Evie sat up in her treehouse, staring out over the mountains she’d come to love so much. She was almost an adult, but she would never stop loving the treehouse. It had been her saving grace when she moved to Carter’s Hollow.
Today, she was thinking about her mother and how she was going to react when she found out Evie was graduating early. It wasn’t the graduation part that was an issue; it was the leaving home part. She knew her mother would not be happy about it. She and Evie were so close, and they’d always only had each other. How could she leave her mom behind?
Leaving Sweet Tea B&B and her Aunt Mia would be almost as hard. Evie had wanted a real family her whole life, and now she had one. Part of her thought maybe she should just stay in school another year or graduate but delay college. Take one of those “gap” years.
A part of her wanted to stay close to home and get to know her new baby cousin that was coming soon, but she knew that wasn’t logical. She needed to get on with her adult life after she graduated, or she might just end up like so many people who never make it to college.
“Got room for one more?” She looked down and saw Cooper standing at the bottom of the tree, smiling up at her.
“Always.” She loved Cooper every bit as much as she loved her own father. She didn’t want to admit out loud that she might’ve loved Cooper even more. Even though her relationship with her dad was better, it was still complicated at times. On the other hand, Cooper had been there for her from day one, and she knew she could count on him.
He climbed to the top and slid next to her. “That gets harder every time,” he said, breathless. “Maybe we need to install one of those chairs that will lift me up here.”
Evie laughed. “Maybe so, old man.”
“So, how are you doing? I feel like we haven’t gotten to talk in ages. The adventure center has been so busy.”
Evie broke eye contact and looked back at the mountains. “I’m fine.”
“Evie…”
“What?”
“I know you well enough to know that you don’t come up here and stare off into the distance unless something’s wrong. You aren’t even wearing your headphones.”
“So?”
“If a teenager isn’t listening to music or a podcast, something is wrong.”
She giggled. “Oh, is that right?”
He nodded and crossed his arms. “It’s the law. Now, what’s going on?”
She sighed. “If I tell you, do you promise not to tell my mom?”
“You know I can’t promise that.”
“Then I can’t tell you.”
“Okay, fine. I promise. But I don’t like it.”
She sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. “I’m graduating early.”
“How early are we talking?”
“Three weeks. Well, a little less now…”
“And you haven’t told your mom because?”
“Because she’s going to freak out that I’m leaving for college in the fall.”
“Have you been accepted anywhere?”
“Well, no. But I’ve applied to a few, including UGA.”
"Isn't it a bit late to be applying to colleges?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I figured it was at least worth a try. I think the UGA deadline was January, but maybe somebody will take pity on me."
"You have to tell her now, Evie. Three weeks isn't a lot of time."
She put her hands over her eyes. "I know. I just don't know what to say. She's going to be shocked. And there's so much change with Aunt Mia having her baby soon. I feel bad throwing this on her."
He put his arm around her shoulders. "You're a good kid. She's going to be proud of you. Shocked, of course. Your mother loves you, and she wants you to have a big, bright future."
"I just hate leaving her alone."
He leaned back and threw his hands up. “Um, excuse me! What am I? Chopped liver?"
She crinkled her nose and cocked her head to the side. "Gross. What does that even mean?"
He waved his hand. "Never mind. I’m here for your mom. And your Aunt Mia is here. She has an entire support system. She would never expect you to stay and take care of her. She's the mom. I’d better go eat my lunch and get back to work at the center,” he said, turning toward the ladder.
"I'll talk to her today. I just have to figure out the words."
"Well, figure them out fast, kid. The sooner the better."
* * *
Travis loved eating lunch in the square. Since Mia was busy with paperwork, she’d told him to go have some time to himself. Pretty soon, that would be a thing of the past. He’d be a father, and life as he knew it would forever be changed. Quiet mornings would be replaced with changing diapers. Late sleeping would be replaced with cat naps to make up for not sleeping much the night before. And it would all be worth it to have someone call him Dad.
“Anything else, hon?” the server asked as she passed by the outdoor bistro table where he was sitting.
“Maybe a little more sweet tea when you get a chance?”
“Sure thing.”
Travis loved his little town. Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains gave him peace. All around him was beauty, and the people were the best you could find anywhere on earth. He was convinced of it. Raising his child in his hometown with the woman of his dreams was more than he could’ve ever dreamed.
But he was scared.
There was no way he was going to admit it to Mia, but he was pretty terrified about becoming a father. It was like getting hired for a job he had no training for. How did he know he wasn't going to mess this little child up?
He supposed everybody felt that way before becoming a parent, but it was waking him up at night. Often, Mia was sound asleep in bed next to him while he stared at the ceiling.
