to moving. Nova would be fine, but Cutter ... he was a whole different story. I couldn’t even pretend to understand what it was like to move during the teen years because my parents had lived in the same house since they’d gotten married.
How do you sit a teen down and say, “Sorry your mom died, but now you have to move”? It didn’t matter how I tried to form the statement in my head; it felt wrong and hurtful.
I couldn’t conceivably take Cutter away from his last two years of high school, but I also couldn’t stay in Grove Hill. Not if I wanted to keep my job, and I was going to need my job if I was to take on two children and raise them as their mother had.
I banged my hand on the steering wheel, and my tears returned. Everything was so fucked up, and there wasn’t one easy solution to fixing any of this.
Chapter 16
Antonia
By Saturday, everyone knew Miri had cancer. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and it took even less time for people to start showing up at her door or saying something to me in the local grocery store. I found out quickly why so many people loved living in a small town. It was the closeness, the camaraderie, and the overall feeling that everyone was family.
The parents of Nova’s best friend, Mara Blanchard, had volunteered for anything and everything one could think of. One of my biggest concerns was being there when Nova got off the bus. The driver wasn’t allowed to let children off the bus unless a parent or guardian was available, and with my mom not able to uproot her entire life, we needed another plan. Thankfully, Miri could call in, instead of having to go into the school, to add Mara’s parents to the approved-pickup list.
Cutter was a bit easier. Most of the time, I would pick him up from school, and I talked to Miri about teaching him how to drive. While I hadn’t figured most of anything out, one thing I did know was I wouldn’t take the kids out of school until the end of the school year. Their mother was dying, and the last thing they needed was to lose their friends. But, I knew if I needed anything, Flinn Langston’s parents would step up, or Weston.
While Miri slept, I snuck out for a walk. My plan was to walk the mile into town and grab coffee from the Cozy Cup Café, which was owned by one of Miri’s friends, Samira. I’d get some doughnuts and take them back for Miri and Nova. Cutter had a game today and preferred not to load up on sugary snacks.
At the end of the driveway, I started at the sound of movement. Looking to my left, I saw Scout running toward me. Crouching, I braced myself for the lick attack that was about to happen. I’d never been a huge fan of dogs, but this guy oddly brought me a sense of calm, and I needed as much of that as I could get right now.
“Good morning,” Weston said as he ran toward us. He grinned, and my heart raced a smidge. My heart shouldn’t have been doing anything.
“Sorry, we were working on commands, and he saw you.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” I gave Scout a few more pets and then stood. “How was Cutter this week?”
“He was good,” Weston said, nodding. “I think he has a good support system around him.”
“Did he tell his friends?” I asked.
“I think kids just found out.” Weston shrugged. “I haven’t heard anyone come out and ask him, so I think they’re just in the know and hanging out like normal.”
