Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
S he turned the page over and reached for her drink. After a quick sip of her chamomile tea, Amy found herself glancing up and looking directly at the door to the bakery. The bell above the door rang, and Jack Johnson stepped in and shoved one hand in the pocket of his jeans. He paused to flick his hair out of his eyes, and his eyes darted around the bakery, stopping when he saw Emily behind the counter, rearranging the baked goods behind the glass display.
His entire face lit up, and he took a step in her direction.
Amy smiled to herself as Jack crossed over to the cash register and joined the line. Slowly, she lifted her book up, but after rereading the same paragraph a few times and realizing she was no closer to understanding it, she gave up and slammed the book shut. Then, she fixed her gaze on Jack, who was now standing across from Emily, a shy smile on his face.
Even from where she sat, she could see the color rising on Emily’s cheeks.
When Jack used his hands to gesture, and Emily burst into laughter, Amy’s smile only grew.
She curled her fingers around the mug and took small sips, eyeing them over the rim the entire time. Then, Jack stepped behind the glass display and peered at the baked goodies. He kept sneaking glances at Emily the entire time, who was too busy glancing around the bakery to notice. With a frown, Amy watched as Emily handed him a paper bag full of baked goodies, blushing further when their hands touched.
Sitting up straighter, Amy called out to Jack and waved him over.
His brows furrowed as he made a beeline for her, pausing to brush crumbs off his shirt when he was a few feet away. Suddenly, he was standing in front of her, a bewildered expression on his face as his eyes furrowed together, and his hands fell limply to his side. She gestured to the booth opposite her, and he sank into it, casting a quick look over at Emily, who was wiping one of the tables nearby.
“I don’t know if you remember me. We’re in the support group together.”
Jack nodded, a small smile hovering on the edge of his lips. “Yes, I remember you, Ms. Gruntle. My dad mentioned you.”
Amy grimaced. “Please, call me Amy. Ms. Gruntle makes me feel so old.”
And with any luck, she wasn’t going to be a Mrs. for much longer.
She could feel it in her bones.
Once Emily walked past, Amy leaned sideways and touched her wrist. Startled, Emily drew to a halt, and her eyebrows drew together. “Is everything okay?”
“Come and sit with us and keep me company. I’m having a tough day.”
Emily looked over at the cash register and then back at Amy. “I suppose I could sit with you for a little while.”
“My students haven’t stopped talking about your baked goods,” Jack said as soon as she sat down. His eyes didn’t leave her face as he linked his fingers together. “Any chance I can convince you to custom make a special order?”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “It depends on what you want it for. Is it to tell them about another test?”
Jack shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you twice in a row, or the students, for that matter. I’ve got a reputation to protect.”
Emily’s shoulders relaxed as she leaned back into the booth. “What do you think, Amy?”
Amy blinked. “Oh, whatever you prefer and whatever is right for the students.”
So long as it kept the two of them talking, Amy didn’t care what they did or whether they involved her in the conversation. Over the next half an hour, Amy’s eyes darted between the two of them, who hadn’t stopped talking once since they sat down. Now and again, Emily tried to draw her into the conversation, but Amy kept waving her away. She was happy to sit amongst them while Emily gave Jack shy smiles, and he grew more and more animated.
They barely noticed anyone else, and she could see Jack come up with excuses to keep leaning over the table and brush his hand against Emily’s. Every single time, she noticed Emily’s color deepen, and her expression grew softer and more confused. Once she was done with her second cup of tea, Amy stood and shrugged into her coat. Then, she crept toward the door, only pausing once to glance at them over her shoulder.
She was humming to herself and imagining Emily in a long wedding dress with a veil when her phone rang. Sylvie’s name flashed across the screen, making Amy’s heart skip a beat. Her fingers were sweaty as she paused and pressed the phone to her ear. Sylvie’s voice was low and distorted, and Amy could barely make out a thing. A strong gust of wind blew by as Amy walked past rows and rows of businesses closing for the night.
In the distance, Ashley and Jude’s cottage loomed.
When she was close enough, Amy saw the figure hunched on the front steps. Her stomach clenched until she got close enough to realize it was Sylvie, with her face buried in her hands and wisps of hair escaping from her tight bun. Her clothes were wrinkled when she stood and threw herself into Amy’s arms, hard enough to almost knock them both on their backs.
Firmly, Amy righted herself and cupped the back of Sylvie’s neck. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
Sylvie shuddered and buried her face in the crook of Amy’s neck. “I know you told me not to look into it, and I shouldn’t have, but I…I couldn’t help myself.”
