“Sure.” She took the list and went to work.
“How did it go with the school registration?” Birdie asked.
Zoe made a face and then told everything that had happened.
Birdie shook her head. “You know, I just don’t get people sometimes. Why do they have to make it so difficult for kids to just go to school?”
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I have no idea.”
Twenty minutes later, they had everything wrapped up and ready to go. They rose to their feet and dusted off their pants. “Thank you,” Birdie said.
“You’re welcome. Do you want to have lunch with me?”
Birdie grimaced. “Shoot. Normally, I would say yes, but Lexi called in sick today, so it’s just me.”
“I didn’t know that Lexi worked for you.” Lexi was Zoe’s first cousin. Her dad Dylan was Knox’s brother. Like Zoe, Lexi was the only girl, but she only had two brothers as opposed to Zoe’s five.
“Yeah, she helps out from time to time, when she’d not busy with her song writing.”
Zoe scrunched her nose. “Lexi’s writing songs now?”
“Yep, she’s pretty good, actually.”
“Hmm … good for her.” The last she’d heard, Lexi was waiting tables at some diner in Nashville. It sounded like things were starting to look up for her.
“I agree,” Birdie said decisively, perching a hand on her hip. She gave Zoe a pointed look. “It’s nice to see someone using their talents.”
The comment stung as Zoe’s brows bunched. No wonder she and Mama had never really gotten along. Mama was constantly riding her case about every little thing. Nothing Zoe ever did was good enough. Irritation tapped a hard trail up her spine. “Are you trying to insinuate something?”
Birdie’s response was instantaneous. “No, I’m not insinuating. I’m outright saying that I think you should start sculpting again.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. I just got to town a few days ago.”
“I realize that, but there’s no time like the present to get started. My landlord has another space he could rent you for a gallery. It’s just a couple doors down.”
“Hold the phone. I’m not ready for that. I’m still trying to get my feet on the ground from the divorce. I’ve got enough on my plate with the kids … and everything else.”
Mama threw her a speculative look. “By everything else, do you mean Briggs?”
She flinched. “What?”
“Briggs.” The corners of Mama’s lips quivered. “It sounds like y’all had quite the reunion on Saturday.”
She growled. “Who’s the snitch? Ramsey or Mason?” She clenched her teeth. “My vote’s Mason.”
Birdie laughed lightly. “Oh, now. Don’t go blaming Mason. He’s just worried about you.”
“So, it was Mason! Wait till I get my hands on that loudmouth!”
“Briggs is a good man. He cares about you a lot.”
She pushed out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, obviously. If he cared so much, he wouldn’t have dumped me.”
“It was so long ago. Y’all were so young.” Mama’s voice trailed off.
“That’s no excuse. I loved him,” she said vehemently. “I thought he loved me the same way.” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. The anger, the hurt, it was all there—like a festering sore that would never heal. “Anyway, it’s water under the bridge. It doesn’t matter,” she finished darkly.
Birdie touched her arm. Her expression was contemplative, concerned. “Of course, it matters. Any person with eyes in their head can see that you’re crazy about him.”
“That’s absurd!” Zoe threw her head back, nostrils flaring. She punched her index finger into the counter with every word that shot out of her mouth like poison-tipped arrows. “I got over Briggs long ago, and I dare anyone to say otherwise.” She threw Mama a challenging look.
A smile twitched on Mama’s lips.
“What?” Zoe demanded.
“Are you trying to convince me or you? I saw how you looked at him at church yesterday, or rather how hard you were trying not to look at him.”
A cold, thick panic rose in Zoe’s throat as she swallowed. Was she that transparent? Did the whole town know that she still had a thing for Briggs? Did Briggs know it? How humiliating!
“I wouldn’t be too hard on Briggs. I’m sure he was just trying to let you have space to become the woman you were destined to be.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “The woman I was destined to be? What does that even mean?”
“You’ve got a great gift, Zoe. You should be sculpting.” She looked Zoe in the eye. “Tell me this … have you ever been truly happy when you weren’t sculpting?”
The obvious answer was no, but Zoe wasn’t about to give Mama the satisfaction of admitting that. She chewed on her lower lip. “I put my sculpting on hold so I could be a wife and mother. Is that so terrible?” Her voice broke. “I gave everything to my marriage, and it crumbled to ashes.” She clenched her fist, the all-too-familiar anger licking at her insides like a fire that could never be quenched.
Birdie’s eyes flashed. “There’s no excuse for Carl and what he did.”
“Darn right!” she fired out.
“I’m sorry that you had to go through that, I truly am. And as you learned, no amount of baking cookies or cleaning house could make up for Carl’s shortcomings.” Birdie paused, giving her a forthright look. “You have the two best things of that marriage here in Franklin with you.”
Tears misted Zoe’s eyes as she nodded. “Yes, I do.” She tightened her jaw.
