Chapter 4 #2
"Because once my mom decides you're hers, she starts feeding you."
"And there's no getting out of it?" I laugh.
"Not a chance."
"I don't know if I'm ready for that."
"You don't have to be ready. You just have to show up." His expression turns serious again. "That's all family is, Maddie. Showing up. And we'll be right there with you."
I think about what he's offering, not just a job or a place to stay, but a real connection. A family. The thing I've wanted my entire life but never thought I could have.
"Okay," I say, the word barely audible. "I'll try."
"That's all we're asking." He releases me, stepping back with that easy smile. "Now finish your inventory so we can get out of here. I'm starving."
I laugh despite myself, picking up the clipboard. "You're always starving."
"Growing boy." He winks. "Needs his sustenance."
We fall back into comfortable conversation as I finish counting, but something has shifted. The walls I've kept so carefully constructed are starting to crack, and it’s scary as hell.
The couple in booth seven are exactly the kind of customers I love.
They came in around seven, when the dinner rush was winding down but the bar still had a comfortable hum of conversation.
The woman has warm brown eyes and graying auburn hair pulled back in a loose bun.
The man is tall and broad-shouldered, with laugh lines creasing his eyes and a flannel shirt that looks like it's been washed a thousand times.
“Welcome in, I’m Madelyn. What can I get you folks?" I ask, pulling out my notepad.
"What do you recommend?" the woman asks, her smile genuine and easy.
"The burger's really good. Dash makes them himself, grinds the beef fresh every morning. And the sweet potato fries are worth it."
"Dash?" The man's eyebrows lift slightly, something flickering across his face that I can't quite read.
"One of the owners. He and Finn run the place."
"Ah." The woman exchanges a glance with her husband, something passing between them that feels like a shared secret. "We'll take two burgers, then. Medium rare. And the fries."
"Perfect. Anything to drink?"
“I’ll take a Coke," the woman says.
“A beer. Whatever's on tap and local."
I jot it down and head back to put in their order. Dash is at the grill, and when I tell him about the burgers, he just nods, already moving with that efficient precision he has.
When I bring their drinks back, the woman gestures to the empty seat across from them. "You look like you've been on your feet all day. Take a breath for a second."
I hesitate. "I shouldn't."
"The bar's not that busy," the man says kindly. "And we'd love the company."
There's something about them that makes me want to stay. Something warm and safe that I can't quite put my finger on. So I slide into the booth, just for a moment.
"How long have you been working here?" the woman asks.
"About two weeks."
"You like it?"
"I do, actually." The words come easier than I expect. "It's a good place. Good people."
"Finn and Dash treat you well?" There's something careful in the way the man asks it, like the answer actually matters to him.
"They do. They're..." I pause, searching for the right words. "They're good men. Really good."
The woman's smile softens. "That's wonderful to hear. This town needs more good men running businesses."
"Are you from Silver Lake?" I ask.
"Born and raised," the man says. "Lived here our whole lives. Raised our son here too."
"It's a beautiful town. Kind of magical, you know? I didn’t think a place like this really existed until I moved here.”
"It is. Quiet. Safe." The woman tilts her head slightly. "Where are you from, dear?"
"Ohio originally."
"What brought you to Silver Lake?"
"A fresh start."
“God, you’re brave. I don’t know if I could just up and leave everything I know. That must have been hard."
"It wasn't easy. But I'm hoping I can finally stop looking over my shoulder and maybe call this home.”
"Silver Lake has a way of keeping people," the man says. "Once it gets its hooks in you, you don't want to leave."
The kitchen bell rings, and I stand. "That's probably your food. I'll be right back."
When I return with their burgers, they thank me warmly and dig in. I check on my other tables, refill drinks, clear plates. Every time I glance over at booth seven, they're watching me with these small, knowing smiles.
It's not creepy. It's... like they're in on a secret I haven't figured out yet.
About a half hour later I'm wiping down tables when Finn walks in from the back office. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?"
I freeze, the rag still in my hand. Mom. Dad.
I turn slowly and see Finn crossing the bar toward booth seven, his face lit with genuine surprise and pleasure. The couple, his parents, stand to hug him, and I watch the easy affection between them, the way his mother cups his face and his father claps him on the shoulder.
Then Finn turns and looks directly at me.
"Maddie, come here for a second."
My feet move before my brain catches up.
