Kevin and her mother were in there preparing dinner. It smelled like tuna casserole. How fitting. She hated tuna casserole. They stopped and looked at her.
“Is everything all right, Minnie?” her mother asked, her voice edged with concern.
“It’s about to be.” Katie slammed the front door, and the other two came hurtling down the stairs like elephants.
“Sit.” She pointed to everyone in turn, and they each took a seat. “I’ll talk, and then you can talk, but me first.”
Everyone nodded. Olly and Sophie were wide-eyed; Katie was defiant.
“I’m back because I wanted to see you. I wanted you to know I was okay and that I’d gotten help. I wanted you to know I care enough about you to get well and get my life back together so that I can be your mom again.” Her mother went to speak, and she held up her hand. “I’m not done. What does that look like, my being your mom? I think right now it looks like me living in this town, coming to visit, going to school events, and you coming to me for dinner and sleepovers. It doesn’t look like me uprooting you or making you move. That’s not my intention.”
She saw everyone let out a sigh of relief. “Everyone said . . .” It was Sophie who spoke.
“I know and I’m sorry. We, the adults”—her eyes fell on Kevin and her mother whose assurances had either not occurred or fallen on deaf ears—“we should have done more to reassure you. None of us have done this before, so we don’t know what you need us to say sometimes.”
“Yes, we should have been clearer . . .” her mother agreed.
“Look, I need you to understand that I know the most important thing is you three feeling safe and happy. Maybe one day you will live with me again, I don’t know, but that’s not on the table right now.”
“But you’re staying in town, right?” It was Sophie again; her voice was full of hope.
“Yes. I have a job at the Inn, and I’m making friends and hanging with you guys. I’m staying in town.”
“Good.” Her middle daughter gave her a big smile.
“If you want to ask me anything, just ask, or ask Grandma or Kevin or even Chase or Lucy. Don’t just jump to conclusions, okay? But understand this: It’s not that I don’t want to be living with you, that’s not why you’re here and I’m across town. I’m making this choice for you guys. I do want you to be happy. That really is the most important thing.”
It was true. Partly she wasn’t ready, she’d watched her own mother yo-yo with her sobriety and she didn’t want the kids to go through that if she slipped up. Mainly, though, it was not what they needed right now and that had to come first.
“But we can come hang at your place?” Olly asked.
“Any time. You can sleep over, come for dinner, whatever works. I want to be more than just the woman who comes over with cookies or brownies. I’m still your mom, even if our family doesn’t look exactly like everyone else’s.”
Finally, Katie spoke. “So, you’re putting our needs first, that’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes.” That was exactly what she was saying and doing so felt like the best thing she’d done in a very long time. That and leaving after helping Olly with his math homework but before she was forced to eat tuna noodle casserole.
Mitch was headed to poker night. He’d spent the day showing Harper around the town, including a stop by the bar for lunch. All three of his sisters had come across from Oregon when he’d had his grand opening, but it was different for her seeing it in normal operations.
She’d had some clever ideas about the menus and some of the collateral he had produced since the opening. He probably should have taken better advantage of her design skills when he’d opened as she’d informed him.
“Seriously, Mitch, what is the point of having epic talent like mine in the family if you don’t take full advantage?”
“Who has epic talent?” Sam had come through from the kitchen and joined them where Harper was doodling some sketches.
“My sister Harper. Harper, this is Sam. Did you guys meet when you were here last?”
Harper looked up and blinked as if she couldn’t quite believe who was standing before her, and then she shook it off, giving her hair a flick over her shoulder. “We may have, that trip is a blur.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure we did. I met all your sisters, right?”
“Yes, we’re all so interchangeable.” Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Anyway, Mitch, as I was saying we should rework these, just to make them a bit slicker and more current.”
“Business doesn’t seem to be adversely affected,” Sam commented.
She ignored him. “Business can always be improved. I might take these to a booth and write down some ideas.”
Yep, something was up here. If Mitch hadn’t known better, he’d have sworn there was something up there, but they’d barely met. She was much friendlier when Marissa, Sarah, and Chloe stopped by for lunch and asked her to join them. So friendly, in fact, that she begged off poker night so she could invite them all over to a girls’ night at Minnie’s.
“Is that a good idea, Harper? She barely knows you and you’re inviting people over to visit.”
“Don’t be silly, she’ll be thrilled. Anyway, Marissa messaged her to ask and she was fine with it. Don’t worry, brother, I won’t upset your neighbor.”
“Harper, she’s been through a lot. Please don’t add to her problems.” He’d wanted to add “or mine” to that sentence but he’d held back.
So here he was walking over to Todd’s with a bucket of wings from the bar, a six-pack, and Sam in tow. Sam didn’t usually do poker night, but for some reason tonight he wanted to come.
“I need to expand my horizons, I’m spending too much time at your bar, man,” he’d said.
Mitch was too preoccupied with his own life to care. He had said good-bye to Minnie last night and wasn’t really sure where they stood. She’d been very welcoming to Harper, and she’d been friendly enough when he left, but it was clear she wasn’t initiating any contact beyond what was involved with hosting Harper, and so he hadn’t spoken to her all day and, just like the weekend, he missed her. It was ridiculous. Part of him felt like he was acting crazy. Maybe he was.
