Page 25 of Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore
“Pancakes are ready!” I hear my mother call from the kitchen.
“Shit, your mom heard all of that.” Panic laces Billie’s words. “What if she wants us to leave? I told Jesse it would be too much for her, living with a little boy.”
“My mother loves that little boy and you more than you know,” I reassure her. “And you’ve made such a difference to her life being here. I know how lonely she’s been without my dad.”
“Thanks for saying that. Do you mind just—” Billie glances toward the kitchen and I can see how much she doesn’t feel like peopling right now.
“I got my mom,” I promise her. “Go take a walk in the wildflowers; Tally swears it has healing abilities.”
“Thanks, Penny.” She reaches out to wrap me in a quick hug. “You’re amazing.”
I wouldn’t go that far, though I give her a little squeeze before she heads toward the front door. I know she will feel better after a little break outside.
Spinning on my heel, I call out to let my mom know I’m here. “Hey, Mom, I ran into Billie outside, she’s going to get some fresh air.”
She peeks her head out from behind the door. “She need a break?”
I reply with a nod, and she glances up the stairs. “I wish I could help more but I don’t want to step on her toes.”
Joining her in the kitchen, I wrap an arm around my mom and pull her tight. “You’re giving her a place to land, that’s doing something.”
It’s what our parents always gave Tally and me. While Tally spent the past decade mostly away from Hope Harbor, she always knew she had a place to come back to.
For the majority of my twenties, I lived at the farm, since working at the local library didn’t pay nearly as much as I needed to live alone. Moving to Boston with Richard was out of the question—my commute to work would have been absurd, considering I could walk from here to the library downtown. And I always preferred small-town life anyway.
Richard and I had been looking at houses before the breakup. I thought he was committed to moving here. I thought he was committed to me.
“How are things at the store?” my mother asks, motioning for me to settle at the counter. Instead, I head toward her and the full stack of pancakes, bacon, and every topping you could ever want that towers next to her. I prefer mine with just a little butter and cinnamon sugar. Both ingredients are already set out.
My mom shoos me as I reach to grab the platters of food. “Leave it there. People can serve themselves.”
She hands me a plate and I smile when I notice she’s already prepared my breakfast exactly how I like it. My mother is happiest when she’s serving a full house. Probably why I’ve got such a soft stomach—the perpetual people pleaser in me always takes seconds.
“Speaking of everyone,” I say. “Where are the others?”
“Tally went for a run,” she explains. “And Walker disappeared outside grumbling about having to feed the cow and build an animal pen.”
I snort. “I cannot believe she bought a cow.”
My mother glances over at me, a knowing smile on her face. “Oh, you can’t?”
I let out a laugh. “True.”
“So the store?” she asks again, settling in beside me at the kitchen counter.
I hate disappointing my mom but honestly, right now, the store is a bit of a disappointment. Before my dad died, he took out a loan on our family farm and gave me money for the lease and all the upgrades we had to do to get it to look like it does now. We almost lost our farm this past spring because of the financial strain that loan caused. This bookstore was my dream—I was so proud when we opened the doors two years ago—and it was the last thing I ever did with my dad. I need to figure out a way to turn the business around.
“Pretty good,” I lie, not wanting to cause concern.
“Your father would be so proud. I know I am.” She turns to take a bite of her pancake and I relax for a moment. Until she adds, “Oh, and it was so nice to see Jake Montgomery again. Your father always loved that boy.”
“Unlike Richard,” I mutter.
My mother’s eyebrows shoot up. “Well—”
I hold up a hand. “He was right not to. Clearly.”
“So are you and Jake Montgomery…dating?”