Birdie’s eyes shone with an inner glow. “Being a mother is a wonderful, marvelous thing—the greatest thing.” She paused, jutting out her chin. When she spoke, her voice trembled with the kind of fervor that could rouse an army into battle. “Zoe Eleanor Romeo, you’ve also got it in you to be a sculptor. You can do both.”
Her stomach tightened. “Yeah, that’s easier said than done. There were plenty of days when I hardly had time to get the kids where they needed to be and get home in time to make a decent dinner.”
“Your children don’t need Martha Stewart, they need Zoe Romeo, the fearless girl who was passionate about her dreams.” Her voice took on a note of conviction. “Milo and Madison need to see you pursuing your talents so they’ll know they can pursue theirs. That’s how you can be the best mother—by being the best you.”
She shot Mama a hard look. “Have you been talking to Noah?” When Noah found out that Zoe had turned down the commission for the Gads Art Gallery, he’d nearly come unglued. That whole thing was a huge sore spot for Zoe. After learning that Carl was having an affair with Kate, Zoe had called the museum back to tell them that she reconsidered and wanted to accept the commission. She was succinctly informed that the commission had already been given to another sculptor.
“I just want you to be happy.” Birdie’s probing eyes searched Zoe’s face. “I think you should give Briggs another chance. He had no idea when he called things off that you would marry Carl so quickly.” Her brows darted together. “It all happened so fast. It was like you were in a race to get to the altar.”
Yes, she had been in a race, a race to outrun her broken heart. A lot of good it did her. “It doesn’t matter what Briggs thought.” Zoe sped up her cadence to cover up the slight quiver in her voice. “Mama, I need a man I can trust, a man who won’t hang me out to dry. You of all people know what I’m talking about.”
A streak of pain shot through Birdie’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”
Zoe rushed on. “Let’s say I decide to give Briggs a second chance, what guarantee do I have that he won’t dump me all over again when the going gets tough?”
Birdie let out a long breath. “You don’t.”
Zoe’s head shot up. “See!” she boomed victoriously.
“Just hear me out.” Birdie held up a hand. “There’s something you need—" The sound of the chimes over the door cut her off mid-sentence. Bird
ie shook her head. “Hold that thought.” She adorned a friendly smile as she stepped around the booth to go and wait on the customer.
Zoe began replaying the conversation she’d just had with Mama. She wanted to start sculpting again, maybe even have her own gallery at some point. And, yes, in her heart of hearts, she even wanted to find true love. Her pulse sped up. Was Mama right? Should she give Briggs another chance? Fear churned her stomach. It was too risky. She had to guard her heart at all costs. So, that was a definite no. But sculpting … that was a distinct possibility. She just needed a workspace to make it happen. The ranch was a big place. Zoe was sure that she and Daddy could come to some sort of an agreement. Zoe could start a new project and work on it while the kids were at school. During the summer, she’d have to figure out a time to work when the kids were home, but she could do it. Excitement pinged in her chest. She was going to start sculpting again.
What would Briggs think when he realized what she was doing? Briggs had always been a huge supporter of her art. He would no doubt be pleased. She frowned, realizing the direction her thoughts were taking.
No. No. No! She was entertaining the idea of her and Briggs. That was dangerous territory. Losing him had nearly killed her before. She wasn’t about to go through that again. No way. No how.
Her head got the message loud and clear. Now, she just needed to convey that to her heart.
8
“What in the blue blazes has Madison got waddling behind her out yonder in the yard?”
“Huh?” Zoe rose from her seat and went to stand beside Gina, who was looking out the window over the kitchen sink. Zoe looked, then looked again. For a second, she thought her eyes were deceiving her. Madison was trotting across the yard with a small creature trailing on her heels. “Is that a chicken?”
“It certainly looks like it,” Gina said.
“What is Madison doing with a chicken?”
“That’s Roach, her new pet,” Daddy piped in.
Zoe whirled around to face Daddy who was sitting at the table eating apple slices smeared with peanut butter.
“Madison has a pet chicken named Roach?”
“Yep,” Daddy answered.
A disbelieving giggle rose in Zoe’s throat. “No wonder people out West make fun of the South. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Knox’s brows darted together. “Who makes fun of the South? Let me guess … Carl,” he said dryly.
“Just people, Daddy. It was a generalization.”
“Exactly. That’s why you shouldn’t be generalizing,” he countered.
Zoe looked at Gina and could tell the older woman was trying hard not to laugh. Zoe and Daddy had always gone rounds over silly, insignificant things. One of the worst arguments they’d ever had was over which was sweeter—a white onion or yellow. Zoe said yellow, Daddy white. Zoe knew she was right, but Daddy had never relinquished his stance.
Zoe’s hand went to her hip. “Why in the world would you name a chicken Roach?”
“Because the thing has a bum leg, and it toddles or crawls like a roach.” He shrugged. “It seemed fitting.”
“Is it sanitary for Mads to be hanging around with a chicken?”
Daddy speared an apple slice with the tip of a knife and placed it into his mouth. “Aw, she’ll be fine. Kids need something to take care of at that age.”
“He’s right about that,” Gina added. “It builds character.”