“How long—is your sister in town, dude?” Sam asked.
“Not sure, maybe a week. She’s full of surprises, as are all the women my life, so you know, I can’t say.”
Sam mumbled something indistinguishable beside him as they took the front steps to Todd’s place two at a time before announcing that he never stops being amazed that Todd was a full-grown man with a multi-story tree house in his yard.
The man himself flung the door open. Welcoming them and announcing that this evening’s poker night was refreshingly woman-free. He didn’t say refreshingly but Mitch was happy to have a few hours to regain his sanity.
“We bring beer and wings,” he announced, holding his arms high.
“Welcome. Hey, good to see you, Sam.” Todd clamped his friend on the shoulder as they went past. The usual suspects were present: Moose, Mike, Todd, Dave, Jacob, and now Sam. It was a smaller group without the ladies so they were all at one table. Mitch hoped he didn’t have to sit close to Jacob and Drew, he was less than thrilled with the trash-talking the man’s wife had been doing about him and Minnie around town.
“Hey, coach, how are the twins?”
“Awesome. I think the real question is how’s Tori? Being a mom to twins is no joke.”
Mitch considered suggesting missing poker night might be an effective way to help ease that burden but he didn’t. Instead, he just cracked a beer off the six-pack and took a long, slow sip.
Dave came up beside him and gave him a nod. “Hey, man. I hear your sister is in town and your ex is still living with you.”
“Yeah, and I hear your sister is staying down the hall with Minnie. That’s complicated,” Mike added.
“You guys are a serious bunch of gossips,” he ground out. “Cheryl moves out tomorrow, and Harper is st
aying with Minnie because I didn’t know Harper was coming and we had a bedding crisis.”
“I think that’s swell,” Moose said, oblivious, perhaps intentionally, to the gossip. “Minnie is such a great lady. I’m not surprised she’s helping you out. Honestly, if she hadn’t shown up to help at the Inn, I don’t want to think about what difficulties I might have encountered.”
Jacob just came right out with it. “You two a thing?”
Mitch turned his gaze on the other man, and it was not friendly. “We’re friends.”
“I’m just asking.” He held his hands up as if surrendering. “I’ve known Minnie since I was a kid. She’s always been good to me. I only want good things for her.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you could tell your wife that,” Mitch said, his tone leaving nothing uncertain. “I’m not sure people gossiping about her is helping her settle in.”
Jacob, at least, had the decency to look shame-faced. And then Todd stepped in to call everyone to the game, and Jacob took his seat across the table from Mitch, who glared at him every so often throughout the game.
The sounds of laughter met Minnie through her front door. Given she was used to being met by silence, it was a welcomed change. She let herself in to find Harper, Marissa, Chloe, and Sarah all in the condo. Five smiling faces turned to greet her.
“You made it!” Chloe said. “Thanks for letting us use your place. There are no Elvises.”
“And no kids,” Sarah added.
“We made snacks and drinks. This jug is virgin cosmos,” Marissa said, pointing to a clear jug filled with a hot pink liquid that had pomegranate seeds floating in it. “Here, I’ll pour you one. Harper says you’ve been up since the crack of dawn.”
“Actually, she said the butt crack of dawn,” Chloe whispered as if it was quite the most scandalous thing she’d ever heard.
“It wasn’t that early, but thanks, it’s been a long day.”
“How are the kids today?” Marissa asked. Minnie loved how much these women seemed to genuinely care about her children, and she couldn’t help but be touched at how much they’d done to help make their life here easier.
She raised her glass in salute. “Good news. We had a breakthrough.”
The whole room whooped and cheered. She had no idea what, if anything, Harper knew about her and the kids and she didn’t care.
She sat down with a thud, being careful not to spill her drink.
“So, what happened?” Sarah asked.
“I kind of just laid it all out there and told the kids that I was here to stay but they were staying with their grandparents and that was that. I should have done that sooner, I guess, because all the beating around the bush didn’t help make them feel secure at all.”
“You’re not going to try and get your kids back?” Chloe asked, clearly confused by this turn of events.
“I love my kids, and I want to be with them, of course I do, but that’s not what they want or need right now. They lost their Dad and their home in Boston, I was gone, then Lucy moved them up here, they don’t need any more change.”
“What about what you need?” Sarah asked, refilling her glass from a jug Minnie was fairly certain contained non-virgin drinks.
“I need them to be okay.” She smiled and everyone smiled back.
“That’s some serious mother-love there,” Harper declared with a smile. “I bet that’s hard to do.”
“Yeah, well, I see them pretty much every day and they can come here. I’m in their lives. Who knows what will happen down the track when I’m settled. Things might change, but for now everyone is better off.”
The conversation took a turn to discussing Harper’s sudden visit and Minnie wasn’t surprised to hear she’d just gone through a breakup.
“Men suck,” she announced.
“Well, some do,” Sarah conceded, “and then you meet the right one and suddenly they seem less horrible as a species.”
“Yeah, well, I doubt that.”
“Your brother is a good guy,” Chloe suggested.
