When We Let Go, Delancey Stewart [early reader books .txt] 📗

He made a noise. A cross between a sigh and a “humph.” There was no way I could twist it in my mind to sound like, “I’m happy to see you, too.”

I realized, as he stared at me with cold eyes, that I might possibly have sacrificed the one relationship that mattered in my life in service to the cold broken shell of my marriage to Jack.

“Do you have time to talk?” he asked.

“I will in about fifteen minutes when my shift ends. Do you want something to eat or drink? Can you wait?” I was talking fast, nervous.

“Yeah.” He turned around and walked away, taking the seat across from the woman at the table. I followed him, picking up menus from the counter as I passed.

I put the menus down in front of Cam and the woman, and smiled at her.

“You must be Jess.”

Her smile widened and she stood up, offering her hand for me to shake.

“Maddie, it’s so nice to meet you finally.”

I took her hand smiled at her. “You too.”

A strange look crossed her face and she pulled me into a hug. I stood awkwardly in her embrace for a second, before I managed to hug her back. I released her, and I wanted to thank her for keeping a tiny strand of connection between Cam and me, for making sure this relationship didn’t die completely. But Cam was sitting at the table seething over his menu, so I just nodded.

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” I said as she slid back into the booth. Cam looked upset, definitely. Not mad, exactly. His expression was unreadable and it was making me wildly nervous. I had no idea what to do, so I ended up standing, holding my order pad before me.

“It’s so great to finally meet you, too. I think we’ll need a minute,” Jess said.

I nodded and went back behind the counter.

Miranda was staring at me, her eyes full of questions. I bowed my head as I walked toward her. The full extent of the damage I’d caused to the relationship I’d once had with my brother began to weigh on me like an iron veil placed atop my head. I could hardly stand beneath it.

“Who is that?” Miranda asked quietly.

I was trying to stop tears from gathering in my eyes as I squatted down beneath the counter and pretended to organize empty salt shakers on a shelf. “My brother. And his wife.”

Miranda nodded. I could see the questions in her eyes, but I knew that even she wouldn’t ask them when I was about to burst into tears. “Let me know if you need any help,” she said, putting a hand on my back.

I smiled at her and took a few deep breaths before standing up. “I think Chance and Sam could use some more coffee,” I said, hoping to distract her. It worked. She immediately flushed and dropped the pen she’d been holding. As she bent down to retrieve it, her head made fierce contact with the edge of the counter, making a resounding thump.

“Oh!” she cried. She stood back up, a hand on her forehead and a distressed look on her face. “Thanks for trying,” she said. “It’s hopeless. I can’t even form a sentence around him.”

I glanced at Chance. He was deep in conversation with his brother. “Just go ask if they need coffee. Then ask what they’re working on,” I suggested. “It’s dead in here. You have time to chat.”

“I’ll probably pour coffee on him.” Miranda stared at the countertop, looking doubtful beneath her dark-framed glasses.

“Hey,” I said, drawing her eyes up again. “You’re a gorgeous funny woman. He should be so lucky.”

She half-smiled.

“Just go chat.”

“Easier said than done.” She picked up the coffee pot and walked slowly around the counter. I could tell she was working hard not to trip.

My brother’s eyes were on me the second I glanced back over. He raised a hand to signal me and I headed back to his table.

If Cam was going to treat me like any other waitress, I’d treat him like any other customer. “Have we decided?” I asked brightly. “The tuna melt is great, by the way.”

Cam’s eyes narrowed. “You hate tuna,” he said.

For some reason, that small admission that he did know me, that I was not just a waitress, nearly crippled me. But I wouldn’t let him see it. I smiled even wider. “True,” I quipped. “But not everyone shares my awesome taste.”

Jess smiled, but Cam simply ordered a cheeseburger and soda.

“For you?” I said, addressing Jess.

“Just an iced tea, please,” she said.

