Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
The thing with Stan had fucked with my head, made me realize that even before he thought it was a good idea to fuck numerous guys behind my back, I hadn’t been happy for a while. I wasn’t sad or anything like that. I knew the signs of depression. Been there, done that, kept an eye out for it like a motherfucker, because you never knew if it would attack again. But I hadn’t been happy. I was missing something, and I didn’t know what that was or how in the hell I planned to find it in a small town in Virginia, but hey, a guy had to start somewhere.
Deciding I probably looked like a crazy person staring at a sign while standing on the sidewalk of a town that looked like a postcard, I pulled the door open and walked inside.
The place was pretty full. The white walls were filled with photography—mountains, beaches, and other nature scenes. Eyes darted my way—mostly, I assumed, because I was a new face and no one knew me. I wasn’t wearing eyeliner, but I looked pretty damn good, if I did say so myself, in black slacks and a button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. It was my interviewing outfit.
Mom looked up as she finished talking to people at one of the tables. Her eyes landed on me and widened with joy. I’d noticed that happen every time she turned my way since I’d been there. I’d catch her staring at me sometimes, watching me as if she couldn’t believe I was there.
“Cal! Hey! I didn’t expect you,” she said as she approached me. I hated the name Cal. It was so country, but I didn’t tell her that. She was the only one who used it for me. Anyone else who tried, I always asked them to call me Callum.
“I thought I’d come see where you worked.”
“And…?” Mom prompted.
“I got the job! You’re looking at the new Family Nurse Practitioner at Havenwood Clinic.” Well, as long as my background checked out, which I knew it would.
“That’s great news! I’m so happy for you. Here, come sit down. Lunch is on me.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said, following her to a small two-person table near the back.
“I know. I want to.”
“Okay, but I’m buying dinner.”
“Deal.” I sat down, and she handed me a menu. “Do you want anything to drink other than water?” she asked, and I realized how strange this was, sitting at the café where my mom worked and having her serve me.
“Is it okay that I’m here? At Sunrise, I mean?” I’d come because I’d wanted to share the news about my job with her. I didn’t know why that was so hard for me to say. Why I couldn’t tell her how important it was for me to talk to her about it.
“Yes! Of course. I’m glad you’re here. I love Sunrise. It…makes me happy, and Law is great.”
I could see it in the sparkle in her eyes, how happy she was here—not just at Sunrise, but in Havenwood. My dad would have lost his shit if they were married and she wanted to be a waitress in a café, but it worked for her. It fit. “I can see that. That you’re happy, I mean. And I’m glad for you, Mom. Seriously.” Her eyes misted a bit, but she shook it off. “Just water,” I added. I hated that I struggled to show my emotions with her. I wanted to get over it, but I didn’t know how.
“I’ll be right back.”
By the time Mom returned, I’d already settled on a chicken Caesar salad for lunch. She gave me my water before disappearing to do her job again. Every few minutes, I’d find myself watching her as she hurried around the restaurant. She laughed and chatted with customers and the other employees. Everyone seemed to know and like her, and it hit me that I’d never seen this side of my mom. She had never been this confident and settled with my dad. It was incredible to witness.
She brought my salad not long later, and I wanted to tell her she looked more at ease than I’d ever seen her. That Havenwood fit her, that I felt a little uncomfortable in my own skin too, and that I hoped Havenwood would fit me as well. The words didn’t come out, so I thanked her instead and devoured my salad because it was good as hell.
I was about done when Blond Curls came out—I really needed to stop calling him that. He talked to customers and joked with my mom, before the two of them ended up at my table together.
“Lawson, I’d like you to meet my son, Callum. Cal, I mean, Callum—I know you don’t like that—this is Lawson,” Mom said. My eyes caught his, and I nodded, somehow reading his question.