How would he support his family? What if the adventure center stopped making money? How would he give his family enough time and not work so much?
What kind of child would he raise? Would he be strict or too lenient?
There were so many questions in his mind that never went away. His whole lunch had been consumed with worrying about whether they were having a boy or a girl, and whether he would be a different kind of father, depending on the child's gender.
If they had a girl, would he be over protective and drive all of her future boyfriends away?
If they had a son, how would he raise him to become a good man? A southern gentleman who would always give up his seat for a woman and open doors for people.
Of course, all of this was a bit premature, given that the baby hadn't even been born yet.
"Is this seat taken?" He looked up to see an older man standing in front of him, pointing at the chair across from him. Travis hadn't even noticed that every other seat in the courtyard was full. The man, who was using a cane, was holding a plate with a sandwich on it.
"Feel free," Travis said, smiling. Although he really wanted to eat lunch alone, there was no way he was going to tell this man, who was wearing a veteran baseball cap, that he couldn't sit there.
The man grunted as he sat down and then set his plate on the table. He leaned his cane against the black wrought iron and took a sip of his tea. “Getting old is not for the faint of heart,” he said, chuckling.
“You aren’t old,” Travis said, trying to pay him a compliment even though the man definitely looked old. He was the epitome of an old time southern man with his plaid flannel shirt and denim overalls. It was late spring and pretty warm, but the man was quite frail and obviously chilly.
He smiled. “That’s okay. You don’t have to say I’m not old. I’m thrilled to be old. By the way, I’m Frank.”
Travis reached across the table and shook his hand. “Travis. Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” he said before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Eating alone today, huh?”
“Yes, sir. My wife is in the final stages of pregnancy, so she’s not excited about coming out to eat.”
“Oh, I remember those days. My wife, Irene - God rest her soul - didn’t enjoy those last weeks either. She was awfully uncomfortable.”
“How many kids did you have?”
“Five, but only three survived. Two died at birth.”
Travis’s stomach knotted up. “Wow, I’m so sorry.”
“It was an awful thing back when it happened, but I know my kids are in heaven. I’ll meet them one day soon, and it will be a wonderful day.”
Travis believed in God too, but he often marveled at people like Frank who had such faith. “Can I ask you something, since you have so much experience?”
Frank chuckled. “Experience is just a code word for old.”
“No, sir. I didn’t mean it like that at all…”
“Relax, son. Being old is a blessing. Many people don’t make to to my age. My wife didn’t. She died at sixty years old. I’m blessed every day I wake up on this side of the ground. Now, what’s your question?”
“Did you ever question whether you’d be a good father?”
He thought for a moment. “I can’t rightly say I did, no.”
“Oh.” That didn’t make Travis feel better.
“Don’t let that discourage you, though. I’ve always been what one might call a cocky sort of guy. Didn’t even occur to me to be worried about a thing like that. I just assumed I’d be a great father.”
“And you were?”
He crunched down on a potato chip. “Nope. I was horrible.”
Travis choked on his tea. “What?”
“When we had our first baby, Heather, I was awful. Just dreadful. Worked all the time. I sold insurance in those days, and I left my poor wife to handle everything. You know, men weren’t so involved in the raising of kids back in those days. Things were very different back then.”
“But you got better?”
He chuckled. “I like to think so. Eventually. By the time our third, Mark, came along, I’d learned that my wife needed help, and I needed to know my kids. I volunteered to coach tee ball, and I even took my oldest daughter to one of those father-daughter dances. I can’t dance worth a flip, but she had fun.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to make the wrong choices for my child and screw him or her up.”
Frank smiled. “Parents screw their kids up in their own special ways. That’s why therapists have jobs, you know.”
That made Travis laugh out loud. “I guess you’re right.”
“There are no perfect parents, but there are a bunch of good ones who try hard. Be the second one. Perfect is boring.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Old people are wise, didn’t you know that? We’re always right.”
“Seems that way,” Travis said, laughing.
“Listen, if I can give you one piece of advice, it’d be to take care of your wife. Help her. Do more than she asks and twice what she needs. Your child will see that and learn how to be a good person just from that.”
“You know, that’s great advice.”
“Here’s your check, Frank,” the server said, laying it on the table next to his place. Travis reached across and took it.
“This one’s on me.”
* * *
Evie was nervous. She had to tell her mother about early graduation this morning. Honestly. She didn’t know why she was so anxious about it. While her mom would probably be freaked out a bit, she’d figure it out. She always figured things out.
She walked down the stairs and heard her mom in the kitchen talking to one of the guests. They were chatting over coffee from the sound of it, and Evie didn’t want to interrupt. She tried to sneak out the front door, but her mom saw her.
