Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Anna
“Hey, handsome. Who’s the cutest brunch date in the world?”
I leaned into my backseat and unhooked the baby carrier from the car seat base as I talked to Oliver. He peered up at me, one of the plush horses Ryder had given him stuffed in his mouth. The poor horse was drenched, but Oliver adored them. They’d become his favorite toys.
I pulled the baby-bag strap over my shoulder, picked up the carrier with him in it, and headed into Henry’s Restaurant.
“Hey, Anna,” Elijah, one of the hosts, greeted. “Haven’t seen you for a few weeks.”
“Life’s a little crazy right now,” I told him, nodding affectionately toward my charge. “We’re meeting Olivia. Is she here yet?”
“Haven’t seen her. I assume you’d prefer a table instead of the bar?”
“Right. Babies and bars don’t mix,” I said.
Olivia and I were regulars here for meals and happy hours. Our usual place was at the bar, but everything was different now.
I’d just gotten Oliver settled in his high chair when Olivia found us at our table close to the cozy stone fireplace.
In the warm months, the coveted tables were in front of the wall of windows that looked out over the lake—or on the lakefront deck.
In the winter, I preferred the warmth of the fireplace.
“Hey, you two.” Olivia went up to the baby’s side and bent down next to him. “Cutie Patootie, how’d I get so lucky to have lunch with you? Looks like you have a new friend.”
Oliver stared at her, the horse’s nose in his mouth. Then he held out the toy toward Olivia and said, “Bah!”
“He doesn’t share his horses with just anyone,” I told her.
Olivia took the plushie from him, walked it toward him, and lightly booped him on the cheek, which drew a giggle from him. Then she handed it back, straightened, and took the chair on my other side. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know. Just the usual daily chaos,” I said, grinning. “I’m so happy you could join us last-minute.”
“Thanks for inviting me, even if I was your second choice,” she teased.
“I’m sorry. You know I love you. I miss our happy hours.”
“But you’ve got a permanent better offer now,” she said, her enthusiasm telling me she was genuinely happy for Kemp and me.
“I woke up craving Cash’s chicken and waffles, so Kemp and I were planning to come here for brunch, hit the bookstore for some new board books for this little guy, then take care of the grocery shopping together.”
“Just a blissfully domestic Sunday,” Olivia said.
“Until the dispatcher calls, and it’s not.”
“Bummer.”
“I imagine I’ll get used to it.”
She frowned. “He’s still insisting on doing all the damn things?”
I nodded as Bria, our server, greeted us and gave us the brunch rundown. She finished with, “You guys probably know all that by heart.”
“Guilty,” Olivia said, laughing.
We ordered drinks, and Bria hurried off.
“We missed you at Needles and Nightcaps,” Olivia said. “Magnolia came, and I showed her how to crochet.”
“Good for her. I was all ready to join you guys until Gianna called from the brewery. One of the pumps failed, so Kemp had to go in and fix that right away; otherwise they’d lose a bunch of beer.”
“Losing beer is bad,” Olivia said gravely.
“Very bad. I thought about packing up Ollie and bringing him with me to Rowan’s, but I didn’t want to disrupt his bedtime routine.”
“We don’t want to mess that up for sure,” Olivia said. “That’s why Rowan likes having us over to their place for now.”
“I feel that in my soul,” I said.
“We could always rotate if Kemp is ever on call on Thursdays. I hate that you’d have to miss out all the time.”
“I’d be happy to host as long as Rowan’s okay getting a sitter.”
“These babies,” Olivia said, leaning toward Oliver. “Good thing you’re so cute, because you’re running our lives now.” She used a sweet baby voice, which he must’ve liked, as he offered his precious horse to her again.
Olivia took it, gave it a kiss, then handed it back across the table. “Ew,” she said to me, “that’s a soggy horse nose.”
I laughed. “We’re pretty sure he’s teething. He was a grumpy monkey for several hours last night.”
Bria delivered our drinks and took our brunch orders, then left us again.
“So did I miss anything good Thursday night?” I asked.
“Well, crochet might’ve turned Magnolia into someone who swears.” Olivia laughed.
“It was only a matter of time,” I joked. “She’s a farm girl now.”
“Who would’ve ever guessed that back in the day?”
Magnolia had grown up in the richest family in town.
Her parents were terrible, particularly her dad.
I had no doubt her childhood had been miserable.
Thankfully her dad was out of her life now.
She was engaged to her childhood crush, Luke, and working with her mom on a brand-new nonprofit organization to support women who left controlling men and were trying to start over.
She herself was living proof that it was possible to not only survive but to thrive with the right support.
“I don’t know how she thinks she’ll have time to crochet on top of the farm, Luke and Addie, her business, and now her nonprofit,” I said.
“Hey, we’ll do some crazy things for a girls’ night.”
“Amen to that.”
When Bria served us our food, I got some cereal out and put it on Oliver’s tray, along with a sippy cup of formula. He tossed his horse to the floor and went after the food.
“I was going to show you Thursday,” I said after picking up the horse and setting it aside. “I figured out what to use the special yarn for. I’m making myself a summer cardigan.”
“Yay!” Olivia said. “It’s about time you do something with it. Extra credit for making yourself a pretty.”
“I’m excited to see how it turns out. The variegation is coming out gorgeous.” I dove into my chicken and waffles and let out a little sigh of contentment.
“What’s the pattern?” she asked.
