Chapter 5
5
LOTTIE
T oday sucks.
I shove a stack of napkins into the holder on the counter and move onto the next one.
Yesterday sucked, too.
Living in Kiss County sucks .
I refill the last dispenser and take the rest of the box into the back room.
“Hey!” Tish’s youthful eyes sparkle for gossip as she ties her apron behind her back at her locker. “How did things go last night with the hot new single dad?”
I stick out my tongue and blow.
Her mouth sags. “No?” she asks.
“No,” I echo as I push into the storeroom and drop the box of napkins on the shelf above my head. “Nada. Zilch. Ain’t happening.”
“Why not? What happened?”
She follows me out of the back and I give the diner a quick scan on the way to the coffeepot. It’s a busy afternoon following an even busier morning, and I’m happy Tish finally arrived to help Mika and me.
“Where do I even begin?” I say, coffeepot in hand. I walk out from behind the counter and Tish follows me through my section. “First, Frank sold my bakery.”
“What? I thought you were this close to getting your loan!”
“I was! I am! But Frank got a little too antsy and sold the space to the first Big City douche who came around.”
“Aw, man...” Tish throws on a pout. “That sucks.”
“I mean, where’s the loyalty?” I ask as I refill the Henderson’s mugs. “Is a man’s word not worth anything anymore?”
Moving onto the next table, Tish shakes her head. “Should have gotten it in writing,” she says.
“So, I asked the new owner to let me have the space instead.”
“He was there?”
“He was.”
“Was he cute?”
“No!” I glare at her over my shoulder. “Priorities, Tish.”
She grimaces. “Sorry.”
“I mean, yeah. Sure. He’s got a nice square jawline and thick dark hair and soulful brown eyes and a really adorable daughter who looks just like him, but that’s beside the point!”
“Wait? You met his daughter?” she asks, confused.
I groan. “Oh, the nerve! The cheek! I asked nicely — so nicely! — and he said no. He looked right into Liam’s little eyes and said that his barbershop is more important than my bakery. And then! Oh, and then! He said I looked cute when I was angry and asked if I was single.”
Still confused, Tish gives a tentative nod. “Okay.”
“I mean, what a dick!” I say as I refill another mug.
“Huh?”
I wave apologetically to the man at the table. “Not you, Sheriff Spelling. Can I get you anything else?”
He shakes his head. “No, thanks, Lottie. I’m good. Still waiting on that patty melt.”
“I’ll go check on it.” I smile politely, then walk off, beelining back behind the counter. “I can’t believe I gave him my muffins!” I say.
“Okay. Honey, slow down,” Tish says, her shoulders slumped forward. “I feel like I’m missing a lot of info here.”
I return the coffee pot to its warmer. “The hot new single dad next door,” I say. “Is him.”
“Him?” She blinks. “Him?”
“Him.”
“The guy who bought your bakery is your new neighbor?”
I nod. “Yup. He rolled into town, he bought my bakery and the house across the street.”
“Aw, man,” she says.
“Yeah.”
“He’s handsome and rich?”
I glare at her.
“Sorry,” she says.
“Hey, he’s all yours now,” I say. “By all means.”
Tish pumps her arm. “Yes!” Then, she drops her shoulders again and looks at me somberly. “Sucks about your bakery, though.”
“Yeah.” I collapse back against the wall by the back room door, waiting for Bruno to finish the Sheriff’s patty melt. “It really sucks.”
“Maybe another space will open up!” she says optimistically.
“Doubt it.”
“Hey, you never know!” She peeks out at table four. “Old man Henderson ain’t gonna live forever and that hardware store could easily become a bakery.”
I shrug a shoulder. “Maybe.”
“You never know what?” Mika asks, suddenly at our side holding a bin full of dirty dishes, her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail.
Before I can say anything, Tish rattles off, “The hot new single dad next door bought her bakery and now he’s the ugly new jerk next door.”
Mika digests that slowly, then blinks at me with sympathy. “Really?” she asks.
I nod to confirm. “Eloquently summed up, yes.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s... fine. I guess. It has to be,” I add with another shrug. “Not much I can do about it now.”
“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for other places,” Mika says. “Carter will, too. He’s real good at that, actually.”
I smile gratefully. “Thanks.”
“Yo, ladies!” Bruno shouts from the window. “Food doesn’t deliver itself, you know.”
Mika rushes off with her bin while Tish and I approach the window.
“Sheriff wants his patty melt, Bruno,” I say.
“On the way. You got a phone call.”
“From who?”
“I ain’t your secretary,” he says as he turns back toward the grill. “Make it quick. Lunch rush!”