Suddenly I'm standing next to their booth, acutely aware that I've been serving Finn's parents for the last two hours without knowing who they were.
"Maddie," Finn says, his hand finding the small of my back, "I want you to meet my parents. James and Carol Callahan."
Carol's smile is radiant. "We've already met, actually. She's been taking wonderful care of us all evening."
"You—" I look between them, heat flooding my face. "You knew who I was?"
"Finn's been talking about you nonstop for two weeks," James says, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "We wanted to meet the woman who's got our son so wound up."
"Dad," Finn groans, but he's grinning.
"It's true!" Carol laughs. "Every time we call, it's 'Maddie did this' and 'Maddie said that.' We had to come see for ourselves."
I don't know what to say. My throat feels tight, and something warm and overwhelming builds in my chest.
"We didn't mean to ambush you, dear," Carol says gently, reading my expression. "We just wanted to see you as you actually are. Not nervous or trying to impress us."
"And?" The word comes out smaller than I intended.
"And you're lovely," she says simply. "Kind. Hardworking. You made us feel welcome the moment you came to our table."
Finn's hand is still on my back, steady and grounding. "Told you they'd love you."
"You talked about me?" I look up at him, unable to hide the vulnerability in my voice.
"Of course I did." His expression is so open, so honest. "You're important to me, Maddie. To us. My parents needed to know about you."
Carol reaches across the table and takes my hand. Her grip is warm, maternal in a way that makes my chest ache. "Finn told us you've been on your own for a long time. That you've had to be strong and independent because you didn't have anyone to lean on."
I nod, not trusting my voice.
"Well, you're not on your own anymore," she says firmly. "You're part of this now. Part of our family, if you'll have us."
The tears come before I can stop them. Just a few, slipping down my cheeks before I can wipe them away.
"Oh, sweetheart." Carol stands and pulls me into a hug, and I let her. I let this woman I barely know hold me while I cry quiet tears into her shoulder.
"You're going to make me cry too," she murmurs, her hand rubbing circles on my back. "And then James will get all uncomfortable."
"I'm already uncomfortable," James says, but his voice is thick with emotion.
When Carol finally releases me, I'm smiling through the tears. Finn hands me a napkin, and I dab at my face, probably ruining what little makeup I had left.
"Sorry," I say. "I don't usually?—"
"Don't apologize," James says. "You're allowed to feel things, Maddie."
Carol sits back down and pats the seat beside her. "Stay with us for a bit. Your shift's almost over anyway, isn't it?"
I glance at Finn, who nods. "Go ahead. It’s dead in here.”
So I slide into the booth next to Carol, and for the next half hour, we just talk. They ask me about my life. What I like to read. What kind of music I listen to. Whether I've tried hiking any of the trails around Silver Lake yet.
They tell me about Finn as a kid, the time he tried to build a treehouse and fell out of the tree, the way he used to bring home every stray animal he found, how he and Dash were inseparable from the moment they met.
Carol squeezes my hand. "We're glad you're here, Maddie. Really glad. Finn and Dash deserve someone like you."
What are they talking about? Deserve someone like me?
I’m just their employee. The way they’re talking and acting though, it’s like they think we’re something more.
And Finn’s been talking about me since I got here?
I don’t know what to say, so I say what I’m feeling.
“I think I'm the one who's lucky," I say.
"Then you're all lucky," James says with a warm smile. "And that's exactly how it should be."
When they finally leave, Carol hugs me again at the door. “You’ll have to come over for dinner with the boys soon. I'll make my pot roast."
"Okay," I say, meaning it.
After they're gone, I stand in the empty bar, still processing what just happened. Finn comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Told you they'd love you," he murmurs against my hair.
"They came here just to meet me."
"Of course they did. You're important."
I turn in his arms, looking up at him. "I've never had that before. People who wanted to know me just because I mattered to someone they loved."
"You have it now." He kisses my forehead. "Get used to it, Maddie. You're stuck with us. All of us."
And for the first time in my life, being stuck doesn't sound like a trap.
It sounds like home.
Sunday is the only day The Rusty Nail is closed.
I've spent most of it exactly where I am now, curled up on my couch in leggings and an oversized T-shirt, half watching a movie and half dozing off. It's the first day all week I haven't had anywhere to be, and I didn't realize how badly I needed it.
A knock sounds at my door. I frown. Nobody knows where I live.