18. Willow
18
WILLOW
Five o’clock came too soon.
It was only the second night that Jasper and I had slept at the diner, but it was starting to feel like an eternity. Especially when Jasper seemed to think it was a sleepover party and refused to fall asleep until eleven. Once I got him down, I tried to sleep, but was unsuccessful until one in the morning.
Now, it was five and my alarm was buzzing.
Not wanting to wake up Jasper, I silenced my alarm. Then I yawned as I sat up in the armchair and rolled my head from side to side in an effort to lessen the tension that had built up in my neck. I stretched my arms out and then above my head. Sleeping upright was wreaking havoc on my body.
I’d spent yesterday trying to get ahold of Uncle Doug, but he was still out of service range. Breia was in a fight with her boyfriend, and Patricia had spent the day complaining about how small her house was and how her daughter needed to “get moving on.” Every time I even thought about asking one of them if Jasper and I could stay at their place, they complained about their living arrangements. I quickly crossed them off my mental list of people I could ask for help.
With so little in my bank account, a hotel wasn’t an option. I had no renter’s insurance, and the house was completely gone. Jasper and I were homeless with no real options. At least, not until I could get ahold of Uncle Doug.
Thankfully, the diner was quiet last night, so I was able to slip out to get some clothes and toys from the local thrift store. I felt like a failure as a mother, but what other options did I have?
I quietly stood up from my chair and headed across the room to slip out of my office, shutting the door behind me. I headed to the bathroom and did my best to wash up in the sink. I used a washcloth to wipe the important areas then dressed. With an ample amount of dry shampoo, I was able to get my hair to look somewhat presentable.
I applied some makeup with the hopes that it would distract from my ill-fitting clothes. When I was done, I stepped back and surveyed my work. I looked…homely.
Especially when I compared it to what Cole wore.
I shook my head as I cleaned up my things from the bathroom, and hurried over to my office to wake up Jasper and get him some breakfast. I’d learned my lesson yesterday morning. It was better to get up early instead of trying to scramble to hide all the evidence that we’d slept here the night before.
Cole nearly found us out yesterday. He would have, had I not insisted that he take out the garbage as soon as he walked in the door. That had given me just enough time to shove all of our belongings under the couch so that I could put them away during my lunch hour.
I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.
My phone chimed before I walked into my office. I stopped right outside of the door and pulled my phone from my pocket. My heart sank when I saw it wasn’t a text from Doug.
Zoey: Am I picking Jasper up from school and dropping him off at the diner again?
I nodded, grateful that this girl was so helpful.
Me: Yes, ma’am. If that works with your schedule.
Zoey: Absolutely! Happy to help!
Jasper was slow getting up. He groaned and flipped to his other side when I tried to shake him awake. I let him rest for a minute before I attempted to wake him again.
“Jasper,” I whispered into his ear.
He groaned again.
“You gotta get up, buddy,” I said as I moved to sit next to him on the couch. I pushed his hair away from his forehead.
He yawned and peeked through one eye. And then he slowly opened the other one. “Mommy?” he asked as he finished his yawn.
“Yeah, love bug. Time to get up.”
He shifted his weight before he used both hands to push himself up. Once I was certain that he wasn’t going to fall back asleep, I left him to finish waking up while I started boiling some water for oatmeal. I’d picked up a pot from the thrift store and a few staple foods while I was out last night. I didn’t want Cole to find out that we were living here or have any reason to suspect that we were stealing food.
I knew where the boundaries were, and there was no way in hell I was going to cross them—even if Cole wasn’t in the picture.
Once the water was at a rolling boil, I dumped the oatmeal in and set it to simmer. Jasper was in my office, playing with a few plastic dinosaurs. He put up a fight, but eventually I won and he reluctantly followed me into the bathroom, where I washed his face, combed his hair, and got him dressed.
The oatmeal was cooked but way too hot to eat when we walked out of the bathroom. I pulled it off the stove to cool before I headed into my office to pick up our things. It was six thirty by the time I’d served up the oatmeal and set both bowls on my desk.
