Joyce pats my shoulder, and I see that there are tears in her eyes. How hard must it have been to watch her friend suffer? How hard was it to see my mom in pain? For years, I only thought about myself, I realize. I knew that my mom and Alicia would both be a little sad to see me go, but I also thought they’d get over it pretty quickly.
“I’ve gotta get back to work, kiddo,” Joyce says. The bells chime as the front door opens, and she smiles at me. “But oh, I’m glad you’re back.” On a whim, she plants a motherly kiss on my forehead, and I squeeze her hand before she waltzes to the front of the diner to greet her newest patrons.
I turn back to my food and stare at the pancakes, which are already dripping with syrup.
What the fuck did I do?
And is there going to be any coming back from this?
Chapter Three
Alicia
“Got an interesting visitor this morning.”
I stare at the message on my phone.
Joyce.
We’re so close to the mountains – literally nestled in the side of one – that cell phone service is spotty at best and non-existent at worst. Some people still use landlines or satellite phones to communicate, but I generally just depend on Wi-Fi and different messaging apps to keep in touch with people.
Joyce is no exception.
Now, staring at the messaging app, I wonder what the hell happened after Cage left the office. It’s almost noon now and I haven’t stopped thinking about him. In fact, I’m completely riled up. I’m a total emotional mess. I even called to check on Orlando at school – something I never do.
Shit.
I know Joyce is busy, so I avoid the temptation to call her through the app and get her on the phone. Instead, I quickly type back a reply.
“What happened?”
Instantly, I see the indicator that she’s messaging me back.
“Cage happened. Did he come to see you?”
“Yes. I don’t know why.”
“You didn’t talk to him?”
“Nope.”
“You should talk to him.”
“I’m not ready.”
She sees the message right away, but doesn’t reply to that one just yet. Instead, Joyce makes me wait one, two, and then three minutes. Finally, she responds, and I close my eyes as my phone vibrates because something tells me I don’t what to know what she’s going to say to me.
“You have to tell him, sweetie.”
I read the message three or four times. Finally, I close the app and stare at the turkey-and-cheese sandwich I packed myself for lunch today. The office is empty right now. All of the doctors and nurses went out to lunch. Heather went home to eat lunch with her husband, who is retired. It’s just me left, all alone, and suddenly, I feel it.
I feel so very, very alone.
And I know that Joyce is right.
It’s just that...
Well, part of me thinks Cage hasn’t bothered to be in my life for the last five years. He hasn’t been around me or Orlando. How is he going to react when he finds out that he’s got a kid? How is he going to react when he finds out that not only does he have a kid, but that his mom left everything to me so I could pass it on to him?