Chapter 3 #2
The big white house had been added onto over the years, but the front porch had remained the same since I was a kid.
Wide weathered wood planks spanned the width of the front of the house.
Dozens of pots and barrels filled the space, overflowing with mums and a few hardy daisies that had survived the cool nights.
I felt a little drunk when I stumbled up the stairs.
Now that I was out of my insane daily schedule, my body was reminding me just how tired I actually was.
Inside, the front of the house was now a huge open space that showcased my mother’s dream kitchen.
A massive sectional couch filled the living room and made a U-shape around the fireplace.
A television was bolted into the stone over the hearth.
I toed off my shoes, grabbed one of the half dozen quilts in a basket by the fireplace, and wrapped it around me before curling into one of the corners of the couch. I didn’t even remember falling back to sleep, but when I woke again, the sun was gone and my stomach was rumbling.
I’d missed out on the fish fries, dammit.
The television was on and my father was watching a highlight show about the last football game. My mother was puttering around in the kitchen and the homey scent of Snickerdoodles urged me up to investigate.
“She lives.”
I laughed and wrapped the quilt around me as I shuffled toward the kitchen. I pressed a kiss to the top of my dad’s head. “Sorry I passed out again.”
“You’re here for rest, kiddo. Don’t apologize.”
I squeezed his shoulder and padded into the kitchen. “Smells amazing.”
My mother smiled as she transferred the warm cookies off the cooling rack to a plate and handed it to me. “I figured it might bring you around.”
“Oh, it did.” I took a bite of the cinnamony, buttery perfection and sighed. “Jessica, my trainer, would slap this out of my hand.”
“Well, she isn’t here is she?”
I shook my head and took another bite. “Sure isn’t,” I mumbled around the bigger bite.
Mom grabbed milk from the fridge and poured me a healthy glass before sliding it over in front of one of the stools along the kitchen island.
I settled my bulky blanket around me and climbed on then took a sip. Icy and perfect. “So good.”
“You have a lot more color than you did last night.”
I sighed. “Yeah, sorry that I scared you. I knew I was pushing too hard, but it was the last night, and I couldn’t let my fans down.”
“You have to take care of yourself, or your fans won’t have you at all.”
I winced. “You’re right.” I was afraid to check my phone to see the aftermath of my collapse on stage.
I just hoped the house lights were down enough that I’d been hidden.
There was nothing I could do about it now anyway. I’d hear from Stevie sooner or later. Heck, she’d probably already blown up my phone. That was tomorrow’s problem.
“Your brother is driving in tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, geeze. Danny doesn’t need to come. He just started his residency.”
“He won’t be happy until he looks you over himself.”
I rolled my eyes. My little brother was a newly minted ER doctor who was fighting for his life—and sanity—at Albany Medical. Haven was about ninety minutes northwest of the capital region.
I finished off three cookies and tried not to feel guilty about it. The glass of milk was also another no-no on my usual diet. However, I wasn’t training to run around a stage for two hours anymore.
I reached across and filched another cookie.
“That is not a proper dinner.”
“I know, but I missed out on the fish fries.”
“Sorry, they don’t really reheat very well.”
I shrugged. “All good.”
“I can make you an omelet.”
“Oh, yes please.”
She smiled and turned away to grab a few eggs from the perpetual basketful next to the fridge.
Ten minutes later I was tucking into a cheesy and tomato omelet and listening with half an ear to the town gossip.
My mind was wandering as she talked about the Halloween parade happening the following weekend.
It was a staple for Haven in the fall and one of my personal favorite things. It was one time where I could sneak around and no one knew who I was.
For the most part, the people of Haven didn’t see me as anything other than Sadie and Thomas Dalton’s daughter, but enough were dazzled by my fame to make things a little tricky sometimes.
A name dented the endless small-town gossip and had me holding up a hand. “Wait, what did you just say about Tate?”
The name itself made something tingle inside of me for the first time in months. Then again, Tate Reynolds had always made me sit up and take notice. He’d been the boy next door for my entire life. The one who made me wonder what boys were all about for the first time as a teen.
But he was a year older than me and just enough out of reach that I never was really on his radar. Except that one, almost moment.
Boy did I dream about his celadon eyes though.
“Didn’t you read my email about Tate?”
I winced. “Sorry, Mom. I was juggling so many things I think I only skimmed it for stuff about you and Dad.”
She gave me an exasperated sigh. “It was a pretty big bit of information, honey.”
“Well, now you get to tell me in person.”
Her eyes sparkled. “That’s true. We’ve been buzzing about it for over a year now.” She pulled out her old, dented pan to steam milk. I’d bought her all the gadgets over the years, but in this I didn’t want her to change a thing.
Well, except that I made sure she got the really good chocolate these days.
I tried to be patient as she gathered her supplies. It had to be a really good story if she was keeping me in suspense.
“I’m sure you’re aware the Reynolds farm fell on hard times.”
I sighed. “Yes. It seems there were quite a few farms in trouble last I knew.”
“Far fewer now.”
“Oh?”
She broke apart chunks of rich chocolate into the pan and stirred slowly. “Tate Reynolds won the lottery.”
I choked on the corner of the omelet I was still nibbling on. “Excuse me?”
“It was an absurd amount of money even after taxes. Instead of hoarding the money to himself as most would do, he decided he wanted to help the town.”
“Memorial in the park?” I said with a smirk. “A bronzed version of him in that quarterback snapback pose?”
“Amber Noel.”
I cleared my throat at the censure in her tone. “Sorry.”
He had looked amazing on the field, that was for sure. I hadn’t been a cheerleader. Nope, I’d been in the marching band watching him from the sidelines. I’d missed quite a few cues thanks to him. I pushed that thought away.
“He actually has given a ton of low interest loans to the farms in the area.”
My eyebrows shot up. Not just a handout. A rush of goosebumps flooded my arms. Haven was full of proud people. The fact that he knew that made another knot in my chest loosen. I didn’t see too many people being kind and smart these days.
Mom poured the steaming hot chocolate into my favorite mug with a squirt of canned whipped cream and a sprinkle of shaved chocolate, then slid it in front of me. I curled my fingers around the warm mug with a sigh.
“But beyond that, he repurposed his family farm into something amazing. You’ll just have to see it to believe it.”
“Your storytelling skills need work, Mom.”
She laughed. “Don’t go on your phone and look it up either.”
I scraped my finger through the whipped cream. “That good? The last time I looked at the town Instagram, it had out of focus photos of the tulips in the park from Mother’s Day.”
“Margaret does her best, but she hasn’t gotten the hang of the cell phone her daughter purchased for her.”
I hid a smile behind the rim of the mug and got my first hit of perfect hot chocolate. I resisted the urge to moan, but just barely.
“Actually, a whole camera crew came to do a special story on him from Good Morning America.”
“How the heck am I not supposed to look that up?”
“I’m telling you not to ruin it. You need to see it in person.”
I slurped up some hot chocolate. “No fun.”
“You’ll get a chance to see it at the end of the Halloween parade.”
“When is that?”
“Sunday.”
“Guess I need a costume.”
“Do I need to get out my sewing machine?”
“Just maybe.” I picked up my mug and took a bigger gulp now that it had a chance to cool.
Maybe this trip home would be interesting after all.