“Kid still not answering?” Drake asks.
I shake my head. “Ember says he’ll come around, but he won’t answer my calls.”
Drake nods, his fingers scratching the short stubble on his jaw. “You could swing by. Talk to him in person.”
“At my ex-wife’s place?” I snort. “She’d love that. It’d be world war three.”
He laughs. “Couldn’t hurt, Chief. From what I see, you've got nothing left to lose.”
“My sanity?”
“Dockside Grill’s on the way,” he says casually. “You hungry?”
I know exactly what he’s doing.
“I’m fine. Filled up on those cheap cookies”
He gives me a knowing look. “I’ll grab a breakfast cob then. You can wait in the truck.”
I roll my eyes and pull into the parking lot, parking near the window like I have many times, just to check on her, though I never made it out of the vehicle.
“Back in ten.” Drake gets out of the truck, a flurry of snow blowing into the vehicle.
Through the frosted window, I spot Sera behind the counter in her uniform, hair pulled back, cheeks pink from the heat of the kitchen. She’s laughing at something.
It warms my heart, but a knife twists my gut, knowing I’m not the one making her laugh.
She’s happy without me. As she should be.
As Drake approaches the counter, she freezes.
Her eyes scan the space behind him.
I should go in and say hi, give her this damn Christmas present I’ve been carrying around in my pocket all week, but she doesn’t need me dragging her down. She deserves peace, not rumours.
I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles ache. Maybe this is what moving on looks like. Maybe she’s finally free of the fire and everything that came with it—including me.
Our eyes lock through the glass, her smile falters, sadness creeping into her brown eyes.
I can’t look away. Don’t want to.
She talks to Drake, her eyes flicking back to mine whenever she gets the chance between taking more orders.
Ten minutes later, Drake slides back into the passenger seat, paper bag in hand. “She’s doing well, all things considered.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “That’s good to know.”
“You gonna go in?”
I shake my head. “Let’s go.”
As we pull away, I glance once more through the window. She’s smiling. And even though it breaks me, I smile too—because if she’s happy, that has to be enough. Now, just my son to deal with.
Snow thickens as we pull out of the lot, windshield wipers squeaking across the glass. Drake unwraps his breakfast, the smell of bacon filling the cab. I wish I wasn’t so stubborn and got one for myself. The cookies I ate are giving me indigestion.
Christmas lights hang across the road from the town buildings, annoying me at every turn. It’s gonna be a lonely fucking Christmas this year.
“So, you coming to ours Christmas Day or what? Ember says you haven’t confirmed yet.” Drake takes another bite into his breakfast, even though it’s almost eleven.
