by Tia Siren
“Thank you.” I smiled, feeling good that our child would have such a lovely woman in its life.
“I don’t have any children of my own,” she said. “My husband died very young, and I never met anyone else. He was the one and only for me. So, I never thought I would be a grandma. This is so very exciting. Thank you, both of you, for making me a part of this. Now, let’s get that dinner on the table. This young lady needs to feed that baby.”
“Oh, God yes.” I laughed and following them into the kitchen.
It was a wonderful evening, sitting around listening to stories of Scott from when he was a little boy. I learned about his mother and who she was and got to watch Scott interact with his aunt. I was trying to keep my spirits up, but I was devastated. My own mother was nowhere to be found, and my father hated me. I didn’t have anyone but Whitney in my life who was happy for me and hoping for the best for me. It was discouraging to be the person all alone with no one else to introduce Scott to. I had never felt like this before, and it really made me realize how important the people you loved were.
Chapter 35
Scott
On Tuesday morning, I got up before the sun rose and went out with Landon. We met the realtor who was helping us scope out possible locations for our new hardware store. Landon was motivated to get this done as soon as possible, and so was I. I wanted things to be up and running smoothly by the time the baby was born. So, there was no time to lose, but I had to work around my current job at the construction site. I wasn’t going to give that up until I was entirely sure I could support my family with the store. Our realtor knew Landon’s parents and was down to find us a fantastic deal.
It didn’t take us long to find the perfect spot. In fact, it was the second place we looked at. It was a bit bigger than what we expected, but the price was right in our range. On top of that, it used to be a hardware store and was still equipped with a ton of stuff and would need minimal renovation to get up and going. We walked around the place, taking note of all the equipment that was included in the sale. I could see the excitement in Landon’s eyes, and I was trying to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. That was part of why we worked so well together; we balanced each other out.
“Look at this, dude,” Landon said, calling me over. “They have everything set up for a checkout line, including the belts. All we would have to do is set up a point of sale and a cash drawer. That saves us a huge chunk of money. Not to mention all the shelving that is still here and the equipment in the stock room that is worth a fortune.”
“All of it is included?” I asked, wanting to double check.
“Yes,” the realtor replied. “Everything is included in the price.”
“It’s like winning the lottery,” Landon said.
“That’s an expensive ticket.” I laughed. “But still, I totally can see this working out with little reconstruction necessary.”
“I agree,” he said. “Maybe some new flooring, some fresh paint, and clean up the stuff that is in here, and we would be in business, literally.”
“This place was a hardware store several years ago,” the realtor said. “It went under but not because of the location. This place was always packed. The problem was, one of the partners was crooked, stealing money from his own shop to pad his pockets. He was found out. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, they were closing the doors permanently to this place and leaving everything behind. The owner who was left, he didn’t want anything to do with it. I was told his partner was also his brother, and because of that, the whole family was torn apart. It’s really sad. This place had a lot of customers.”
“Wow,” Landon said. “That’s crazy. It’s pretty much like stealing from yourself.”
“Yeah.” I scoffed. “But you have to think that his brother knew he was capable of something like that. I guess things get complicated when you are family.”
“But not us,” Landon said, putting his arm around me. “Luckily I did not come from your gene pool.”
“Funny,” I said, punching him in the stomach.
I wasn’t worried about anything like that happening between us. We were a solid team, and I trusted Landon with my life and my business. He was one of the most honest people I knew, and with the store being in a great location, I didn’t see how we could go wrong. It was like a dream come true, finding a gold mine like that, and even the realtor was impressed that it was sitting there like it was waiting for us.
“What’s the name of your store going to be?” the realtor asked.
“DJ’s Hardware,” I said proudly. “After both our last names.”
“That’s a good one,” she said.
“It was the first idea we had. Since it sounded perfect, we stuck with it,” Landon replied. “Seriously, it is like freaking fate how easily everything has come together. The only hard part is getting this numb-nut to settle down and get to these appointments.”
“Hey, I have a job,” I said, laughing. “I took this morning off for this, so don’t bust my balls too much. I have a kid on the way, and I have to make sure we are financially good before I up and quit.”
“I know, I know,” Landon said. “I’m just giving you a hard time, dad.”
“That’s right,” I said, straightening my shirt. “Show some damn respect.”
“Okay, you two,” the realtor said with a chuckle. “So, this place is priced to sell. It’s been on the market for quite a while and hasn’t been snagged up yet. I guess not too many people around this town are looking to start a business these days. The price is significantly lower than market value, and I think if you guys are going to make a move, you should put an offer in as soon as possible.”
“Right,” I said. “We were going to grab lunch after this. Can we talk it over and then call you when we are done?”
“That sounds perfect to me,” she said. “I’ll give you guys the file on the property when we leave so you can look over it during your lunch meeting.”
“Lunch meeting,” Landon said. “I like the sound of that, very professional.”
I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him from the store. “Come on, dummy. Let’s go get some food,” I said. “I’m starving, and I have to get to work after lunch.”
