Donna comes in and slides onto the bar stool when the bar hasgrown quieter and the lights are lower. She grins at me and says, “How’s my favorite nephew?”
“Hi, Aunt Donna,” I say as I walk around the bar to give her a hug.
She pats me on the back and says, “I was at your mom’s.”
“Is she okay?” I ask.
She puts up a hand. “She’s doing well. In fact, I’m surprised, actually.”
Relief floods my chest. “Yeah, she’s made friends with Silvie.”
“I met her, too,” she says. “Nice woman.”
I nod. “Yeah, she is.”
She studies me for a moment, then sighs. “I am worried about you and your mom.”
I give her a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“I am worried that if this doesn’t work out, your mom will be so upset. She’s so happy and it’s been years since I’ve seen her like this.”
I smile faintly. “I agree. It’s kind of a wild story.”
“It is,” she agrees. “And I’m worried about you getting hurt.”
That makes me pause.
“I worry about Carly the most,” she continues. “If Silvie leaves, your mom will be devastated.”
And I will be, too.
Her words land like a punch to the gut. I know she’s right. She’s looking out for us, but it still isn’t something I haven’t been thinking about myself. My biggest fears.
Donna’s voice softens. “I want you to be happy more than anything. You have a way of self-sabotaging things when it comes to the people around you before they can leave. You always have.”
After she leaves, I lock up alone. The bar feels too quiet.
Silvie’s laughter echoes in my head. The way she looked tonight, like this town was hers, too. Like she could stay.
But she told me in the beginning, when this was fake, that she’d leave. This was a pause for her. A vacation from real life. And I knew it would hurt. I just didn’t think it would feel like this.
I picture my mom waiting for her to have book club and her not being here anymore. And I think maybe Donna’s right. It’s not just me here that’s going to be hurt. It’s my mom. That makes my chest tighten. My mom has been so happy, and I can’t have her lose that.
Silvie belongs in boardrooms, on planes, and has a future that doesn’t need me. I belong here in Coconut Beach, behind this bar. We are fundamentally different. And for the first time she walked into my life and turned everything upside down in the best way possible, I wonder if loving her means I let my guard down and left me vulnerable and my mom as well. I have to make sure she doesn’t get hurt if Silvie leaves.
29
Silvie
“Eyes up here, Mrs. Bennett,”Cal says as he catches me staring and practically drooling at the sight of his arms.
I can’t help it. He’s got his sleeves rolled up, forearms flexing as he slices limes, those beautiful tattoos on display. And who knew slicing limes could be that sexy?
“I’m working,” I lie as I glance down at my phone and pretend to be doing something, not even able to hide my smile.
Cocktails & Chaos is in that beautiful golden hour, which is my favorite time of day, when the sun reflects off of the water at just the right angle, making it look like glitter, and everyone is tired from a long day of playing out on the boats and at the beach. The open tiki bar hums with tourists, salt air, and blender noise. I’m sitting at the bar with a basket of nachos, pretending to focus on my phone while absolutely unable to focus on my phone.
Cal smirks. “Sure you are.”
