Chapter 15 #2
“My entire life was shattered in one night,” I whispered as I wiped the tears from my face.
A napkin brushed my hand, and I glanced over at Kim as I took it from her, realizing that she and Jamie were crying almost as hard as I was.
Martha’s face was also streaked with tears, and she took a napkin when Kim offered her one.
“I’m trying so hard to pick up the pieces, but I have no idea what I’ll do with them if I ever can. ”
“You’ll lean on Memphis, and you’ll lean on us,” Martha said. “We’ll be the glue that helps seal them back together. Give my grandson a chance, and know that no matter what happens, you can always come to one of us if you need support.”
Kim laughed through her tears. “I’ve sat at this table and sworn I couldn’t take any more.
I don’t even remember now what half of my complaints were about.
After just a few minutes with Martha at the kitchen table, I was able to pull myself together and jump back into the fray.
She’s like my mom that way–a solid presence you know you can always count on, even when all you want to do is choke her son until he’s speaking in tongues and his eyes bug out. ”
“I’ve considered that myself a few times,” Martha admitted as she picked my mug from the table and walked into the kitchen. Changing the subject abruptly, she said, “I can tell you’re not a coffee person, Cassia. I’ll heat some water so you can make yourself a cup of tea.”
“Thank you,” I said, wondering how she knew.
“It’s the least I can do for my almost-granddaughter, don’t you think?”
“You think I should marry Memphis?” I asked.
“I think you should go where your heart leads you. It’s already led you to Rojo and settled you into his house. Now, make that house a home for you and your daughter, and keep the door open for Memphis to find his place inside.”
“I barely know him.”
“There’s no time like the present to change that, is there?”
◆◆◆
MEMPHIS
I looked at Cassia and found her watching me again. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded having a beautiful woman’s attention, but the look on her face worried me. She looked thoughtful at times, sad at others, but not once had I seen her smile.
That didn’t extend to her interactions with everyone else in the shop–especially Ivy, who was the star of the show today.
Just like me, my siblings wanted to get to know her–or as much as one can know a toddler with a mercurial temper and the ability to transform from a giggling sweetheart into an angry demon in a heartbeat.
She’d only done that twice so far, but a single stern look from Cassia immediately stopped what I was sure could’ve become a full-blown tantrum if given the chance. My mom had given me that same look at least a million times. Even though I didn’t see it often anymore, it still worked on me.
Luckily, Ivy had become fast friends with my brother Adam’s daughter, Aurora, who was only five months younger.
Aurora didn’t spend nearly as much time at the shop as Ivy would, but she knew her way around and showed Ivy all the best hiding places, along with the bucket of tools she was allowed to play with.
Soon, the toddlers had them strewn everywhere.
When Cassia came back from her walk to the house to grab a hoodie, she brought an entire bag full of small toy cars for the kids to play with.
My brothers and I ended up on the floor with the girls, just like we used to do when we were children, and played cars with them for quite some time.
I knew my parents were walking down memory lane watching us together. I caught Mom with tears in her eyes more than once before she sat on Dad’s lap and he wrapped his arms around her while they watched us.
My sister-in-law, Emerald, sat nearby talking to Cassia.
I was happy to see the two of them laughing together even though I knew they were talking about us.
Cassia seemed to have earned Emerald’s stamp of approval, which was pretty hard to do because she was a tough nut to crack.
Their amusement made me smile, and their laughter got even more boisterous when Cassia’s sisters and mine came back to the shop with a few of my cousins in tow.
Now everyone was gradually trickling home, and I wasn’t surprised when I caught Ivy yawning before she crawled onto Cassia’s lap for a snuggle. I glanced over at my dad and said, “I think that’s my sign. Time to go home.”
“Word to the wise, son–keep her awake long enough to bathe her, or you’ll be washing motor oil off your sheets tomorrow.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. She’s got some pretty pink bedding that Cassia probably wouldn’t want stained.”
Mom laughed before she said, “That’s why none of you had light-colored bedding, and why all our furniture is dark brown leather. It’s the only way to hide the grime.”
“Another good idea,” I said as I leaned down to give my mom a kiss on the cheek. “I had a good time today. Thanks for including Cassia in everything.”
“You’re going to marry her,” Mom said calmly. “It might take some time, but if you work hard enough, you’ll make her the happiest woman on earth, Memphis.”
“What?” Dad asked loudly.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Mom assured him, patting his chest.
Dad frowned at me. “I’d appreciate that.”
“Nothing’s set in stone yet, but I have a feeling we’re going to be discussing that option after we get Ivy to bed tonight.”
Dad gave me a couple of comforting pats on the back. “You know how to treat a woman, son. She’ll appreciate the effort you put in, whether it’s friendship or partnership. I’ve got faith in you.”
“You always have. That’s why I love my life.”