“Hey, watch the hair,” he said, laughing.
We took the file from the realtor and headed over to the diner right outside town. We grabbed a booth at the back and sat down before ordering some sodas, burgers, and fries. We talked about the building for a while but had pretty much already decided to put in an offer. The place was too perfect to pass up, and we were ready to get going.
“So,” Landon said after calling the realtor and telling her to submit the offer. “How is Cassie doing?”
“She’s doing good,” I said. “Tired, but good. She met my aunt the other day, and we told her about the baby.”
“Wow, meeting the family,” he said. “So, you two are doing good?”
“Yeah, awesome,” I said. “I decided one night I just didn’t want to be without her anymore, so I made it happen. The next day, we went over to her house and told her father about the baby.”
“Oh yeah? How did that go?”
“Like I expected from Mark,” I said, shaking my head. “He completely lost it and told us to get the fuck out. I could see how bad it crushed Cassie. She is struggling with it; that’s for sure.”
“It’s her dad,” Landon said. “She is bound to have feelings about that. You think he will come around?”
“I sure hope so,” I said. “I’ve seen her pulling away recently, and I think it has to do with him. I wasn’t worried about it until this morning when she barely said two words to me before leaving.”
“Well, she is pregnant, so you need to cut her a little slack,” Landon said.
“I know,” I replied. “But with everything we have been through, I don’t want to lose her again. Her father is important to her, and the longer he takes to come around to the ide
a of us being together with a child, the better. I don’t really know what to do to make her feel better.”
“Give her the D, bro,” he said. “That always makes a woman feel better.”
I laughed. “That’s how we got into this situation to begin with. I don’t really think anything is going to make her feel better short of her father coming back into the picture. I’m trying to be patient with her, but every moment that passes, I’m worried I’m losing her.”
“So go to Mark’s house and talk to him yourself,” he said. “Do it man to man, no bullshit, no putting on airs for Cassie’s sake. Just tell it like it is. He is a businessman. He will appreciate the candor and honesty, I’m sure. All he has to know is how you feel and that you aren’t going anywhere. You need to make him see what he is doing to his daughter.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Mark really isn’t the kind of guy that is going to sit down and have a heart to heart with me—unless he is eating the heart from my chest. He hates me—that’s no secret—but he is also one of the most stubborn people I have ever met.”
“Even more than you?” Landon asked, gasping. “No way!”
“Funny.” I sighed. “Maybe you are right, though. I need to sit down with this man and let him know how his interactions with me are affecting Cassie. He needs to understand what kind of pull he has on her so that he can stop hurting her feelings at every turn.”
“Sounds about right,” Landon said. “Stand up for her, especially from a man like Mark. She will never be able to do it because of that attachment.”
We finished up lunch, ending the conversation on a good note and hoping our offer on the building was accepted. We were both ready to get going. I headed over to work and put in about six hours before the end of the day. When I was done, instead of heading straight home, I pulled out my phone and gave Mark a call.
“What do you want,” he said with a growl. “I thought I made it very clear last time I saw you that I don’t want anything to do with you. You are pretty stupid for going against everything I told you from the beginning.”
“Mark, I didn’t call to fight,” I said. “I’m calling about Cassie.”
“Is she all right?”
“She’s fine physically, but mentally she is messed up over the way you are acting toward me, her, and the baby,” I said. “I’m just being honest here. I wanted to call and see if I could meet you tomorrow night for drinks or dinner, or whatever, and try to have a conversation man to man.”
I knew the chance of him saying yes was slim to none, but I had to give it a shot. Cassie was struggling with her father’s disappearance from her life, and I was afraid that because of that, I was starting to lose her. I had to make the effort.
“Fine,” he said to my surprise. “There is a bar called Ely’s on Park Avenue. Meet me there at seven tomorrow evening. And I want to make it very clear: I am doing this for my daughter and my grandchild, not for you.”
“Understood,” I said. “Thanks for meeting me, Mark.”
He growled something inaudible and hung up the phone. I pulled it away from my ear and chuckled, shaking my head. He was a real-life Scrooge, but I could tell his heart beat true for his daughter. There was no guarantee that this meeting wouldn’t end in a giant, bloody showdown, but getting him to agree to meet me in the first place was a huge step forward. I didn’t want to tell Cassie about it just yet. It would worry her to death the entire time I was gone. I’d go out there, meet Mark, and see what he had to say about everything. From there I could fill her in. Hopefully, what I was trying to do would work, because I wasn’t ready to lose Cassie all over again.
Chapter 36
Cassie
I came out of the trailer and stretched my arms high over my head, wincing at the pain in my lower back. I put my arms down and sighed, feeling like I was ninety-nine years old. I walked over to the picnic table and sat down. I felt like I could fall asleep right there. My motivation for the day had gone right out the window, and there was nothing I could do to get it back. I just wanted to get through that internship and be done with it. I needed the money though, especially since my father still hadn’t spoken to me and I wasn’t sure he ever would again. I had to admit, the last few days had been hard on me. My mind was whirling around everything that was going on, thinking about my father, wishing my mother had been a caring mom, and generally feeling sorry for myself. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but with the hormones, nothing emotional was able to escape my brain.