“Evie! Don’t you try to sneak out of here without even saying good morning.”
She turned around, a smile plastered on her face. “Sorry. Just didn’t want to interrupt.” Evie walked to the kitchen, dropping her backpack on the sofa as she went.
“You remember Mrs. Drayton, don’t you? She and her late husband stayed with us last fall during the pumpkin festival.”
Evie looked at the older woman and smiled. “Of course. Your husband carved the pumpkin with the vampire face, right?”
Mrs. Drayton laughed. “Oh, yes. Walter loved vampires. It was such a weird obsession of his.”
“I was sorry to hear that he passed away,” Evie said. From what she could remember, Mr. Drayton had died of a heart attack just after Christmas.
“Thank you, dear. Unfortunately, our time on earth is limited. If I can give you a piece of old lady advice, it would be to spend as much time as possible with your family and those you love. You never know when it will be the last time.”
Evie’s stomach twisted into a knot like one of those pretzels she loved at the fair. How could she leave her mom like this? Of course, it was the natural order of things that a child would grow up and leave, but it felt wrong.
“Well, I’d better head to school,” Evie said, trying her best to get out of there. “Nice to see you again!”
She hurried toward the door and stepped out onto the porch, thankful she’d avoided telling her mother one more time. She felt horrible keeping the secret, but she would not tell her in front of a guest either.
“Evie, what’s the rush?” Kate asked, following her out the door. “Is everything okay?”
Now was her chance.
“Everything’s fine. I just want to get there early so I can talk to my English teacher about our final essay.”
Big. Fat. Lie.
“Oh, well, have a good day then,” Kate said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before she went back inside the house.
As Evie walked to her car, she felt her eyes welling with tears. It was going to be really hard leaving Sweet Tea B&B and her mother.
* * *
Mia stood in the living room, an old photo album in her hand. This was one of her favorites, with pictures of her and her mother from many years ago. She ran her finger across a picture from Easter when she was about ten years old. Her mother had made her a frilly pink dress with white lace around the edges. She held an overflowing basket full of brightly colored eggs.
Her mother had truly been one of a kind. Sometimes, she worried she wouldn’t measure up. It was only now that she thought about all the things her mother had done for her growing up. Being room mother at the school. Going on field trips. Taking her and her friends on fun adventures. Making sure she had new clothes every year for school. Making holidays warm and wonderful.
How would she ever do the same for her child?
She closed the photo album and held it to her chest, taking in a deep breath. It was painful to think her mother wouldn’t be there when her baby was born. It was sad to think how she’d never be a “granny”.
Wallowing in her sadness, she set the album back on the shelf and then slid onto the sofa. Feeling like a beached whale wasn’t helping her mental state. Being petite and small her whole life, she’d assumed she’d be one of those cute pregnant women who hardly gained weight and didn’t even look pregnant from behind.
She was not.
“You okay, dear?”
Mia cocked her head backward to see Mrs. Drayton standing at the bottom of the stairs. She tried to sit up a bit, but it was futile.
“Mind helping me?” Mia asked, reaching out her hand.
Mrs. Drayton laughed and walked to the front of the couch, pulling Mia’s hand forward. She was an older woman, but she still had a lot of strength. Mia positioned herself and sighed.
“These last weeks are hard. I remember.” Mrs. Drayton sat down in the armchair nearby and gave her one of those grandmotherly smiles her own child would miss.
“Yes, I feel like I might pop at any moment. How does our skin stretch this much?”
“One of those mysteries of life, I suppose. I saw you holding that photo album as I was walking down the stairs. Your mom?”
Mia smiled sadly. “How’d you know?”
“I lost my momma before I had my first child, too. I know what that feels like.”
“You do?”
“Of course! Becoming a mother is scary and exciting at the same time. You’re sure you won’t know what you’re doing, and you need your mom. It’s a void that can’t be filled.”
“So, what did you do?”
“Well, I asked other women around me when I had questions. I wasn’t afraid to ask for help. And I grieved in those moments that I needed to grieve. You never stop missing your momma. Time doesn’t heal. It just helps you learn to deal with it.”
“Very true. Thanks for the advice.”
Mrs. Drayton stood up. “Well, I’m heading off to town. Can I bring you anything?”
“No, thanks.”
“Okay then. I’ll see you later.”
Mia watched her walk out the door and then closed her eyes, picturing her momma. She missed her so. Each day, her ability to feel her got a little harder. Sometimes, she worried she wouldn’t be able to hear her voice in her head anymore. Wouldn’t be able to smell her perfume in the air. Every day, she seemed to lose her mom a little bit more, and it was awful.