If Jasper picked up on my nervous energy, he didn’t show it. Instead, he was watching his show on his tablet while spooning the oatmeal into his mouth.
I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck as I waited for Cole to arrive for the morning.
My heart started pounding when I heard the back door open. I held my breath as I waited for Cole to appear, but my nerves crashed down to earth when I saw that it was just Brody. I must have startled him, because when he passed by my office, he came to an abrupt halt, his eyes wide as he swept his gaze over me and Jasper.
“You’re here early,” he said as he moved to stand in my doorway.
“Yeah, thought I’d get this kid up and moving this morning.” I reached out and tousled Jasper’s hair. He shifted to the left to get away from me, all the while keeping his gaze on his device.
“Everything okay?” Brody asked as he folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
I glanced up at him. “Yeah, why?”
He shook his head. “You’ve just never been here this early.”
I forced a relaxed smile. “I’m great. Just being the early bird.”
Jasper and I were finished with our oatmeal, so I gathered up our bowls and moved to stand.
“I can take those,” Brody said as he entered my office with his hands outstretched.
“Thanks,” I said, leaning over my desk with both bowls in hand.
He took them from me and nodded. “Of course.” He started walking toward the door. “I’ll get started on brewing some coffee and then prep for breakfast,” he said over his shoulder.
“I’ll take Jasper to school and then come back to help.”
Brody nodded in acknowledgment.
With Brody gone, I focused on getting Jasper’s shoes on him and then finding the lightweight jacket I’d purchased last night. Once we were ready, I ushered him from my office, shutting off the light and closing the door on my way out.
Breia was walking in while I was pushing Jasper out the back door. She greeted us, a look of confusion passing over her face, but she didn’t stop me. I gave her a quick nod and a smile as we passed by.
When we got to the car, Jasper climbed in the back, and I made sure that he was buckled before I shut the door. Just as I turned, Cole pulled in next to me.
I’d always been in the diner before Cole arrived, and when I left it was always dark, so I’d never really paid attention to what he drove. Seeing his sleek black Jaguar slide in next to my beater Honda Civic was startling.
I’m not sure how long I’d been standing there, staring, but it was too long, because suddenly, his door swung open and he was climbing out. His gaze locked with mine, and for a moment, he just stared at me.
It was like I was in a trace. I wasn’t sure if it was his car or his dark brown eyes, but I couldn’t pull my gaze away.
“Morning,” he said as he nodded to me and then moved to slam his door.
“Mornin’,” I whispered awkwardly, like it was the first word I’d ever spoken.
Cole was looking straight ahead, but as he passed by me, he turned to meet my gaze once more. He knew that I was staring, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. It was probably due to sheer exhaustion, after all, it’d been two nights since I’d gotten any sort of sleep. Or maybe my brain had officially short-circuited and I was now in autopilot. But no amount of screaming at my brain would make my muscles move.
Cole paused and studied me before he gave me a curt nod and continued toward the diner. Without him near me, I was finally able to relax. My body seemed to finally be listening to my brain as I walked over to the driver’s door and climbed in behind the wheel.
So many questions filled my mind as I drove to Harmony Elementary. Who was Cole, really? Why was he here? But most importantly, why on earth did he care about some small-town diner when he drove a freaking Jaguar?
That man had money. Why was he so insistent on sticking around here? Something didn’t add up.
I parked at the school and held Jasper’s hand as we walked inside. The principal was waiting by the entrance and gave me a quick nod as I knelt down and hugged Jasper before I let him know that Zoey would be there in the afternoon to pick him up.
He was too busy waving to his little friend Nick to listen. Instead, he started pushing at me in an effort to break my hold on him. I planted a kiss on the top of his head and then let him go. He took off down the hall, ignoring the tsk the principal gave him for running.
“Sorry,” I said with a sheepish smile.
She just studied me from above her readers.
I gave her a quick nod and then headed out of the school and back over to my car. Once I got to the diner, I was in go-mode. I parked in my usual spot—making sure to park as far away from Cole’s car as possible—and headed inside.
