Chapter 18 #2
“And I was being brave, which is why I told her I’d take care of it,” Zane counters.
“Oh, right,” Ashton says, rolling his eyes “But instead of calling animal control, like a normal person, he marches up there with a flashlight, a broom, and”—he points at Zane—“Olivia’s cleaning gloves.”
“They’re yellow with little white daisies.” Olivia’s laughing so hard tears are now coming out of her eyes.
I bite my lip, holding back a laugh at the picture forming in my mind of Zane going up against a racoon.
“Anyway, he climbs into the attic, spooks the raccoon, which in return scares the living daylights out of him. The next thing we know, Zane comes crashing back down the ladder screaming like a little girl, as if he’s being attacked.”
“I did not scream,” Zane says firmly.
Luke smirks. “You absolutely screamed.”
“How do you know? You weren’t even there.” Zane scoffs.
“I may have recorded it and showed him.” Olivia shrugs, batting her lashes innocently.
“Of course you did.” Zane rolls his eyes, and everyone except him laughs.
“What happened?” I ask, needing to know more of this amazing story.
Ashton claps his hands together. “He fell backward into a box of Christmas decorations and came out of the attic tangled in tinsel with glitter all stuck to his face and shirt.”
Wren lifts her glass in salute. “A true hero.”
Zane presses his lips together, fighting his own smile. “For the record, Edna never had another raccoon problem.”
“That’s because you traumatized the poor thing,” Luke says. “It probably told all its friends to stay away.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Zane adds, crossing his arms.
Laughter ripples around the table, filling the small diner and blending in with the clink of silverware and low hum of conversation around us.
MJ’s Diner is really beginning to grow on me.
It’s cozy in the way only a well-loved place can be.
It’s the kind of diner where everyone knows your order and your business, whether you like it or not.
I find it adorable.
As we walked in earlier, I let my fingers trail along the dark wood of an empty booth, my palm flattening against the brown leather seat as I admired the place.
The walls are painted a burnt orange that glows softly beneath the overhead lights.
Toward the front, the paint gives way to exposed brick, decorated with yellowed newspaper clippings and old black-and-white photos of the building before it became what it is today.
It feels less like a diner and more like a scrapbook, one that’s still being added to. And I find myself wanting to add my own memories to the space, to be remembered here, even after I’m gone. Because I don’t want these people to forget about me.
I glance over at Ashton, who’s wiping at the corners of his eyes, his shoulders bouncing as another laugh escapes him. I love seeing him like this. Surrounded by people who know him well enough to tease him and love him in the same breath. Friends who’ve become family.
It used to bother me, thinking about Ashton moving to a small town like this. I worried even more after his wife left, when a piece of him had gone with her, and his smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes anymore. There were nights I’d lie awake wondering if he was lonely here.
Now, I watch him lean closer to Wren as she adds her own exaggerated version of the raccoon story, the sound of his laughter easing the tightness in my throat.
This is truly his home.
Ashton catches me staring and lifts a brow. “What?”
“Nothing,” I say, reaching out to nudge his arm with mine. “I’m just happy to be here.”
His expression softens as he bumps me back. “Yeah, me too.”
This is what I’ve been missing. A place sturdy enough to grow roots of my own, that’s filled with people who show up for one another without having to be asked. For most of my life, it’s only ever been Mom, Ashton, and me. Everyone else came and went.
Friends from high school scattered the moment graduation ended.
College friendships faded somewhere between classes and life moving in different directions.
Then, when I dated Derek, little by little I built my entire world around him until I looked up and realized I’d lost pieces of myself in the process.
When we broke up, most of the people I’d called friends disappeared right along with him. I never really had a tribe before.
A lump rises in my throat as I watch Ashton laugh with the people gathered around him.
He’s surrounded by people who love him deeply, who’ve claimed him as their own, and it feels like a victory.
One he absolutely deserves. The thought fills me with pride for my brother, but there’s an ache tangled up in it too, because I’m wondering what it would be like to have that for myself.
Ashton’s friends have welcomed me with open arms and made room for me without any hesitation, as if me belonging is the most natural thing in the world to them. For one dangerous moment, I let myself imagine staying in Covewood.
I picture myself at birthday parties and Sunday lunches, being included during game nights, and sharing meals together. These familiar faces becoming lifelong friends. Hope flickers to life inside me before reality quickly snuffs it out, because this isn’t my life.
At the end of summer, they’ll all still be here, laughing over shared meals at MJ’s Diner, celebrating holidays and birthdays together, building lives that don’t include me. Because I’ll be gone.
The realization makes my chest ache in a way that almost brings me to tears. I blink hard, forcing the sting from my eyes, as I remind myself that at least Ashton won’t be alone. If this place was only ever meant for him, then that’s enough.
Ashton’s gaze finds mine, his brows knitting together as if he’s reading the thoughts I haven’t managed to hide. I offer him a smile that’s meant to reassure him, but the way his mouth tightens tells me he doesn’t believe it for a second.
He nudges his chin toward the bathrooms. “I’m going to show Maxinne where the restroom is.”
I get up and follow him, but before we are fully out of sight, I turn and see Zane’s eyes watch us. Ashton leads me down a narrow hallway where the hum of the diner seems to fade, stopping outside of the restroom doors. He turns to face me, crossing his arms over his chest.
“What’s wrong?”
I shake my head, pretending like I don’t know what he’s talking about. “Nothing. Why?”
A muscle in his jaw twitches. “Don’t lie to me. You were blinking away tears just now.”
“I—” The words catch, the truth too heavy to explain, so I reach for something else that’s been bothering me. “Have you talked to Mom?”
He pauses, his hands uncurling as he studies my face. “Mom?” he repeats. “No. I’ve been tied up every time she’s called. Why? Is she okay?”
“She says she is,” I answer, though doubt seeps into my voice. “But she sounded off when we talked earlier. And I’ve been so busy trying to help with Dad that I feel like I abandoned her.”
He softens instantly. “You didn’t abandon her.”
I shake my head. “Then why do I feel so guilty every time I talk to her?”
He exhales, stepping closer. “Mom’s always been the strong one. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need us sometimes. We’ll call her tonight. Together.”
My throat tightens. “You will?”
“Of course,” he says, like it’s obvious. “You don’t have to carry everything by yourself anymore.”
That does it. My eyes burn again, but this time, I don’t fight the tears. Ashton wraps his arms around me, bringing me into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry if you’ve felt like you’ve been alone in all of this.”
I shake my head, pulling away from the embrace so I can wipe my cheeks. “I don’t.”
Ashton squeezes my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s not worry everyone.”
After I freshen up in the bathroom, we head back toward the table, laughter greeting us before we slide into our seats. Zane looks up immediately, his gaze finding mine, and I offer him a small smile, one that I hope says I’m okay, or at least I’m trying to be.