Chapter 39
Abead of condensation traveled down the side of the large, iced coffee in front of me. My eyes tracked its movements, my mind lost in thought. It had been almost six months since Mom passed away, and the sting of loss still lingered every day. I wasn”t sure if that feeling would ever go away, but the fact that Mom was rejoicing in Heaven with Jesus, no longer in pain, was the thing that kept me going.
I still found it weird to feel both sorrow and joy within me at the same moment. A joy that I had Brant, and things at Whisk Me Away were going well, and sorrow at the reality that Mom wouldn”t be here for any more major life events.
”What”s on your mind, Pumpkin?” Dad”s gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I looked up and gave him a smile, gently shaking my head back and forth.
”Just thinking. Are you doing okay?” I didn”t want to bring up Mom yet. I wasn”t sure how he was holding up, and I wasn”t sure when to broach that topic with him.
Dad sighed. ”I”m alright. Don”t you worry about me,” I knew that was going to be his answer. I just wasn”t sure if I should push for the truth or let him be. It was such a hard balance. He was my dad, but that didn”t mean I didn”t want to make sure he was taken care of. Without Mom here, I felt responsible for looking after Dad. I decided to take my chances.
I shot him a questioning stare. ”Please, don”t lie to me, Dad. I can handle it,” I pleaded.
Dad stared down at the coffee in his hands, almost as if debating whether to give me what I wanted. I waited, allowing the silence to stretch between us before Dad slowly raised his gaze to meet mine. The glossy look in his eyes from unshed tears caught me off guard.
”Most days, I don’t know what to do without her, K,” Dad confessed before breaking eye contact. The slight hitch in his voice broke my heart.
Eden and I might have lost our mom, but Dad lost his life partner. He lost the person he had spent decades doing life with, and I couldn”t imagine the pain he was feeling. I leaned forward and grabbed Dad”s hand in mine.
”I”m so sorry, Daddy,” my voice broke on the last word. His hand squeezed mine, and we sat there holding hands in a comfortable silence.
After a few minutes, Dad cleared his throat. ”We made it through. With the grace of God, we made it through,” his voice was stronger this time, and the look he gave me held both sorrow and hope at the same time.
I gave Dad a weak smile that I knew didn”t reach my eyes and nodded. I knew he was right, but it didn”t make any of this easier. Over the next hour, we sat and talked about less heavy topics, enjoying our afternoon coffee on the front porch. It was Friday, and Aspen was running the bakery today. She insisted I take a day off, and no matter how much I protested, she refused to let me come in. Knowing that tomorrow I would be running the bakery alone while Aspen spent the day with her little guy, I reluctantly gave in.
Grabbing two coffees to go, I brought them back home and convinced Dad to take a break and sit on the porch with me. It was something I did with Mom, and somehow, it just felt right to do this with Dad, too.
”How”s Brant?” Dad asked.
I hadn”t talked much about Brant with Dad, but he knew we were dating.
”Good,” I said with a smile—the same one that took over my face anytime I heard his name. ”He stops in the bakery at least once a day, and we”ve been spending the evenings having dinner and hanging out before I head home. He is the sweetest, and I really like him.” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.
Dad must have noticed because his eyes dropped to my cheeks before they popped back up to my eyes as he chuckled. ”I”m glad to hear that, Pumpkin.”
The sound of gravel crunching beneath tires grabbed our attention, and we both turned our heads to see who had arrived. When I caught sight of Brant”s SUV pulling to a stop, my stomach did a few flips. Brant climbed out of his vehicle and walked toward us. Dad stood as Brant approached, and they shook hands.
”I”ll see you later, K,” Dad said before placing a kiss on the top of my head. ”I love you.”
”I love you, Dad!” I replied before he walked inside the house, leaving Brant and me on the porch.
Brant wasn”t in his uniform today. Instead, he wore black basketball shorts, a black tee, and a Tennessee Titans hat. He also wore black running shoes on his feet. I took a minute to appreciate all that was Brant Landon before my eyes met his. His face had a knowing smirk as he looked down at me.
”Hey, Peach,” he reached out and pulled me into his strong embrace.