The kitchen was in full swing when I walked through the back door. Brody was pacing between Zaiden and Molly, who were prepping food for breakfast. I nodded at them as I walked through to my office. Just as I neared, I stopped.
The door was open, and I could hear a voice coming from inside.
I slowly crept up to the doorframe, and leaned my head toward the opening. It was Cole’s voice, but I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. He didn’t sound happy, and the bite to his tone had my ears perked.
“I know, I know.” Silence. “But I can’t come back. Not now.”
Was this someone from Miami? Why couldn’t he go back?
“I have to finish up here.” Pause. “It’s what we agreed on. I’m not just walking away.”
Was he talking to a woman? A man? Was it a business partner? What did they agree on? Why was the diner a part of this agreement? My mind was swirling with questions that I knew Cole would never answer.
“Well, this is not a decision you get to make for me. I will stay here until I am ready to come back.”
Shivers cascaded across my skin from the tone in his voice. He was not happy with whomever he was speaking to. It was such a stark contrast from the way he spoke to Jasper when they were bonding over Hot Wheels. With Jasper, he was soft-spoken and supportive. He was cold and concise with whomever was on the other end of this call.
“Willow?”
I yelped and turned to see the wide eyes of Brody as he stood next to me with a folder in hand. His eyebrows went up as he stared at me. My hand flew to my heart. It was pounding in my chest.
“Brody,” I whispered as I grabbed his arm and led him away from my office. The last thing I wanted was for Cole to know that I’d been eavesdropping on him.
Once we were a safe distance away, I turned to face Brody. “You startled me,” I said. Thankfully, my blood pressure was stabilizing. I peeked up at him to see that he had an amused smile on his lips.
“Sorry, boss,” he said. Then he frowned as he looked back in the direction of my office. “What were you doing?”
My cheeks heated from embarrassment as I shook my head. “I was just lost in my thoughts.” I cleared my throat as I straightened. The last thing I needed was for my employees to let it slip that I’d been eavesdropping on Cole. I really needed to be more careful. “What did you need?” I asked as I nodded toward the bowl he was holding.
Brody needed help planning the omelet menu so that I could then put in a food order. After we were finished, I made my way out to the dining room to help with the morning rush. Cole didn’t say anything to me about his early morning call, which I took to mean he hadn’t noticed that I’d been privy to it. He just stayed in the kitchen to help get food out in a timely manner.
After lunch, I stayed in my office to place orders for next week’s food delivery. Zoey knocked on my door at four, and Jasper came running in behind her before I could look up.
I thanked Zoey and told her that I’d take things from here. She started to ask if I wanted her to bring him to the house, but I hurriedly told her that I had things covered. She looked startled, but then just nodded and told me to text her if I needed her tomorrow.
I set Jasper up in my office with his tablet and a hamburger with fries from the kitchen. The dinner rush kept me so busy that I didn’t have time to think about Cole and his strange conversation.
After the diner was closed, we were in the middle of cleaning the dining room when his phone rang. The memory of the strange phone call washed over me, and my gaze drifted over to Cole. Was it the same caller?
Breia suddenly appeared in front of me with an incredulous look. I blinked, realizing that I must have been staring at Cole as he brought his phone to his cheek and disappeared through the kitchen door.
I cleared my throat as I faced her head-on. “What?” I asked, drawing my eyebrows together and trying to sound innocent.
“You were staring at Scrooge.” She folded her arms and tapped her forearm with her pointer finger.
“I wasn’t staring,” I said as I returned to the table I’d been wiping down.
“I saw where your eyes were. You were staring.”
I glanced back at her from over my shoulder as I kneeled on the booth so I could reach to the farthest end of the table. “Have you found out anything about Cole?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
Breia shook her head. “Nothing. I haven’t found anything. But I will prevail.” She shook her fist in the air.
