“She’s seven. Do you want her to develop an intense hatred for math at such a young age? Because that’s what Grace was doing. And she never sat on the floor to play with Jemmy. None of them did. They were all older. They need someone fun. Young. Full of life.”
I steal a glance at my kids, both of them nearly finished with their breakfast.
No thanks to me.
Maybe Dylan is right. Maybe they need some fun in their lives. Because whatever I’ve been doing obviously hasn’t been working.
“Fine.” I shift my attention back to my sister. “Talk to her and see if she’s interested. But I need to meet her before you just offer her the job.”
She beams. “You’ll love her.”
“It doesn’t matter if I do.” I gesture toward my kids. “All that matters is if they do.”
“They will. I can feel it.”
“We’ll see about that.”
CHAPTER TWO
ROWAN
It’samazing how seemingly insignificant choices can drastically change the trajectory of your life.
Take, for instance, my current predicament of attempting to wrangle a seventy-five pound rambunctious Labrador Retriever down Main Street of an adorable small town I stumbled on a few weeks ago.
I came here because I heard the diner had the best pie around.
And if there’s one thing I’ll never say no to, it’s pie. All flavors. Apple. Pumpkin. Cherry. Chocolate. Peanut Butter.
If it has the word “pie” attached to it, I’m eating it.
Except for Shepherd’s Pie. In my opinion, that dish has no business calling itself a pie.
But that’s a story for another day.
This love affair with pie isn’t born from a relentlesssweet tooth, although I’ve never been one to turn down something filled with sugar.
Instead, it’s because there was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever get to taste pie again. Or a cake on my birthday. Or my favorite deep-dish Chicago pizza. Or a New England lobster roll. Or a Maryland crab cake.
Now that I have a second chance, I’m doing all those things. Trying to experience everything life has to offer. Saying yes to any and every new adventure that comes my way.
I know better than anyone it can all be taken away tomorrow.
This drive to say yes is how I ended up staying in this small town instead of just stopping by for a piece of pie.
Because after that piece of pie, I decided to walk off some of the sugar before continuing on my way, which led me to striking up a conversation with a woman around my age walking a dog.
Who told me the local shelter was looking for volunteers to help walk the dogs waiting to be adopted.
I had no choice but to say yes.
Although, as Bark Twain practically pulls me down Main Street, I can’t help but question whether it was a good idea.
“Slow down, Bark Twain,” I huff, trying to pull on his leash to reel him in. But there are too many smells and sights for him.
It’s obvious he’s happy to be out of that kennel. I can’t blame him. I feel the same sense of exhilaration every time I visit a new city. New town. Have a new experience.
“I get that this is exciting, but I need to take it easy.”