Amy’s stomach dipped as her other hand moved to stroke Sylvie’s hair. “What happened?”
Sylvie sniffed, and another tremor went through her. “I looked into the rumors about Dad, about him being a dirty lawyer.”
Amy squared her shoulders and drew back to look at Sylvie’s tear-stained face, her heart breaking a little. “Why don’t we go inside to talk about this? I’ll make you something hot to drink.”
Sylvie lowered her gaze and drew her bottom lip between her teeth.
In silence, Amy draped her arm over her daughter’s shoulders and steered her inside. Ashley didn’t miss a beat when they stepped in, letting the door click shut behind them. With a quick smile in Sylvie’s direction, Ashley slid the door to the backyard open and stepped outside. Amy led Sylvie to the couch, a surge of relief bursting through her when Sylvie sank onto the couch and tucked her legs underneath her.
Her poor baby.
Sylvie had never been one to take bad news well; even when she was little, she’d end up working herself up into a state while wringing her fingers together and pacing. Amy’s heart cracked a little more as she sat down next to Sylvie and twisted to face her.
“I don’t know why I did it,” Sylvie murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “Daddy isn’t the man I thought he was.”
Amy’s heart missed a beat. “Oh, sweetheart. He’s still your dad, and he loves you.”
Sylvie exhaled and ran a hand over her face. “I’ve had this pit in my stomach since Lily left, and when I found out the two of them had a falling out, but…I didn’t want it to be true.”
Amy cleared her throat and ignored the uneasy thumping of her heart. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
Sylvie’s expression was crestfallen as a sob fell from her lips. “I don’t know how.”
Amy covered the distance between them and took Sylvie into her arms. It wasn’t long before Sylvie rested her head in Amy’s lap while Amy played with her hair. Eventually, she tugged on the blanket draped over the back of the couch and unfolded it. After tucking it around Sylvie, her daughter gave one last shudder and drifted off to sleep.
Amy’s legs were numb and tingling when she shifted, her eyes darting around. Quietly, Ashley handed her a pillow to place underneath Sylvie’s head. Carefully, and with bated breath, Amy stood and stretched her arms over her head. On the tips of her toes, she crept into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards till she found an empty mug.
“I’ll take out some fresh sheets for the guest room,” Ashley whispered with a quick look over her shoulder. “Poor thing doesn’t look like she’s in any condition to drive.”
Amy threw the tea bag into the mug and gave Ashley a grateful smile. “I really appreciate this. I’m sorry about the short notice.”
Ashley waved her comment away, a smile hovering on the edge of her lips. “I’m happy to help. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but it does seem like things are getting better between the two of you.”
Amy filled up the kettle, a small kernel of hope blossoming in the center of her stomach. “I hope so too.”
But she wasn’t sure how much of it was wishful thinking and how much of it was real.
On the one hand, it had been too long since Sylvie showed up at her doorstep, needing Amy’s comfort and solace. On the other hand, she didn’t like that Sylvie was looking into her father and worried it was her fault her daughter had gone down that rabbit hole.
If she hadn’t walked away, Sylvie would be safe and sound in her little bubble.
Ashley stepped into the kitchen and bent down to rummage through the fridge. “It feels good to still be needed, especially at their age.”
Amy crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the counter. “Yes, but you seem like you’ve got a pretty good handle on things.”
Ashley snorted and came back up with a few containers in her hands. “Not really. When Jude retired, things weren’t easy around here. New dynamics can be difficult, but we eventually found our footing. It’ll be the same for you and your kids. It just takes some getting used to.”
Amy frowned. “Did you ever regret not pursuing a career?”
Ashley pried a container open, and her eyebrows drew together. “Sometimes, I did wonder what it would be like, but I knew I wanted to be here with my children. And Jude didn’t mind, so it worked out well for us. I’m proud of my husband, and I don’t begrudge him a successful career.”
“You should be proud of yourself too. You have good kids and a beautiful home.”
Ashley pushed herself up on the tips of her toes and pulled out a few plates. “Thank you. You’re going to get there too, Amy. It might not seem like it now because everything is confusing, but just be patient with yourself. Starting over from scratch can’t possibly be easy.”
Amy’s chest unfurled, sadness, hope, and resignation all pumping through her. “Yeah, it isn’t.”
Ashley patted her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”
Amy desperately wanted Ashley to be right; otherwise, she had no idea what she was going to do next.