Olivia waited at Brewster’s for Heather the next morning. She’d been determined to get here before Heather and buy their coffee. She sat at the table, proudly displaying the two cups.
Heather laughed when she sat down across from her. “So, you’re getting competitive, huh? Had to get here first?”
She grinned at her cousin. “Just to prove I’m not always late so you’ll buy.”
“To be honest, I like getting here early so I can draw for a bit.” Heather reached for her cup.
“Well, you can draw after I leave. I do have to get to Parker’s pretty soon. I have so much to do, and I have a date with Austin tonight. He’s taking me to The Cabot Hotel.”
“Nice.”
“I know. We usually just grab something at Jimmy’s but he said he wanted to do something fancier this time. I’m going to have to rush home from work and change into something a bit nicer than my usual. It will be fun though. I’m so glad to have him back in town.”
“Wear that light blue dress you bought recently. With the tiny white stripes. It looks great on you.”
She pursed her lips. She’d been thinking she’d wear her red dress, but the blue one was cute. “Okay, the blue one it is.”
“Have you two had any more serious discussions? Like where things are headed with you?” Heather asked.
“Some. I mean, I’m crazy about him and I know he feels the same way about me. He just… makes me feel whole. Loved. Secure. And I feel like I can be myself around him and he’ll always accept it. It’s a great feeling.”
“You two are a great pair.”
“Thanks, I think so.”
“I have a date with Jesse this week, too. Friday.” Heather’s cheeks flushed the tiniest bit.
“Great. I was hoping he’d ask you out while Blake is busy with Emily and her friends.” She smiled. “A good plan, huh?”
“I appreciate that you arranged it. And I was glad that Jesse asked me out.”
“You could have asked him out, you know.”
“I just… I wanted him to ask me.” Heather shrugged.
“It will be good for you two to have some time alone. Just the two of you. Give you some time to talk.”
“I hope so. It’s like we found each other again, then the next day things exploded when Blake arrived. After a while, things started to get better. But I don’t know, I still feel like I’m holding my breath around Jesse. That he’s going to change his mind. That he’s going to be angry with me again.”
“You’ve got to be patient. A lot has happened between you two. Then there’s the whole legal ordeal with Blake going on. That has to be stressful for Jesse.”
“I know. And I’m a terrible person because I’m jealous that Jesse and Blake are growing so close. I should be ecstatic about it. And I am happy for them. But gosh, I wish I was included in that.”
She reached out and covered Heather’s hand. “You’re not a terrible person. I know it’s hard. Everyone is just trying to sort everything out. I heard you were at the cafe with them yesterday. So Jesse is including you in some things.”
“He took Blake shopping for school supplies and clothes. I’ve never gotten the chance to take him school shopping.” Sadness crept into Heather’s eyes.
“You will. You’ll get to do lots of things with him. It probably didn’t occur to Jesse to ask you to go with them.”
Heather sighed. “I know I should be patient. I never thought I’d even ever meet Blake or get to know him. I mean, I always dreamed about it in my mind. What it would be like. What he’d be like. And it was never anything like this.”
“But he’s here now. You’re getting to know him. And he and Emily have become great friends. He’ll know so many people when he starts school next week. And he’ll meet more this weekend at the annual back to school bonfire at the beach.”
“I hope he fits in well and likes the school.”
“I’m sure Emily will make sure he does. You know how she is when she sets her mind on something.”
Heather laughed. “You do have a determined daughter.”
“She gets it from her mother,” she grinned.
“I did see his transcripts that Jesse got to give to the school. He makes good grades. I’m very proud of him for that. But mostly, I want him to be happy.”
“That’s what every parent wants for their child. He seems very smart, and he’s such a great worker. We love having him work at Parker’s.” She let go of Heather’s hand and reached for her coffee again. “Really, everything is working out well, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It is.”
But there was still that look in Heather’s eyes like she was longing for something. A look that was so close to the look she had when she was a young girl, longing for acceptance from her father, longing for a close-knit family life.
She hoped that at some point in life, Heather would lose that look. That she’d find what she’d been looking for all of her life.
Later that morning, Olivia pushed into Parker’s General Store, balancing two boxes the delivery man had handed her outside. “Hey, Mom. Got some deliveries for you,” she said as she walked up to the checkout counter. “I’ll set them in the back room.”
“Thanks. Did you have a nice chat with Heather?”
“I did. I need to make a point to see her more often. She’s kind of—I don’t know—fragile right now.”
“She’s got a lot going on in her life now.”
Melody Tanner, one of the best hires they’d made for Parker’s, came walking up to them. “Here, I can take those. I’ll open them, add them to the inventory, and stock them on the shelves.”
“Thanks, Melody.” She handed over the boxes.
“No problem. Then I’ll be back over to take over checkout duties. I know you said you had lots of paperwork to catch up on.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan Chambers came through the door and spied Melody. “Hi, Melody.” His face flushed a bright red. There was no welcome for her or Donna. He only had eyes for Melody.
“Morning, Ethan,” Melody answered as she juggled the packages.
“Here, let me help you.” Ethan reached and took a package.
“Thank you. I was just headed to the back room with them.”
Ethan nodded and followed her as she walked away.
Olivia turned to her mother. “So what’s that all about?”
Donna grinned. “He’s been coming in almost every day, getting one thing or another. I’m pretty sure he has a crush on Melody.”
“I bet that’s why he keeps coming into the cafe for lunch or dinner almost every other day. Melody doesn’t seem to have noticed his interest, although it was pretty obvious right there.”
“I think she’s just still feeling her way. She was so young to become a widow.”
“She was. But she sure was a smart hire for Parker’s.”
“She was. She’s taking on more and more responsibilities as she learns more. Never misses work, always on time. And when we’re not too busy, she always finds something to do. Like straighten the shelves or set up a new display.”
“She seems happier these days, too, doesn’t she?”
“She does. I know she had financial problems after her husband died. I think this job helped relieve some of that stress.”
“Well, maybe given some time, she’ll notice Ethan.”
“I hope so. Or the man will have to come in here day after day buying something, hoping she’ll actually see him.”
“Or eat all his meals at the cafe.” She grinned. “Melody’s great at the cafe, too. Takes over on the few days when Evelyn isn’t in. Which isn’t often. I wish you could convince Evelyn to take some time off.”
Her mother laughed. “She just had the same conversation with me about you. That you should take some time off.”
She grinned. “I guess both Aunt Evelyn and I could say the same about you.”
“What can I say? Parker women work hard.”
“That we do.” She turned to head over to the cafe, pleased to have a job she loved so much. It was hard work running the cafe, but she wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Now, if she could only think of a way to give Melody a nudge toward Ethan.