”Hi,” I whispered into his chest, loving the feeling of being in his arms. ”How did you know I was here?”
Brant leaned back a little so our eyes could meet. ”I stopped by Whisk Me Away, and Aspen said you were home.”
I hadn”t had a chance to text Brant and let him know I wasn”t going to be working today. I had every intention of being there but Aspen outright refused to let me stay. She told me I needed to take a break and all but pushed me out the door. I reluctantly gave in and went home. I’d been with Dad ever since.
”She was very insistent that I take the day off. I”m not sure why, but when she wouldn”t give in, I decided to bring Dad a coffee,” I was glad Dad opened up a little, but I was still worried about him.
”How”s he doing?” Brant asked, his voice laced with concern.
I took a deep breath before releasing it. ”I”m not really sure. I mean, I asked him how he was today, and he did tell me that he”s struggling, which is obviously to be expected, but I just don”t want him to bottle everything up inside. I hope he”s talking to someone who can help him process.”
Brant nodded. ”I”m sorry, Peach.”
”It”s okay,” I snuggled in close to him. ”Are you not working today?”
”I”m on call, but Randle is taking point today. I came here to pick you up,” I pulled back and admired his handsome, mischievous grin.
”Oh yeah? And what if I told you I already had plans today?” I tried to keep a straight face as I raised my eyebrows at him in question.
Brant threw his head back in laughter. His laugh was deep and rich, and I loved hearing it. ”You”re a terrible liar, Peach.”
I couldn”t help the laughter that spilled out of me. I gave Brant a sheepish grin and shrugged my shoulders.
”I”m not really lying. I was supposed to go look at a house this afternoon. I was going to text you and see if you wanted to come with me.” A look passed over Brant”s face that I couldn”t read, but just as fast as it came, it was gone.
”Cancel,” he demanded. The words sounded harsh, but he still had a faint smile on his face.
”I”ll text Alice to ask if I can reschedule since you asked so nicely,” I said, rolling my eyes and grabbing my phone off the porch swing. I sent off a quick text before focusing my attention back on the demanding man on my front porch.
”What do you have planned, Mister?” I asked sarcastically.
”Go get on your tennis shoes, and we can go,” he smirked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. ”You aren”t going to tell me where we”re going?”
”Nope,” he replied, the ”P” making a popping sound as it left his mouth. ”Now hurry up,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts.
I turned away, hurried inside, and dashed up the stairs. When I had my shoes on and my bag slung over my shoulder, I headed back downstairs and caught Dad standing in the kitchen.
”I”m going to hang out with Brant. Let me know if you want me to grab anything for dinner later,” I jogged over, wrapping my arms around Dad”s waist.
He hugged me back. ”Sounds good. Have fun.”
I nodded and headed back outside to find Brant waiting beside his SUV, looking at his phone.
”Everything okay?” I asked as I approached him.
Brant glanced up and smiled, nodding his head and sliding his phone into his pocket. He rounded the hood before opening the door to the passenger side and ushering me in. Once I was situated inside, he closed the door and went around to climb behind the wheel.
”When do I get to know where we”re going or what we”re doing?” I asked, giving him my best pout and puppy dog eyes.
Brant just chuckled and shook his head. ”Not going to work, Peach.”
I huffed out a breath, only half pretending to be annoyed. I didn”t love surprises because I never knew if I would react the right way. It made me nervous. Would I be the appropriate level of surprised or excited? I folded my hands together in my lap as I glanced out the window. I was so caught up in my thoughts that when Brant”s large, callused hand grabbed hold of mine, it caused me to flinch.
”Someone”s a bit jumpy today,” Brant laughed.
I gave him a sheepish smile. ”Sorry.”
”We are almost there, don”t worry,” Brant reassured me, pulling the hand he was holding to the rest of his center console. Country music was playing softly through the speakers, and I couldn”t help but hum along.
My breath hitched when Brant pulled into the parking lot that led to the hiking trails. I hadn”t been here since the day I got the call that Mom was back in the hospital. Brant”s hand tightened around mine as if he knew at this moment I would need a little extra comfort. Somehow, he always knew.