“Hello, girlie,” Bill said, sitting down across from me. “You okay? You have been looking blue lately.”
“I’m all right.” I sighed. “Just tired, want to sleep all the time, and life keeps throwing me curveballs.”
“That is true. Life has a way of knocking you when you are already down,” he said. “Look, if you want to take the rest of the day off after lunch, go ahead. I got this. I won’t even clock you out.”
“Thanks, Bill,” I said. “I might take you up on that.”
“Good,” he said, standing up. “I’m going to go bust some heads and get them movin’.”
I smiled and watched Bill walk across the site. No one at work knew I was pregnant, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that something serious was going on in my life. I couldn’t hide it anymore. I felt like I was about to burst. I thought when I finally got Scott back in my life, I would feel better about everything, that things would go back to being happy and exciting. But when my father kicked me out of his life, I’d felt like someone had punched me in the gut, and I couldn’t seem to recover from it. It honestly was a terrible feeling, almost like depression, but I knew things would get better, or at least I hoped they would because I felt awful. I wanted everyone to be as excited as Scott’s aunt, to be there for us, motivate us, push us to do better, but instead, my side of the family gave up and walked in the opposite direction. It didn’t make any sense to me.
I had never felt alone like I did then. It felt like the only people I truly had were Scott and Whitney most of the time. My mother hadn’t talked to me in ages, and my father was off on his stubborn, angry kick, making me feel like total shit. Sometimes I started to think I only found happiness in the situation because I had to. My father only acted like he loved me when I was making the choices he supported, and there was no one else. Scott had stuck by me through all of this, but even he had been acting strange lately.
I went back to work, wanting to get the first half of the day done and over with. I was tired of thinking, tired of worrying all the damn time. The sun was hot that day, and I kept a bottle of water on me at all times, not wanting to pass out at the site. When the bell tolled for lunch, I opened my Uber app and ordered one over to me. I barely even said a word to anyone, just hopped inside and headed toward the Chinese restaurant close to Whitney’s parents’ house. We were meeting for lunch that day, and I needed a friendly face.
“Hey, girl,” she said from where she was standing out front. “Where is your car?”
“I left it at my father’s that one day, and now I’m too afraid to go get it.” I smiled. “It’s not a big deal. I’d probably fall asleep at the wheel if I were the one driving.”
“Yeah, let’s keep you in a cab,” she said. “You hungry?”
“I’m starving, like eat-a-rhino starving.”
“Wow, calm down.” She laughed and opened the door.
We sat down and ordered drinks and appetizers, and Whitney watched as I skimmed through the menu, picking out enough food for three grown men. She laughed and shook her head.
“What?” I said. “I can take home what I don’t eat and have it later for a snack.”
“I think it’s cute,” she said. “You are an adorable pregnant woman.”
“I don’t even look pregnant. I look like a really hungry small woman.” I chuckled, feeling better being around Whitney.
“So, how have things been?” she asked.
“Okay,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I met Scott’s aunt, w
ho is the closest thing to a mother he has.”
“How was that?”
“It was great. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and I can tell Scott really does care about her. She was ecstatic about the baby, hugged me a million times. It was nice having someone like that around, although it did make me a little sad. It left me feeling kind of jealous and alone on my side of the family.”
“Did you try calling your mom?”
“Yeah,” I said. “No answer, no call back. And what’s even worse is that over the last couple of days, Scott has been acting weird. I can’t describe it, almost standoffish, making me feel like everyone—except you, of course—is against me. It’s a very lonely feeling.”
“Did you fight?”
“No. Not at all,” I said. “I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining the whole damn thing. Either way, I can’t shake this feeling that something is up, and I don’t know what to do about it. I can’t go accusing people of things they didn’t do just to try to find the answer. My spidey senses are tingling though, girl. Something is up, and I really want to know what it is.”
“Okay, so has he said anything to you?”
“No. Nothing out of the ordinary,” I said.
“Has he stopped doting on you like usual?”
“This morning he seemed a bit distracted, so I kind of sat back and let him do his thing,” I said. “He almost left without kissing me like normal. Usually he makes it a point to tell me to have a good day and kisses me on the forehead.”
“Cassie,” Whitney said, flashing a smile, “that’s pretty weak to go off. I’m pretty sure that in the span of time you to will be together, he will have more than one distracted day, and I doubt him not kissing you good-bye will have anything to do with how he feels about you.”
“So I’m going nuts. Great,” I said.
“No, not nuts.” She chuckled. “But it might be the hormones playing tricks on you. Like PMS on crack, messing with your emotions and making you dissect every little thing. You need to take a deep breath, calm down, and think before you jump to conclusions. If I walked in here and said what you just told me, what would you think?”