My throat tightened again, and I blinked, willing the tears to stay away. “It’s just… Every time I think about the court hearing, about all the awfulness that’s bound to happen, I see him as my anchor. How did that happen so fast? Needing him?”
“It didn’t happen fast, babe. You two have been circling one another for some time now. It only took his walking away for you to realize things.”
I scoffed, rubbing my hands on my legs to warm them.
“It’s true. And it’s not like you’ll be alone tomorrow. Your dad will be there, right?”
“Yeah. We’re going to get breakfast before.”
“Good. And I’ll come as well. Whatever you need.”
“No. You don’t have to do that,” I said, shaking my head.
“Well, the offer is there if you change your mind. Should we get going?”
The drizzle had turned into a steady pitter-patter. “Yes. My toes are numb.”
“Yep, same here,” she said, linking her arm through mine as we stood and started making our way back to her car.
“Thank you so much for today, Mina.”
“Anytime. I hope it helped.”
“It did, more than you know.”
“Then my work here is done. But next time, remind me that taking a walk on a rainy Fall morning isn’t the best idea.”
I chuckled, agreeing wholeheartedly with her as we headed to what could be my new apartment, doing my best to stay positive.
By the timeI made it home, the clouds had thinned to let a pale sliver of sunshine through. The air was crisp, smelling of rain and wet leaves. I hesitated in the driveway, eyes darting to Bev’s place and feeling relieved when I didn’t see Maverick’s truck taking up space in her driveway.
I released a breath, puffing my cheeks and resting my head on the seat for a second before turning off the car. I grabbed my purse and got out, making it to the porch before the telltale sound of a door opening caught my attention.
“Hey sweetheart,” Bev said from her porch. She had an apron tied around her waist and a tea towel slung over her right shoulder. Her hands were on her hips and her expression unreadable as I struggled to raise my hand so I could wave. “Come on over. I have a fresh pot of coffee brewing and cinnamon rolls in the oven.”
“Oh. Um. Maybe another time. I need to—”
“I didn’t ask,” she scolded, motioning me over.
I hung my head and went, practically dragging my feet across the pavement so I could delay this confrontation, fully expecting her to yell at me for hurting her son. Not that I could blame her, but this was a conversation I wasn’t ready to have.
Bev held the door open as I slunk inside and scooped Tito from the front hall, where he was yipping and struggling to get outside. I cooed at the puppy as he scrambled in my arms, licking my neck and face until I held him away from my body.
“Go ahead and have a seat while I fix you a coffee. I can see how tired you are.”
“Thanks, but my body is more caffeine than water right now. I probably need to ease up on the coffee for a while.”
“How about some orange juice then?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“Of course, honey.”
I sat at the table in silence with my head bowed, Tito on my lap and Port running between my legs, listening as Bev moved around the kitchen. I knew I should get up and help, but I felt like my feet were encased in cement.
She put the glass of juice on the table and sat beside me with a sigh, sliding the sugar caddy over to doctor her coffee. The quiet stretched on, broken only by the yips and playful snarls of the puppies.
“So… Maverick told you—”
