Chapter 1 MAEVYN #2
The note is signed off with a little, hand-drawn paw print, and my mouth quirks at how unexpectedly cute it is.
I peer into the back window to find a black and white Staffy sitting on the back seat.
He’s stretched out on a blanket, a bone between his front paws that he happily gnaws at.
The huff of a laugh that escapes me is enough for his keen ears to prick up, pulling his focus to me.
He tilts his head, his floppy little ears bouncing as he assesses me.
One is black, joining a patch that reaches down, covering one eye, and the rest of his face is white.
“Are you flirting with all the ladies that pass you, Patch?”
My hand flies to my chest, startled by the deep, rough rasp that speaks from behind me. A man with a thick, dark beard, face partly shadowed by his ballcap, looks at me with a friendly smile. “Sorry. Did I scare you?”
“No. I just didn’t hear you come over.” I adjust the strap of my bag on my shoulder. “I was distracted by your dog.”
The man looks past me into the back window, and within seconds, the dog is ambling across the back seat, rocking the car as he does. He sticks his thick head through the gap in the window. His owner rewards him with a scratch, and I swear, this dog actually smiles.
“Almost done, bud,” he says to the dog, then looks back at me, smiling again, and I’m not ready for the way it affects me. It’s a damn nice smile.
I’m five-eight. I’m used to being pretty close in height to most guys, but this one must be closer to six feet.
His green flannel shirt is unbuttoned over his chest, highlighting the way it fills out the white T-shirt underneath.
The sleeves are rolled up his forearms, patches of skin smudged with grime and intercepted with bulging veins.
My head tries to make sense of his intense confidence as it mixes with a soft smile and gentle green eyes.
I don’t usually take notice of guys this closely, but something about him steals my attention.
I’m careful with who I trust, who I let in.
Aside from my daughter, that list has only held two names.
But for Aurora, I need to learn how to settle.
We have to stay put for once, so she can keep this scholarship and give herself a better life than I ever dreamed of.
It’s been years since the last time they found me, but the unease still makes my skin crawl.
I’ve kept myself hidden for so long. It’s not easy to let go of the way you’ve always been, the way you’ve had to be to survive.
Claire’s the first person I’ve befriended in a long time.
I think that was more driven by her, and her relentless pursuit of ‘badarse bitches stick together’—her words, not mine.
She won me over by giving me time to open up at my own pace, filling our days with her own oversharing of sass and personal details.
She reminded me of Presley in a way, and soon enough, I found myself letting go of the tight grip I held around my world, bit by bit.
“Anyway, caffeine calls.” I point a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the door. “Have a good day.”
“You too,” he calls out as I head inside the bakery.
“I was talking to your dog,” I sass over my shoulder. I nearly trip over the threshold when I keep watching him, head dropping down to his feet, a chuckle pulling the side of his mouth, visible through his beard.
I shake off the way my skin dances from the whole interaction. Settling for once in my life doesn’t mean settling with a guy. I’m doing it for Aurora. Everything I do is for her, and it always will be.
“Hey, Maevyn.” Liv, the owner, beams at me from her place behind the counter. Her wild brunette hair is in its usual braid and slung over her shoulder. Flour dusts her cheek, and I’m pretty sure there’s pastry embedded in a strand that falls over her face.
“Morning, Liv.” I stride up to the front counter, my bangles clattering against the surface as I lean down, trying to catch sight of Daisy, her three-year-old, who often accompanies her mum to work. “Where’s your mini-me today?”
Liv’s blue eyes sparkle at the mention of her daughter. “Ruth has her. I’m trying to get her used to being away from me so I can put her into daycare in a few months. I know Daisy will be fine. It’s me who will have separation anxiety.”
I nod, knowing exactly what she means. I was lucky to meet Royal, an off-duty cop, when I did.
A stressed and confused seventeen-year-old, with a nine-week-old baby and no clue how to keep her safe.
He was a stranger to me, but I figured he couldn’t be any worse than what was waiting for us at home.
So I trusted him when I unloaded all my trauma in the middle of a hospital waiting room, and he said he’d help us.
He helped me plan our getaway and checked in with us as we fled.
Then, when I was ready, he set me up with some work.
He had contacts who understood my situation and were able to accommodate a young child tagging along.
I don’t know how I would have managed if it weren’t for Royal.
“Preaching to the choir on that one,” I say.
“Oh gosh, it’s Aurora’s first day of high school, right?”
I nod, my heart rate spiking as I wonder how she’s going. It’s been half an hour. Is it too soon to message her?
“She’s a good kid. I bet she’ll have a great day.
” Liv pats my hands. Aurora spent many days over the school holidays visiting Sweet Escape.
Claire invited us here for breakfast one morning and introduced us to Liv and Daisy.
Despite the nine-year age gap, our daughters formed a budding little friendship.
She’s even gone to Liv’s house a few times when I’ve had a shift at The Matchbox.
“Thanks.”
“Just the usual today?” Liv moves over to the coffee machine, picking up two takeaway cups.
“Yep. Claire would also like a lamington, if you still have some.”
Liv’s face lights up. “I just put some pink raspberry ones out.”
“That has Claire’s name written all over it.”
“Nothing for you?” she asks over the loud whirring sounds of the machine.
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Aurora and I did way too much overindulging on the weekend while we moved into our new place, which I’m going to have to perform an exorcism on with extra training on the pole this week.
FYI, Christmas is the worst time for house hunting.
We were in a one-bedroom studio apartment over a mechanic’s garage on the outskirts of the city while we waited for the three-bedroom townhouse we’re now in to become available.
We met the neighbours on our right halfway through unpacking—a young couple who seemed nice.
I haven’t met the neighbour on our other side yet.
Liv places one double-shot espresso and one iced mocha in front of me, then rings up my total on the register.
I tap my card against the reader as Liv fills a pastry box with Claire’s candy pink sponge cake.
Through the clear window on top, I can see the cake covered in coconut, looking fluffy and delicious.
Maybe I should get something. No. I like to stick to strict routines during the week, then have free rein over the weekends. Balance and all that.
“Thank you.” I pick up the drinks, then take the box from Liv in my other hand. “See you tomorrow.”
Liv grins as she waves to me before moving on to her next customer, and I head out.
I take a sip from my straw, sweet chocolate and smooth coffee hitting my taste buds like a rush of dopamine.
The door pulls open before I have a chance to get there, and Dog Daddy steps in, his chest dangerously close to mine.
He steps back, holding the door open behind him as he waves me through.
“After you.”
I try not to let that deep rasp distract me, smiling around the straw still in my mouth. His eyes drop for a second before bouncing back up to my eyes.
“Thanks.” I brush past him, the warmth of his body radiating around me, wisps of heat licking at the surface of my skin.
Flicking away the stupor his proximity commands, I practically stamp across the road without glancing back.
The cool air inside Parlour Tricks slaps me like a well-earned reality check.
Claire’s standing behind the reception desk beside the front door, glancing up from the computer as I join her, placing her coffee and lamington on the bench.
“Thanks, queen. How did Aurora go?” she asks, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Good,” I say, absentmindedly.
My eyes betray me and peek back out the window across the road. Liv’s standing in the doorway, laughing at something Mr Tall, Bearded and Burly said as he slides into the driver’s side of his ute. A pang of something unsettling stirs in my chest. Envy?
If my life were blissfully uncomplicated, I might have it in me to find someone to share it with. Then again, everything I witnessed in my parents’ toxic relationship doesn’t give me much faith to even try.
I turn back to Claire, aligning my attention to where it should be. “Really good.”
It’s going to be a great year.