With an understanding nod, I enter the back and grab the old phone receiver dangling by the office doorway. “Hello?” I answer, keeping the grease-covered thing at least an inch away from my ear.
“Finally.”
I roll my eyes. Yet another reason my life sucks.
“Hey, Mark.” I straighten up as a shiver suddenly fires down my spine. “How’s Liam?”
“I just dropped him off.”
“Dropped him off? At the diner?” I ask, craning my head to peek out onto the floor.
“No, the house.”
The shiver tightens around my heart. “The house? My house?”
“Yeah,” Mark says. “I gotta work again.”
“So, you left your four-year-old son alone at the house? Why didn’t you bring him here?!”
“Because the last time I did that, you got pissed.”
“Oh, my god! Are you insane?!”
“Chill the fuck out, Lot. He’s fine.”
“How can you be so irresponsible?”
“I called you, didn’t I?”
“Mark, I—” I fall into a silent frustration as things I want to say rush through my head. Tears spring to my eyes and all I can manage is a quiet “Fuck!” before hanging up.
“Lottie, what’s wrong?” Mika asks as I rush toward the lockers.
“Liam is sitting at home,” I say as I grab my purse, my hands shaking. “Alone.”
“What? Why? Wasn’t he with Mark today?”
“He was, yes. Now, he’s not and now I have to get home before—” I can’t even bring myself to say it out loud.
I can’t even think it.
I grab my purse and rush out onto the diner floor as the entrance bell chimes and a large group walks in, headed straight for my section.
“Fuck.”
“Go,” Mika says. “I’ll cover your tables.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes. Go,” she says. “Tish and I can handle lunch. I’ll tell Bruno what’s up. Go!”
I bolt outside, ignoring every horrible thought that enters my head as I run across the town square. I smother every terrible image of what could be happening to my son right now. I push them all away, but they’re instantly replaced with every negative thought I’ve ever had about myself.
I’m stupid.
I’m unworthy.
I’m an awful mother.
By the time I reach my house on Third Street, my face is covered in tears.
“Liam!” I scream on the porch, searching my purse for my keys. With shaking hands, I manage to unlock the front door. “Liam!”
No answer.
I search every room. The kitchen. The bedrooms.
“Liam!”
The bathroom.
The backyard.
The closets.
“Liam!”
I stumble into the hallway and bump into something hard. With a scream, I lurch backward against my bedroom door , my heart wrecked with fear.
“Whoa, whoa!” Scott says, his hands raised. “Calm down. It’s just me.”
I push him away. There’s no time for this asshole. “Move!”
“Wait a sec?—”
“My son is missing!”
“I know!” he says. “I have him.”
My instincts churn and I roll my fists in anger, ready to kill him. “Where is he?!”
“He’s fine,” Scott says. “He’s at my house across the street. He’s safe.”
A touch of relief washes over me. “He is?” I ask weakly.
Scott places his hands on my shoulders, holding my focus. “He’s sitting in my kitchen right now with my daughter eating lunch.”
“He is?” I ask again, unable to say anything else.
“You can come over and see for yourself,” Scott says calmly, his hands a strong and comforting anchor on my trembling body.
I make no effort to hold back my tears. “He’s okay?”
“He’s okay,” Scott whispers. “Take a breath.”
It’s a struggle to fill my lungs, but I manage a few breaths. My hands continue shaking with adrenaline and I fight the urge to collapse altogether.
“Everything is all right.” Scott rubs my upper arms; a soothing motion. “Come on. I’ll take you to him.”
Still too rattled to walk, I tilt forward into him instead. Scott wraps his arms around me and I find myself pulled into a firm embrace, one of surprising tenderness I haven’t felt in... so long.
“It’s okay,” he whispers, his hand splayed against my back. “He’s safe.”
I let the words settle in my mind and a calming sense grows in me. “Thank you,” I whisper back.
“You’re welcome,” Scott says as he steps back. His hands linger on my arms for another moment before they fall. I instantly miss them; his borrowed strength. “Now, dry your eyes. I’ll take you to him.”
I wipe my cheeks quickly, finding my fingers covered in mascara. I realize it blotched on his sweater too, and I wince. “Sorry,” I say.
He glances at it briefly. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m a dad. I’m used to it.”
Another deep, soothing breath and I nod, ready to go. “Okay,” I say, standing on my own.
“First…” Scott glances around. “Do our houses have the same layout?”
“Uh… yeah,” I say. “All these Third Street bungalows were built by the same… company or whatever.”
“Ah.” He nods as he cranes his neck to peek over my shoulder… into my bedroom. “Weird.”
