She laughed. “Just kidding. Really, this contest was about proving to myself that I could do it.” She paused, biting her lip as if weighing her next words. “It’s not just about winning today. It’s about knowing I can make a real career out of this. For so long, cooking has been my passion, but now it feels possible. I can finally see myself running a restaurant or maybe opening my own food truck. This is my future, Joyce.” She looked up at me, her eyes bright with the possibilities ahead. “Can I call you Auntie Joyce, by the way?”
My heart sang so loudly, I’m surprised Gabriella didn’t hear it. “I’m honored to be your Auntie Joyce.”
“Cool. Auntie Joyce, I’m glad to know that I don’t have to spend my life performing for an imaginary audience.”
Her words hit me deep, stirring something inside that I hadn’t realized was still there. We weren’t just talking about cooking anymore. This was about life—both hers and mine.
“I’m glad you know that now,” I said quietly, squeezing her hand. “Because it’s true. You are enough, Gabriella. Always have been.”
Her smile faltered for a moment, but then it returned, brighter and stronger. “I just hope I keep remembering that.”
“You will,” I said firmly. “You’ve got the whole world ahead of you, and nothing can stop you now.”
We sat there for a while, talking and laughing. The peace was short-lived, though, when my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down, seeing Terri’s name flash across the screen. My stomach tightened. I stared at it for a moment, my heart sinking as the buzz seemed to vibrate through me. My daughter and I hadn’t talked properly in weeks—not since she’d sent Eric to pick up Elijahwithout so much as a conversation. Now, seeing her name flash up felt like a reminder of all the things we hadn’t said.
“Terri,” I said as I answered, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Hey, Momma,” she said, her voice a little softer than usual. “I wanted to talk to you about Elijah.”
I sighed, feeling that familiar tension creep back in. “How’s he doing?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before she answered. “He’s okay. But… There’s been some trouble with Dad.”
I stiffened. “What kind of trouble?”
“He’s just… You know how Dad is,” she said, her words slow and careful, like she was choosing them deliberately. “He’s strict. And Elijah… Well, he’s not used to it. They’ve been butting heads.”
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the sharp retort I felt bubbling up. It would’ve been easy to say something likeWhat did you expect? I’ve been trying to tell you about your daddy for years.But I wasn’t that person, and I didn’t want to be. Not with my daughter.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” I said gently instead. “Your father and Elijah are two different people.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said, her voice quiet. “I just… I’m not sure Dad’s house is the best place for Elijah right now.”
Her admission caught me off guard. It was the first time she’d ever openly questioned Eric, the man she had defended for so long. I could hear the uncertainty in her voice, the doubt she was trying to sort through.
“You know,” I said carefully, “your father is a good man in a lot of ways. But he’s not perfect. No one is.”
There was a long pause, and I could almost hear the gears turning in her head. “Yeah,” she said finally, almost to herself. “I guess I’m starting to see that.”
I wanted to tell her more, to talk about how we’d both grown up seeing our parents through a certain lens and later learned that we were all just people doing the best we can. But I didn’t push it. This was her journey, just like it had been mine.
“How much longer do you have to be in Tennessee?”
“Well, I might have to stay a few weeks longer since I took this break to come home and rescue Elijah from Dad.”
If I’d had time, I would have gone to get Elijah, but the repair schedule wouldn’t allow for any promises. If Anya didn’t give the house 100 percent clearance, I might have to quickly perform follow-up repairs.
“I know you’re only thinking about what’s best for Elijah,” I said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him, too. To be happy and safe.”
“I know, Momma,” she said, her voice soft again. “I just need to figure out what that looks like.”
“And you will,” I assured her. “You’ll figure it out, Terri. And whatever you decide, I’m here. I am capable of taking care of him, no matter what that APS lady said to you.”
Terri drew in a breath, like she had a big message she needed to exhale, but I could hear she’d stopped herself. I could only trust that whatever she had to say would come out at the right time and place. It wasn’t for me to pull it out of her, as much as I wanted to.
We ended the call without any real resolution, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like Terri was starting to see her father for who he really was—a human being, flawed like the rest of us. Maybe with that revelation, she could begin to understand the woman I was becoming, too.
Chapter 29
