It was out of my expectation that he would fall in love with cooking, much like I had when I was younger. And he was good at it too, always trying out fancy new recipes that I’d never heard of.
Now, he got to use his skills working for a traveling circus—Black Cat Circus was the name, if I’d remembered correctly—and I was so happy for him. He wasn’t stuck as I’d been. He got out, fell in love, and saw the world.
“You know…I was thinking…” Rhett started, suddenly sounding nervous. We usually had a call once a month, and I’d never seen him like this beside the time he told me about his boyfriend.
“Did something happen?” I asked, going on the alert. He might have found his place in the world now, but that didn’t mean I would ever stop caring for him. If he were in trouble, I’d drop everything and fly to him. I’d take Atlas with me too, since with the stalker still on the loose, I didn’t feel safe with him being out of my sight.
“No, no. It’s nothing like that,” Rhett quickly answered. “Everything’s great. Amazing, in fact. Which is why I was thinking, maybe you’d like to join us?”
“Uh, what?”
“You can join us. I talked to our ringmaster, and he’d agreed to hire another chef. With how much these guys eat, having another hand on deck wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Rhett said with a laugh.
I was still processing his words and had stayed quiet. Rhett used that time to try to sell me on the idea.
“You told me you’d never really gotten to travel, so this would be a good chance. You can come see how beautiful the ocean is. Everyone here is really kind and accepting. You could have a fresh start here. And I miss you… There are so many more things I can share with you if you were here.”
My heart ached at his last reasoning. “I miss you too. So much,” I told him. For all intents and purposes, hewasmy son. We didn’t share any blood, but he was my family.
The first thing that came to mind was Atlas… The thought of being separated from him was like tearing away the joy I’d only just found. He’d moved here for a boyfriend and had the conviction to stay around when his asshole of an ex cheated on him. And I wouldn’t put him in the position of deciding to uproot his life once again for some guy.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted by the chance to leave Kither Springs. This place hadn’t beenthe kindest to me, and getting a fresh start somewhere that rumors from my past couldn’t follow sounded appealing.
Moving would mean leaving all that behind, but it also meant closing my diner. Scenes of earlier this afternoon popped into my mind. The hubbub of the tables filled with people chatting and sipping coffee. Of people staying long after their meals just because they wanted to. A community that had somehow formed around my establishment…and maybe even included me.
Kither Springs might have dealt me a bad hand at the start, but despite that, it was home. And I found that I actuallydidconsider this place my home.
“I kinda figured you’d say no,” Rhett said with a shake of his head.
“I didn’t say anything yet,” I grumbled.
“But you’re going to reject my offer, aren’t you?”
I grunted but nodded. Maybe I should have left town ages ago and started over? Maybe I should have left when Angelina had begged me to before she’d had enough and left on her own? But Kither Springs was soaked into my bones, and I was finally discovering a place I belonged inside of it.
“I was thinking of coming to visit in a few weeks,” Rhett said.
“You’re coming back?” I asked, and my expression had him chuckling.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I just, um, didn’t think there was much reminiscing you wanted to do around these parts.”
“There isn’t, butyou’rethere, and that’s reason enough,” he said lightly, though the words felt anything but light. It was the validation that Rhett saw me as more than just his ex-employer. That maybe I was someone worth visiting, maybe even family.
“I’d like that,” I said, voice rough. Rhett beamed and rambled about how excited he was for me to finally meet Coal, his boyfriend.
The man in question was the firedancer with the Black Cat Circus. I’d chatted with him a few times over video call, and he was quite the opposite of Rhett. He was quiet and serious, and something about him made me want to keep my guard up, like a flame I couldn’t get too close to. But he seemed like a decent enough man. And most importantly, he treated Rhett right and made him happy.
We talked about life for a little longer. I told him how Mondays were going to be a rest day for the diner, to which he sounded very pleased about and insisted taking breaks would be good for me.
He told me the newest gossip in circus life, like how his old roommate found a boyfriend ten years his senior. My ears perked up at that.
“You don’t think the age gap is inappropriate?” I found myself asking. Did I even want to know the answer to this? Not really. Because what if itwasweird? And their age gap isn’t nearly as big as mine and Atlas’.
I was about to apologize and tell him never mind when Rhett shook his head.
“Why would it be weird?” he said, like the whole thing wasn’t a big deal. “Conall loves him and he’s happy. That’s all that really matters.”
