“You need to tell him,” Mom adds.
As soon as I get what they’re saying, my eyes widen.
“Like hell I do.”
My dad’s eyes narrow in my direction.
“I can’t do it, Dad. I really can’t,” I say, shaking my head.
“This isn’t about you. It’s about your son. It’s about his future.”
I settle back onto the couch and cup my face in my hands.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” I repeat.
“Chrissy, listen to me. You can’t keep this hidden forever. They deserve to know. They’re Noah’s family. You’ll run into them eventually. It could be Samantha, or it could be one of her sons, but you know it’s going to happen.”
“We can’t keep lying to them, baby. It’s not right,” my mom says. “I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt anytime I run into Samantha. I’m keeping her away from her grandson. Noah’s a bright light who brings us so much joy. Sam deserves to feel that, too.”
Her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. My stomach drops as I realize how serious they are about this. They practically tricked me. They took advantage of the fact that I was jobless and about to be broke, and they manipulated me into coming back home. Their hearts might be in the right place, but they had no right to take this choice away from me.
“Forget this,” I say, getting to my feet again. “I decide what happens in Noah’s life. Not you guys—me. I’m his mom and I’m fully capable of deciding what’s best for him.”
“So, what? You’ll run again? You’ll run forever? Is that it, Christine? Did I raise you to be a coward?” Dad questions.
I grit my teeth.
“I’m not a coward, Daddy. But I’m also not ready to ruin a man’s life when I’ve been doing fine with Noah on my own.”
He opens his mouth to say something else but I don’t wait to listen. I grab my keys from the table and exit the house in a rush. I briefly consider going home, but as much as I want to lie down on my bed and feel sorry for myself, I’m an adult. And I’ve got adult shit to do.
* * *
“The tables should be there, Cleo,” I say, directing one of the girls holding a table to a particular area.
I drove to my new coffee shop as soon as I left my parents’ house. They signed the place over to me a few days ago. As a little girl, I always used to think I would end up inheriting the place from my parents. Then I grew up and got it into my head that being a lawyer was the next step and I could make a difference if I did so. Since that hasn’t worked out, my backup plan seems even more amazing.
My parents had been planning to sell the shop since they retired a few months ago. I’m lucky my life went to shit when it did. Otherwise, I would have really been jobless.
Chrissy’s Place is one of the biggest cafés in Arcola. It started out as just a coffee shop, but my parents expanded it as time went on. The building has two stories, with a bakery on the second floor that my parents also own. Their friend Mrs. Lim runs the place.
Coffee is primarily sold at Chrissy’s Place, but we also sell pastries and cakes. We deliver all over town and we’re the best in the area. It’s also a pretty place with a flowery aesthetic. There’s trees and pictures depicting nature painted on the walls. There are various flowers throughout the shop, courtesy of my mom’s influence. She loves flowers. The shop, or bakery, so to say, was my favorite place growing up.
It’s a booming business, and although my plans changed throughout the years, I’ve maintained a certain level of love for the place.
The bell at the front of the shop dings, and I turn around just as someone I wasn’t expecting to see walks in. My eyes widen and I close my hand over my mouth in surprise.
“Oh my God!” I scream just before a head full of blonde curls collapses into me.
I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly to my chest.
“I missed you so much, Chrissy,” Tia says softly.
My parents might have found love with their soulmate, but my soulmate is my best friend in the entire world. Tia’s my ride or die. We grew up together. Our parents lived next door to each other. First walk, first bike ride, first day at school—every first until college, Tia and I did together. And despite not always living in the same time zone, we’ve never strayed too far from each other. She’s my twin flame.
“I missed you too, Tia,” I tell her before I push her off me, a little aggressively. “How could you not tell me you were coming!”
She chuckles. “Chill, chica, it’s called a surprise. Ever heard of it?”