“Eat something.” Cam’s voice had changed and I took a second to try to figure out what was going on. His voice was almost a plea, and he’d reached a hand across the table to his wife. “Please.”

She shrugged. “I guess I’ll try the tuna melt, then.”

Cam looked relieved and I went to put their order in. Cam didn’t look at me or speak to me as I brought their drinks, and a bit later, their food. But Jess was always ready with a welcoming smile. My shift ended while they ate, and I took some time to clean myself up in the bathroom, to reapply a bit of lip-gloss. It felt like a thin defense against whatever might be coming.

Miranda had been standing at Chance and Sam’s table for at least five full minutes, and I watched as Chance said something that made her laugh. She was adorable, and I hoped Chance could see it. He was engaged in the conversation, his light eyes on her face, and his posture opened toward her. Sam wasn’t ignoring her either, and I wondered for a moment if she might just have her choice of the village’s two most eligible brothers. Miranda deserved it. As I watched, though, she seemed to stumble over her own foot, taking a huge step back as she braced herself on the edge of their table. The coffee pot skittered across the tabletop spewing its contents and knocking Sam’s plate into his lap as the silverware hit the floor with a clatter.

I rushed over with a towel to help as Sam was getting up. He was using his napkin to stop the tide of coffee spreading toward him across the table from the spinning pot. Chance got up too, but he was at Miranda’s side, holding her arm. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Miranda was blushing furiously, “Fine, fine,” she managed, leaning forward to retrieve the pot.

I sopped up the spill with a towel, and Miranda gathered the plates and turned on her heel, disappearing into the kitchen. A quick glance at Chance found him watching her go. “She’s pretty adorable,” I suggested.

Chance’s smile widened, but Sam added, “She’s kind of a disaster.” He did not look amused at the pie and coffee staining his khaki pants.

“That’ll wash right out,” I told him.

“Thanks Maddie,” Chance said, leaving a twenty on the table anyway. “Will you make sure Miranda gets her tip?”

“Sure thing,” I told him. They left and I knew Miranda would be beating herself up in the back, but I needed to get back to my brother.

Cam and Jess had finished, their dishes pushed to the end of the table. Jess hadn’t touched her food. I removed the plates and dodged quickly into the kitchen. Miranda was peering into the small round mirror on the wall, smoothing her hair.

“It’s safe, they’re gone,” I told her.

She turned wide blue eyes on me. “I’m mortified,” she said. “I told you I was a mess around him.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think he cares,” I told her. “He didn’t look upset in the least. He watched every step you took away from him. There might be something there.” I hugged Miranda as her face cleared and her smile grew.

“Hopefully Sam hasn’t already told him any horrible stories from school.” Her lips pulled into a comical frown.

“I didn’t know you went to school with Sam.”

“He graduated the year ahead of me. He was always popular, and I was always tripping on things and embarrassing myself.” She looked at her feet. “So nothing’s changed, really.”

“I’m sure a lot has changed,” I told her. “And besides, Chance can draw his own conclusions. I have to go find out why my brother drove all the way up here,” I told her. “Can’t be good.”

Her expression changed as she peered through the kitchen window to glance at my brother and Jess standing by the door. “Good luck,” she said, looking as uncertain as I felt.

We went outside and I turned to Cam. “Do you want to follow me up to the trailer?”

“Trailer?”

“Oh. Yeah, the house isn’t finished. I’m staying in a trailer for a bit.”

“It won’t sleep all three of us.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I tried to imagine Cam and his tiny wife being happy on the bunks in the back. “Um, it does have bunk beds.”

Cam ran a hand over his short hair and looked around. “I don’t care at all … I mean, I hadn’t planned for us to stay anyway.” He was looking at Jess, who was sagging slightly at his side. “But Jess is tired.”

She smiled, but there was something else in her face, something that made me worry about her. Something was wrong here.

“There’s the lodge,” I said, pointing to the end of the parking lot. “It’s the slow season, I’m sure they have room.”

Cam nodded