Page 18 of A Simple Regret

I open my mouth at the same time Maren does, and the words just fly out. “I’m just helping drop Theo off.”

“My car wouldn’t start this morning, and Camden was just kind enough to give me a lift.”

Ellen smiles sweetly, but I can see it.

She doesn’t believe us.

Maren must sense it too, because she just exhales and shakes her head. “No, really. My neighbor is just being…neighborly. We’re not, you know…”

Her eyes are gentle and friendly, just as they’ve been my entire life. While I didn’t attend Little Learners, several people I know did, including Maren. Ellen has been the owner since she started this place about thirty-five years ago and is a staple in Cooper Town. Her husband was mayor for a single term before a cancer diagnosis forced him to step back and remove the extra stress from his life.

“I don’t want to keep you two. I just wanted to say hello,” Ellen states.

“I’ll see you later, Ellen.”

“Have a nice day,” she sings as we finally push out of the front entrance and return to my truck.

When we climb inside and I start to pull away, my mind is replaying everything that just happened. I gloss over the part where Ellen assumed Maren and I were, you know, back together. Instead, I focus on the safety features that have been upgraded since I was last at Little Learners.

“Was it just me or was that place like Fort Knox?” I ask, merging onto the street to head for downtown.

She snorts and nods. “Yeah, it was never like that back in the day,” she says. “Unfortunately, times have changed since we were kids, and even though this town has always seemed safe, you can never be too careful. I talked with Ellen when I enrolled Theo on Monday, and she said she’s never had an incident there, but the news is full of terrible people doing terrible things, and the children’s safety was a top priority.”

“Smart,” I state as I stop at the sign and turn right. “I’ve never heard of any incident, like you said, but I do think it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“For sure,” she agrees. “They only release children to the name given on the list by the drop-off parent. The front door is always locked, and so are the classroom doors.”

“I noticed that. You can’t go back with him?” I ask, pulling into the small lot next to the coffee shop.

She glances around, confusion written on her pretty face as she answers, “I could on his first day, but ever since then, no, I drop him off at the front and they escort him back. It’s to keep all the kids safe. Why are we here?”

I park and turn off the engine. “I was out of coffee this morning, so I’m grabbing some before I go to the shop.”

As I release my seat belt and open my door, she says, “But…I have to get to work. I have a client at eight thirty.”

“Well, you better hurry then, huh?” I shut my door and start walking toward the coffee shop.

I hear Maren scrambling behind me, closing her door and double-timing it my way. “I can’t get coffee.”

I stop in the lot, hands shoved in my pockets. “Well, the salon is across the street, so it won’t take you but a second to get there.”

She glances over there.

“But I thought since you’ve had a rough morning, maybe you’d be game for one of those froufrou coffee drinks all the women seem to love. I’ll even buy.” I glance inside the shop and add, “There isn’t too long of a line, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting across the street before your first client.”

She hesitates, her eyes bouncing from me to the coffee shop and then to the salon.

“Stay or go, whatever, but I need to get to work.” I’m being rude, but it is what it is. My mama would tan my hide, and still that doesn’t stop me from turning and walking the rest of the way to the coffee shop.

Inside, I’m hit with a blast of warmth with fresh coffee and sugar hanging in the air. I can’t help it, I inhale. Just as I step over to get in line, the door behind me opens. I know it’s Maren without looking. I’ve always felt this…connection to her. I could feel her presence, knew she was nearby without physically seeing or hearing her.

“You don’t have to buy my coffee,” she says as she steps in line beside me.

“I told you I would. I figured you earned it after your crappy morning.”

She snorts and shakes her head. “One of many,” she mutters.

We take a step forward, next to order. “So, Theo. He’s awfully…friendly,” I say, trying to find the right word to describe the outgoing little boy.