“The sleeves use a fingerling yarn and have a kind of lotus pattern with a puff stitch. The body is a single-double crochet.”
“I can’t wait to see it. Bring it to the next Needles and Nightcaps.”
“Of course. I hope to make some decent progress by then.”
We were nearly finished with our food when she changed the subject.
“So how’d it go with your mom yesterday?” Olivia asked. I’d stopped by the bakery the other day and told her about my plans.
“Worse than expected.” I filled her in on my Tammy encounter.
“That must have sucked,” Olivia said, “but you sound pretty calm about it.”
I couldn’t help smiling, because I was remarkably calm about it.
“Two reasons for that. One, the spa gift card I’d bought for her birthday?
I never gave it to her. Used it for myself instead.
The massage therapist, Claire, who I swear is a goddess in her own right, had a cancellation and gave the spot to me. ”
“Poetic justice. You deserved it way more than Tammy anyway.”
I held up my soda glass to toast. “You’re the best.”
Olivia tapped my glass with hers. “Mean it. I love your mom, but facts are facts. She needs help. What’s the other reason you’re calm? Did one fine brewmaster screw the stress right out of you?”
I laughed. “Hmm. Maybe that was part of it too.” I took a drink and set my glass down, then gave Oliver a few more cereal bits.
“I didn’t realize how much she was weighing my mind down—for years.
It’s like trying to help her is always in here on some level.
” I tapped my head. “And yesterday? I let go of that stress. I feel like I lost twenty pounds.”
“That says a lot.”
“I wish I’d done it long ago. She wasn’t any more ready to help herself yesterday than she was twenty-three years ago.” I shrugged. “I gave my all for way too long. It didn’t do any good. As of now, it’s not my problem.”
“I approve wholeheartedly. You tried so hard to help her, to keep your family intact. The kid shouldn’t be the one who has to do that anyway.”
“Probably not. I’ll always wish for better for her, but yesterday I gave myself permission to walk away.”
“I feel like we should order a martini and really toast to that,” Olivia said.
“One of these days, we’ll do a girls’ night out.”
“You might have to tie that cutie pie to Kemp and run out the door before he can get called away.”
“That isn’t far from the truth.”
“I’m sorry he canceled all your plans today, but selfishly I’m glad I got to see you.”
“Me too. I think I’ll go ahead and take Oliver to the bookstore and do the grocery run anyway. We still need food, and this guy loves his books, especially if they have any kind of tactile feature.”
Olivia pushed her plate away, took a drink, then set it down, her expression becoming serious. “Anna, you know I love Kemp like a brother, but it seems like he’s letting a lot fall on you.”
“He has a lot going on right now,” I said, almost on autopilot.
“I know,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “I’d like to knock some sense into his head, but I know you’ve already tried.”
“Multiple times.” I noticed Oliver’s hand was covered with disgusting cereal mush, so I cleaned him up with a napkin, then turned my attention back to my friend.
“It’s not hard to see why he’s so focused on his dad’s legacy.
There’s stuff all over the house honoring him.
It’s almost as if Kemp moved back home to take over his dad’s role when he died.
In a lot of ways, he had to. He had to take care of Natalie and the house.
But Natalie’s an adult and gone now. She’s moved on, but Kemp hasn’t.
He still hasn’t changed the place other than to redo their bedroom so he could move into it.
I understand why his dad and firefighting are so top of mind. You can’t get away from them.”
“And yet you can’t really say he should take everything of his dad’s down.”
“Exactly. The service awards, the firefighting recognition… That department was a huge part of who Ron Essex was. I don’t want him to hide away anything of his parents if it’s meaningful to him.”
“But the firefighting stuff is pulling him the wrong way.”
I nodded. “In my opinion.”
“I’d like to say it’s his life, but now it’s your life too.”
I couldn’t help smiling, because Kemp’s life and my life were intertwined now. It’s what I’d always wanted. “I know it might not seem ideal, but I love him. He’s my heart, Liv. And this guy too.” I brushed my knuckle across Oliver’s chubby cheek.
My friend managed a smile too, but there was almost a twinge of…
pity in it? Sadness? “I know you love him. I just hope he figures things out, because you handling triple the home and family stuff just because he’s too hardheaded to make good, common-sense decisions?
That could get old fast. When he gets that job—and you know he will—it’ll only get worse. ”
“I know,” I said. “It could be worse though. He could be in the military. Then I’d have to handle it all and not even get him when he sleeps.”
“I wish you the best, my friend,” Olivia said.
“I appreciate that. I better take care of the bill and get moving. I’d like to finish all the errands before this one is ready for his nap.”
Unfortunately I’d waited too long. By the time I changed Oliver’s diaper in the restroom and took him out to the car, he was fussing up a storm.
I didn’t think it was hunger, as he’d eaten baby food before we left home, then cereal and formula at the restaurant.
His diaper was fresh. It had to be teething pain.
Instead of fastening him into the car seat base, I took him out and held him in the front seat, turning the car on for some soothing music and a touch of heat, hoping he would mellow out.
But the longer we sat there, the more he cried, until I didn’t dare take him to the Country Market, let alone the bookstore.
There was nothing to do but take him home, get him some baby pain relief and his penguin teething toy, and replan the rest of my day—again.
As we drove home, with Oliver screaming full throttle now, I bit down on my lip, trying to hold it together. I loved Kemp to pieces and would handle whatever I needed to, but I couldn’t lie. This was hard.