“He’s okay,” she agreed. “In fact, he needs to be a little less decent and throw Cheryl to the curb.”
“She is moving tomorrow, right?” Minnie asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.
“That’s the plan. I’m going to help her pack just to keep her on track,” Harper said with a wicked laugh. “She needs to go because I think my brother has a thing for someone else.”
Minnie was aware that not just Harper’s gaze, but every set of eyes in the room, fell upon her. Minnie distracted herself with grabbing some cheese on a cracker.
“You know she’s talking about you, right?” Sarah informed her when she did look up again.
“We’re just friends.” The truth was she really wasn’t sure what they were beyond attracted to each other. Since their date had ended abruptly the day before, so much had happened, and it was hard for Minnie to even believe that was just yesterday.
“But you could be more?” This was from Harper.
“It’s complicated, Harper.”
“I don’t see how, you’re both consenting adults, right?”
That was true, and yet there always seemed to be someone or something getting between them, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
“The timing isn’t right.” And then she popped her cracker in her mouth, hoping her inability to speak might end the conversation.
“You can work around that,” Marissa informed her. “After all, if the kids are not here and Mitch is just down the hall.”
“Look, I need to live my life out in the open right now. I can’t be sneaking around, there can’t be secrets,” she informed them. “I need to be doing everything I do with integrity.”
“Sure.” Sarah stepped in. “It’s hard with kids, I know. Todd and I have both houses going, and even though my kids adore him. we’re taking it slowly. We date, we go to dinner, but I still have plenty of time when it’s just the kids and me. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, Minnie.”
“Yeah, well, my reputation is kind of a bit messy . . .”
“Oh please, Patty is the only one in town who is even paying attention and no one cares what she thinks. We’ve got your back, girl,” Chloe chimed in.
They were all sweet and she appreciated their support, but she wasn’t sure they were right. “Thanks. So, Sarah, how’s the dance studio going?”
“I see what you’re doing there, Minnie. Okay, we’ll move on but think about it.”
Chapter 19
Minnie had spent so much time thinking about Mitch she wasn’t sure she could stop if she tried. It was probably why she found herself down doing laundry in the building’s basement long after her friends had left and Harper had headed off to bed. She needed something to distract her from her thoughts, which always circled back to Mitch.
She’d just put her load in and was about to head upstairs while the magic happened when Cheryl walked into the laundry room. She was wearing skimpy sleep shorts and a tiny tank top that left little to the imagination. One thing was certain, if Mitch wasn’t succumbing to her in that outfit he really wasn’t interested.
“So, you’re the neighbor that’s harboring Harper?”
“I’m Minnie.” She extended her hand, which wasn’t taken.
Cheryl gave her the once-over, taking her in from head to toe. Minnie was not unaware her own sweatpants and hoodie were a stark contrast to the other woman’s more provocative look.
“Am I really supposed to believe Mitch is choosing you over me?”
Somehow, Minnie had a feeling that was a question she wasn’t meant to answer. “I guess you can believe whatever you like. Good luck with the move.” She wanted to leave but Cheryl was standing between her and the door, so she was a little bit stuck.
“Whatever Mitch has told you, we have history and we will be together.”
“Oh-kay.”
Cheryl took a step closer, into Minnie’s personal space as if that would somehow be intimidating. Minn
ie had been in far scarier situations with far worse people than this, so she just stood there holding the other woman’s gaze.
“He’ll never choose you. You’re a drunk.”
“I’m a former drunk, but I do take your point that I’m not the obvious choice.” She emphasized the word obvious for effect.
She saw Cheryl blink and consider whether or not she’d just been insulted. “Exactly. I have a lot to offer.”
There were so many things Minnie wanted to say, so many things that weren’t kind and wouldn’t make this situation any better. “You do, and I hope you find someone who appreciates you, Cheryl. Now, I’m heading upstairs.”
And with that, she walked past the woman and back up to her apartment knowing that encounter wasn’t going to help her sleep, because while Minnie was reasonably certain Cheryl wasn’t the best woman for Mitch, she was still fairly certain she wasn’t either.
Mitch had a feeling that Minnie was avoiding him. Somehow, despite his sister living with her for two days, he hadn’t seen her even once. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Maybe once he got Cheryl moved out that would change. For a woman who arrived two weeks ago with just a suitcase, she seemed to have a lot of stuff.
“How did all this get in one bag?” he asked her.
“Oh, I had some extra stuff shipped in, you know, once I knew I was staying.”
Or before, which was probably the honest answer. “Right, well, let’s get things moving.”
He’d had just enough coffee to get him started, and he wanted to get Cheryl out of here by lunchtime when he was hoping to surprise Minnie and take her out. He hadn’t shared that plan with Cheryl but the snail’s pace at which she was moving seemed to indicate that she knew he had somewhere to be other than with her.
“Right, I’ll take the first load down to the van,” he announced.
“Mitchy, are you sure you really want me to go?” Oh brother, he was so sure he would take out an ad in the local paper if that’s what it took to get the woman good and gone. “I really think we could be great together again.”
Any Way You Spin It: An Upper Crust Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 7) Page 16