I grab the knob and swing the door closed behind me. “I’d like to see my son now, please.”
Scott leads me across the street to his house. Before I even step inside, I hear my son’s laughter. Following it, I pause in the kitchen doorway, a smile instantly finding me as I see him and Sonya sitting at the table, safe and sound.
“He said he liked ham, so...” Scott says beside me.
I nod. “He does, yeah.”
“It’s Sonya’s favorite, too, so I had plenty to go around.”
Liam looks up at me. “Hi, Mommy!”
My heart sings. “Hi, honey.”
He goes back to his sandwich and coloring book as if nothing is wrong.
As if I didn’t just have the worst moment of my life.
Satisfied, I step back into the living room and Scott follows. “Thank you,” I say to him. “I’m sorry you even had to do this.”
“It’s no problem, really.”
“His father was supposed to keep him today and he’s...” I stop, that sense of silent frustration brewing in me once more. “He just dumped him at home instead of bringing him to the diner.”
“The diner?” Scott asks.
“Bruno’s. Where I work.”
“On the square?”
“Yeah.” I exhale hard, the stress of the moment weighing on me. “I’m supposed to work a double shift tonight.” I drop my head into my hands. “Oh, the girls are gonna hate me…”
“Go work your shift,” Scott says. “I’ll watch the kid.”
I raise my head. “No,” I say. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Why not? I don’t have anywhere to be. Mostly just unpacking today.”
“No, really. You’ve done enough.”
“I’ve barely done anything.” Scott smiles. “Come on. I’m new to this Small Town neighborly thing. Let me get in some practice.”
I take a breath, coming around to the idea... but this is still the guy who pulled my dreams out from under me. “You can’t,” I say.
“Why not?”
“Because I hate you.”
“More than the girls are gonna hate you for bailing on a double shift?”
I tilt back. “Yes?”
He chuckles. “Liam will be here when you get back. All right? I’ve got juice boxes, fruit snacks. All the best porn.”
I glare at his playful smirk. “Scott.”
“Sorry. Clearly not the best time to joke. But you can trust me. I’m great with kids.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.” He points at himself. “Hot single dad. Remember?”
I exhale hard. It’s not like I have any other option. “Okay,” I say, “but I’ll pay you for your time.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I’ll tell you what,” he says. “Whip up another batch of those mini muffins and we’ll call it even.”
I narrow my gaze. “You weren’t supposed to eat any of those.”
Scott flashes that handsome smirk.
I look away, ignoring the tickle it sends down my spine. I take another moment to compose myself before returning to the kitchen. “Hey, buddy,” I say.
Liam looks at me as I take a knee next to his chair.
“Mommy needs to go back to the diner, but Scott here is going to look after you while I’m gone. Okay?”
“Okay,” he says.
Scott clears his throat. “Doesn’t that sound fun, Sonya?” he asks. “You can show him your new toys.”
Sonya smiles and bounces once in her chair. “Okay!”
“Yeah?” I ask, lightly rubbing Liam’s arm. “You guys are going to have so much fun!”
Liam cracks a smile.
I give him a kiss and stand up. “I’ll be back as soon as my shift is over. Okay? I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mommy.”
My heart squeezes so tightly. I kiss him one more time, then rise up and walk out of the kitchen again. “Here,” I say, handing Scott my keys. “If he needs anything: clothes, snacks, first aid. It’s all there. You already know the layout, so?—”
“I’ve got this, Lottie,” Scott says, palming the keys but holding my eyes. “Go back to work.”
“Thank you. Oh, the number to the diner is on the fridge. So is my cell number. I won’t have it on me, but I’ll check in whenever I can. What’s your number?”
“It’s…” He fishes into his back pocket, withdrawing his wallet. He takes out a business card and hands it to me. “Right here.”
I scoff at it. “You have a business card?”
“Yes.”
“Why does a barber need a business card?”
He smirks. “You’d be surprised.”
“Whatever.” I stuff it in my pocket. ‘Thank you.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m gonna keep saying it because....” I sniff once and wipe my nose on my sleeve. “You have no reason at all to help me.”
“Yes, I do,” Scott says. “And if you keep whispering like this, he’s gonna think something’s wrong.”
I swallow hard. “Right.”
And he’d be right.
Something is very wrong.
“I’ll be back around ten,” I say.
“Have a good day.”
“You, too.” I walk out the front door, then turn back. “Please don’t cut his hair.”
Scott grins. “I’ll try to resist the temptation.”
I step off the porch and walk back to the diner.
By the time I get there, I don’t hate Scott Smolders anymore.
Myself, however.
I hate her more than ever.