How to Fall For a Rockstar: a single mom, grumpy sunshine, small town, rockstar romantic comedy (Cas

Chapter 22

Ice cream – the yummiest of distractions

Leia

I’m about done with Isla moping around the house. And I’m beyond pissed at Fender. He doesn’t want a relationship with me? Fine. But he can’t cut my child out of his life with a snap of his fingers. I won’t let him.

Time for a distraction. “Why don’t we go for some ice cream?”

“Ice cream?”

The tiny thread of excitement in Isla’s voice is enough for me. “Get your shoes on. Let’s go.”

“But we haven’t had dinner yet.”

“We’re making an exception today.”

“Okay.” She shrugs and goes to find her shoes. So much for ice cream cheering her up.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders as we walk toward Main Street. Main Street in Winter Falls is adorable. It’s lined with small, unique mom-and-pop stores you won’t find in a suburban mall such as a candle store that sells sexy candles, a bookstore specialized in smutty books, and a small grocery store that accepts barter instead of cash.

It’s also completely safe for pedestrians – and kids who don’t pay enough attention to where they’re going – since most cars are banned. Except electric cars like the one Fender has.

Fender. I swallow my irritation with the man. My daughter needs my attention now not some fickle man who flees at the first bump in the road.

We reach Unleashed, the pet store, and Isla tugs on my hand. “Can we go in? Can we?”

I usually stay far away from pet stores considering my daughter’s been begging me for a puppy since she was old enough to say the word. As if I have time to care for another living thing.

“Okay,” I say now since I can’t deny her when her eyes are still red from crying most of the day.

“Good afternoon, Wilson family,” a man greets when we enter. I’m starting to think the residents of Winter Falls were given a briefing with all of our essential information before our arrival considering everyone seems to know our names. “I’m Forest.”

“Forest?” Isla giggles. “You have a silly name.”

“Isla,” I warn. “We don’t judge.”

“Isla is correct. My name is kind of silly.”

“I think it’s cool,” I say to make up for my daughter being all judgy-face.

“Are you an animal lover?” Forests asks Isla who’s gazing around the store.

“I want a puppy.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any puppies at the moment.” Her shoulders slump. “But I do have a squirrel. Do you want to meet Sammy?”

“Yes!” She bounces on her toes.

He leads her to a large cage where a squirrel is chirping away while scurrying around.

“She’s cute. Can I hold her?” Isla asks.

“I’m afraid not. But you can give her a nut.”

Isla nabs the nut from Forest and holds it out to Sammy the squirrel. Sammy doesn’t hesitate to steal the nut from my daughter’s hands.

At the sound of her giggle, relief hits me. Isla is a wonderful little girl but she is prone to spending the day sulking if she doesn’t get what she wants.

“You ready for some ice cream?” I ask after Isla’s spent a good ten minutes watching the squirrel.

I don’t wait for her answer and herd her out of the pet store to the ice cream store, Feather’s Frozen Delights, next door.

“Isla and Leia, two of my favorite people,” Feather greets as we enter.

“I’m getting ice cream,” Isla declares in response.

Feather motions to the counter. “Good thing I have ice cream then.” She grabs a cone and a scoop. “What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Strawberry!”

She prepares Isla’s cone before addressing me. “What’ll it be, Leia?”

“I’ll have blackberry, please.”

“Good choice. As is Fender. He’s…”

I slash a hand in front of my throat to cut her off. Feather’s nose wrinkles in confusion. I point to Isla and mouth they had a fight. It’s not exactly the truth, but it’s the easiest and quickest way to stop this gossip gal from starting her matchmaking magic.

“This ice cream is fabulous,” I say before Feather can figure out how to proceed. I pay and then motion to the door. “Do you want to sit in the gazebo?”

Isla shrugs and I hurry her out the door. We pass Clove’s Coffee Corner on our way to the town square but the café has already closed for the day. Phew. I don’t need another gossip gal bringing up Fender.

We settle on a bench in the gazebo situated on the town square. This town may be full of quirky residents but the view is worth it. Mountains rise up looking all majestic in the distance. I could stare at the view all day.

Winter Falls is everything I ever wanted for my child. And worth every sacrifice I had to make to get here. I love this town and its inhabitants. Except for the neighbor who is currently on my shit list. Speaking of which.

“Isla,” I begin.

“Mom,” she whines.

“What?” All I did was say her name.

“You’re using the lecture voice.”

“I don’t have a lecture voice.”

She snorts. “Yes, you do. Isla, do you know what happens if you don’t clean your room? Isla, do you want us to have ants because you didn’t do the dishes?”

“I don’t sound…” I trail off. I can’t win an argument with Isla this way.

“Isla,” I begin again.

“Still the lecture voice,” she mutters.

“Maybe it’s time for a lecture.”

“Whatever. I knew there was a hitch.”

“A hitch?”

She lifts her ice cream. “You never allow ice cream before dinner.”

She makes me out as a hard ass parent. She thinks I’m a hard ass? She should meet my parents. Talk about hard asses. My rules are a joke compared to theirs.

I couldn’t go out during the school week except for school activities. I wasn’t allowed to phone friends during the week. I couldn’t have an afternoon snack unless I finished my homework first. And the lecture if I didn’t get good grades? I shiver at the memory.

But Isla will never meet her grandparents because they refuse to acknowledge her existence. My heart aches at the reminder of how easily my parents threw us away.

I rub a hand over my chest and force those memories into the box I built especially for them. Just to be certain I put a padlock on the box as well.

“I want to discuss Fender.”

Her bottom lip wobbles and I nearly cave. But I can’t. I’m a parent. I have to do the hard things because if I don’t, no one else will.

“There’s no reason to be upset.”

“He doesn’t like me,” she whines.

“Fender likes you.”

“He ran out of the house.”

Thanks for the reminder, kid. “He wasn’t running from you. He was running from me.”

Her little nose wrinkles. “Huh?”

“Here’s the thing. You and me?” I motion between the two of us. “We’re a unit. We’re a family.”

“Yeah, you’re my mom.”

“But people don’t treat us as a family. They treat us as two individual people. Do you understand?”

“Yeah?”

I try again. “What I mean is that you have one relationship with Fender and I have a different relationship with him.”

“Okaaay.”

“My relationship with Fender doesn’t affect yours.”

Her brow wrinkles. “I’m confused.”

Probably because I’m doing a crappy job of explaining myself. I inhale a deep breath and try again.

“What I’m trying to say is that your relationship with Fender isn’t the same as mine.”

“Duh.”

“Smart alec,” I mutter. “He’s mad at me, not at you.”

“But he got mad about something I said.”

“Forget I said mad. He’s upset with me because what you said reminded him of something.”

“Reminded him of what?”

I don’t even have a shovel and I dug myself a hole deep enough to be a ditch to bury myself in.

“Adult stuff.”

“Mom,” she whines. “You always say adult stuff when you don’t want to tell me the truth.”

“This time, my little smart alec, I said adult stuff because it’s Fender’s stuff. Stuff he trusted me to keep private and not tell anyone else.”

Stuff she wouldn’t understand even if I did tell her.

“Even me?” she asks.

“Even you.”

“Huh.” She continues to eat her ice cream and I don’t speak again. I remain silent and give her the space to let what I said sink in.

“Can I go see the squirrel again?” she asks once she’s finished her cone.

“I’m not getting you a puppy,” I say as I stand to throw our napkins away.

As we walk to the pet store, I blow out a breath in relief. She’s done being upset with Fender for now.

I, on the other hand, plan to give the man a piece of my mind the next time I see him. How dare he make my daughter think he doesn’t like her.