AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She couldn’t think about Galen right now, it was too painful. What about Granny? If she was married and living at the home, she wouldn’t be needing Brenda as much anymore.
If she had no job here, and no Galen, there wasn’t much keeping her in Lake Bittersweet.
Except…she thought about Rick at the SweetBitter Café, who pulled extra shots for her on Mondays. Then there was Kendra Carter, with whom she’d just started to form a real friendship. Would that friendship survive her and Galen’s potential breakup? It probably would; Kendra was cool like that. But what about Carly and the others, Gina and Bliss and Emmaline? She was going to miss them if she left. Friends were worth sticking around for. No one knew that more than her.
And her students… Even if she wasn’t teaching anymore, she knew so many of the kids in town. She loved running into them at the skate park or by the lake while she was walking Olaf.
Olaf.
It was silly, but her little dog loved Lake Bittersweet. He had a big yard here, and there were so many options for walks. He knew the neighbors and got along with all their dogs. And there was fish, so much fish around here. Olaf loved his occasional trout treat.
You’re projecting again. Or Olaf is. You’re the one who loves Lake Bittersweet.
“I’m not leaving,” she said. Slow but firm. “I’m going to stay in Lake Bittersweet.”
“But honey—” her mother protested.
“I’ll take my chances with the school board. I’m going to fight for my job. I don’t think I’ve broken any rules. I have faith that they’ll be fair.”
Granny gave a wide smile and clapped her hands together. “Oh good! I was so afraid you would leave, my darling.” They hugged for a happy moment. “Lake Bittersweet is your home. Once this place gets under your skin, you don’t want to leave. Why do you think I came back after so many years away?”
So many years away…In the back of Brenda’s mind, that phrase sparked a reminder. Something she’d wanted to ask Granny about, but never had. Brenda drew away from their embrace.
“Granny, before I forget again, when I was at LadyBird Rock, I saw Rosalind’s initials painted onto the rock, along with someone else’s. I think it was E.K. Do you know that story?”
Before Granny could answer, Laney stepped between them. “Brenda, you aren’t thinking this through. This is a small town. They aren’t going to accept your spicy secret career. Once word gets out, things could get very unpleasant for you. I’m not sure my PR firm can save you from that. You’ll be much better off simply moving elsewhere. I’m offering you an escape ramp. And quite honestly, I’m offended that you aren’t jumping at it.”
“Mom, why do you assume that just because Lake Bittersweet is a small town, the people here can’t be openminded and tolerant? It’s like anywhere else. Some are, some aren’t. Except it’s a lot harder to look someone in the face and tell them you hate them.”
“Is it? Are you sure about that?” She wheeled on CeCe. “Tell her about those initials. Tell her what that was all about and then we’ll see if Brenda still thinks this is where she wants to live.”
Granny’s eyes popped wide open. “You know about that?”
“Of course I do. You told me the story a long time ago and I never forgot it. Now you’re trying to act like it didn’t happen, that Lake Bittersweet is such a welcoming and accepting kind of place. You think they won’t shun my daughter when they find out who she really is?”
Who she really is? That phrase made Brenda’s jaw fall open. It was almost as if…
Her mother shot her a sidelong glance that said it all. Those wild times in high school, that sneaking out and meeting up with boys, her mother had known about it all along.
And judged her for it. And worried over it.
But worry was one thing. Controlling was another. It hadn’t worked back then, and it wasn’t going to work now.
“Listen, Mom. We need to talk about our arrangement.”
“Let me guess. You want to renegotiate our deal.” Her mother pressed her lips together.
But before Brenda could confirm that yes, that was exactly what she wanted to do, because it was a very fucked-up deal that would never hold up, a knock came on the door.
They all exchanged a glance. Brenda’s stomach dropped. Had the school board made a decision, and sent someone to give her the bad news in person?
“Do you think it’s the school?” Granny whispered.
“I don’t know,” Brenda whispered back. “But we don’t have to whisper. It’s my house.”
“Then why are you whispering?”
Brenda smothered a nervous laugh behind her hand. She was whispering. How silly. She tidied her hair and smoothed out the wrinkles on the tailored blouse she’d worn on the plane. Time to face the music, whatever it was.