I laughed. “I’m sure you will.” I straightened and dropped the rag into the bucket of soapy water I’d set on the floor next to me. I sighed. “I’m going to go check on Jasper. Will you bring those dishes to the sink? And then I think we’re done,” I said as I surveyed the dining room.
Breia nodded and lifted the tub up and set it on her hip. “Just remember I have to come in a bit later tomorrow. I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning.”
“I have it on the schedule,” I said before I followed her through the kitchen door.
Breia called a goodnight to everyone in the kitchen after she dropped off the tub in the dish sink and removed her apron. Brody and Zaiden were finishing up, so we all said goodbye as she slipped out the back door.
I made my way to my office to check on Jasper. I found him sitting in my office chair with his feet propped against my desk, turning the chair from side to side. I sighed, trying to decide if I should scold him like I usually did or just let it slide.
Apparently, I was going to let it slide. I gathered up his now empty plate and cup and headed to the kitchen to start rinsing the dishes.
Brody and Zaiden finished and said goodbye as they headed past me.
I finished loading the trays into the dishwasher and then started it. I wiped my hands on the nearby dish towel and then began to untie my apron as I made my way to the hooks on the back wall.
I was making my way through the kitchen when I heard Jasper’s voice. I rounded the corner to find Jasper standing in the middle of the kitchen and talking to Cole, who was sweeping. Cole was just smiling as he listened.
“Mommy and I live in the diner,” Jasper said as he spun in a circle where Cole had just finished sweeping.
My son’s comment had my heart pounding. The last thing I needed was to have my five-year-old out us.
I quickened my pace as I walked up to them. “Jasper,” I said, “Cole is busy. You shouldn’t bother him.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him to me.
Cole glanced up at me and shook his head. “He wasn’t bothering me.”
Jasper started wiggling in an effort to break free from my grasp. “Yeah, mommy,” he said. I loosened my grip and he slipped out. “I’m not bothering him.”
I glanced between the two of them and then chuckled. “Once he knows you’ll listen, he’ll never stop talking,” I said as I leaned closer to Cole.
He smiled. It was one of the first genuine expressions I’d seen from Cole Watkins. It made butterflies take flight in my stomach in an inexplicable way. I pulled back, startled by my reaction as I blinked a few times to get my head on straight.
“I think I can handle it.” He grabbed the dustpan and bent down to sweep a pile into it.
“We don’t actually live here,” I blurted out, realizing how ridiculous I sounded for even bringing it up. Was he going to see through me and discover the truth?
Cole looked up as he finished sweeping up the pile. “I know,” he said. He stood and walked over to one of the garbage bins that lined the far wall.
“We just spend so much time here that it feels like we live here,” I quickly added as if that made my outburst better.
Cole had the dustpan in one hand and the broom in the other. He was walking toward the cleaning closet but paused to look down at me. “I figured,” he said.
“Good,” I whispered.
Not sure where we were supposed to go from here, I ushered Jasper into my office and had him put his shoes on. We were going to leave with Cole, but once I was certain he was far enough away from the diner, we’d come back.
Thankfully, Cole didn’t linger much longer after he put away the broom. Jasper and I followed behind him as he made his way through the dark kitchen to the back door. We didn’t wait while Cole locked the door. Instead, we hurried over to our car and climbed inside.
I sat in my car with the engine running while I waited for Jasper to buckle. I wasn’t eager to leave before Cole.
Seconds ticked by before Cole appeared next to my car. He unlocked the driver’s door of his Jaguar and climbed inside. He gave me a quick wave before he pulled out of his parking spot. I did the same and lingered behind him as he waited to take a left and head out onto Main Street.
I drove the streets of Harmony for about ten minutes before I made my way back to the diner and pulled back into my spot. My engine idled as I sat there, staring out my windshield.
Was this going to be my life? Was I ever going to get ahead and save enough to provide a stable space for me and Jasper to call our own?
I glanced out my window and stared at the space where Cole had been parked.
One thing was for sure—this was a problem Mr. Moneybags was never going to understand. And it was one part of my life that I was determined to keep from him.
Cole Watkins could never find out.