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“It is! Our girl’s home. Can you believe it?” Betty cries, wiping at her tears.
Bill doesn’t even wait for his wife to step back before his arms wrap around us both.
“At some point, you two really need to let me breathe,” I tease. “Unless we’re going for the Guinness World Record for longest hug. In that case, carry on.”
“Still a smart-ass,” Bill chuckles, though I can tell he’s getting emotional. And judging by the sting behind my eyes, he’s not the only one on the verge of tears.
“Let me look at you, child.” Betty grabs my arms and takes a step back, looking me over from head to toe. “Well, don’t you clean up nice. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a respectable young lady.”
My heart swells because I know she means every word. Not a flicker of pity. Not a hint of judgment. Just pride.
“Respectable-ish,” I joke.
“Glad to hear the Big Apple hasn’t turned you into one of those high-society types you see on TV. We’ve got enough of them coming into this place as it is. Bill even put up that sign to keep them in check.” She points toward the wall behind the counter.
TAKE THE STICK OUT OF YOUR ASS BEFORE YOU ENTER.
OTHERWISE, GO HOME AND EAT THERE.
“Classy.” I laugh.
“I came up with it myself. I may not be an international bestselling author, but I can string a sentence together every now and then,” Bill says with a wink.
“So the cat’s out of the bag, huh?” I sigh. “Do I even want to know how long it took for the news to spread like wildfire?”
“Gossip that good, honey? Everyone knew before lunchtime. It was all anybody talked about during the lunch rush.”
“Yay for me,” I grumble, sliding onto one of the barstools.
“Oh, don’t be like that. People are just proud that someone so famous came out of this town.” Betty rubs my back.
“People are busybodies,” Bill cuts in. “It’s not pride. It’s envy.” He points a finger at me. “As much as I love seeing you, kid, I’d be on the next bus out of here, if I were you.”
“You think I came by bus?” I laugh.
“Car, bus, plane… how the hell should I know?” He shrugs. “I’m just telling you to get out while you still can before this asshole of a town sinks its claws into you again.” His posture stiffens. “Ain’t no good gonna come from you being here.”
“Bill! Shush now. Can’t we just have a moment with the girl before you go filling her head with nonsense?”
“It’s not nonsense. And our Max knows damn well I ain’t talking out of my ass. Don’t you, girl?”
“As much as I’d love to say otherwise, I’ve been of two minds since I got here too,” I admit. “So I kind of agree with Bill on this one.”
“Oh, hogwash. Don’t let a few rotten apples ruin your stay. Besides, it’s been ages since we’ve laid eyes on you. The last time we saw you was at…” She stops abruptly, her smile faltering.
“My father’s funeral,” I finish for her.
“Yes.” She smiles weakly at me, then glances over to her husband’s. “The years sure do fly by, don’t they?”
“Carl was a good man,” Bill says quietly. “An honest, hardworking man. Shame his heart couldn’t keep up with him.”
What neither of us says is that I was partly to blame for his heart giving out. After losing my mom, the idea of losing me too was more than he could take. So inevitably, his heart simply stopped beating. One day he was there. The next, he wasn’t.
Life is funny like that. You take for granted the people you think will always be there. But nothing is ever guaranteed. Especially who gets to stay in your life and who has no choice but to leave it.
“It didn’t help that he smoked three packs a day and survived on whatever junk food he found at truck stops,” Betty says, clearly trying to lighten the blame off my shoulders. “From where I’m standing, you don’t look like you’ve been eating much better either. You’re skin and bones, Max. Let me fix you some real home cooking.”
Before she can take a single step, Bill moves in front of her. “I’ll make her dinner. I know what the girl likes. You just keep catching up.”