“Thank you,” Daddy chimed in, giving Zoe a reproving look that said, How dare you question me?
“I get the taking care of something,” Zoe said. “Maybe we should get her a dog or a cat.”
“Aw, she’s fine.” Daddy chuckled. “I’m sure you did worse. Remember that time I caught you making mud pies out by the chicken coop. You’d just taken a large bite when I came around the corner and saw you.”
Zoe felt the urge to retch. “Don’t remind me.”
“I remember that,” Gina said with a grin. “Poor Birdie nearly had a heart attack when she found out you’d been eating chicken poo.”
Zoe felt nauseated. “Can we please talk about something else?” This was not a memory she wanted to relive.
Gina untied her apron from her ample waist and folded it neatly. “Well, folks, I’m outta here,” she announced. “I made y’all plenty of food for the weekend.” Her watery eyes flicked over Zoe. “I didn’t want y’all to starve.” She pinched Zoe’s cheek. “This one here’s skin and bones … plum emancipated. We gotta get you fattened back up.”
It was all Zoe could do to halt the laughter in her throat, brought on by Gina’s misuse of the word emaciated. She looked at Daddy whose eyes were swirling with unleashed humor. Gina was a hoot.
“There’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cornbread,” Gina continued. “Also, I’ve got black-eyed peas and ham in the crockpot for tonight.” She wagged a finger. “Y’all be sure and wash the crockpot well before putting it back in the cabinet. Last time, it didn’t get washed the right way.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Knox said, with a faint hint of sarcasm.
Zoe bit back a smile. Gina wasn’t happy unless she was setting everybody straight. “The black-eyed peas smell amazing. Thank you for all of your hard work.” Gina was a phenomenal cook. In the old days, Zoe took Gina’s cooking for granted. Now, she realized what a luxury and blessing it was to have her cooking such wonderful meals. Aside from scrambled eggs and toast, Zoe hadn’t cooked since she got to the ranch. It was kind of nice to get a break, although she was missing a few of her signature dishes, including her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies made from oats and flaxseed.
Gina rocked back, blinking in surprise. “You’re such a dear. Thank you for noticing all that I do around here.” She cut her eyes at Knox. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”
“I appreciate you, Gina,” Knox replied sweetly. “You’re the greatest thing since buttered biscuits, and we’d all be lost without you.” He spoke in a flat tone as if reading the words from a script.
Gina grunted in response as she shook her head. She looked at Zoe, beaming. “This one right here is a keeper.”
“Amen,” Knox boomed.
A feeling of tenderness welled inside of Zoe as she gave Gina a hug that enfolded her in soft fleshy arms and a pillowed bosom. Zoe caught a scent of baby powder, mingled with ham. With her snow-white hair that looked like it had been curled with hot rollers and her shapeless dresses, Gina was a throwback from a bygone era.
Daddy leaned back in his chair as he stretched his legs and propped his hands behind his head, his elbows sticking out at right angles. “What’re you and Hank up to tonight?”
Gina’s eyes danced with anticipation. “Hank’s taking me to the catfish house out by highway ninety-six.”
Daddy clicked his tongue. “I see how it is. You go off and eat catfish while you make us peas.” His eyes shimmered with teasing.
A deep flush came over Gina’s full cheeks. “Oh, now, stop,” she blustered. “Ain’t nothing wrong with black-eyed peas.”
“Nope. Nothing at all. It just ain’t catfish. I see how you are,” he taunted.
Gina’s face turned deep red as she waved a hand. “This one loves to get my goat.” She threw Knox a glare. He just laughed. “See y’all on Monday.” She smiled sweetly at Zoe. “Have a good weekend. Be sure and keep that one out of trouble … if you can,” she retorted before grabbing her purse and ambling out.
“Same old Gina,” Zoe said, shaking her head. “She looks great. How’s she doing with her health?”
“Pretty good. She has to take medicine for her type 2 diabetes, and she gets tired easily. I tried to talk her into slowing down and maybe coming in half days or every other day, but she won’t hear of it.”
“This house, taking care of our family, it’s her life.”
“Yep, it is, and she does an outstanding job.” He grinned. “Just don’t tell her I said so.”
She shook her head, chuckling. “Don’t worry. Y
our secret’s safe with me.”
He pushed back the chair next to him. “Have a seat. I wanna talk to you about something.”
Wariness trickled down her spine. “Okay.” It had been a week since Zoe and the kids had arrived at the ranch. So far, the kids seemed to be doing fairly well, despite the mountain of homework they brought home, even on the weekend. It was astounding to Zoe how much homework elementary school kids could have … and at the end of the school year!
All week long, Zoe had fretted over how she would act or what she would say if she ran into Briggs. However, it hadn’t happened. Briggs was obviously avoiding her, which was probably for the best, although it was strangely disappointing. She didn’t even want to analyze herself to determine why she was missing a man she’d not been around in years. She was living off memories of the past, and there was a good chance that the present-day Briggs would pale in comparison to the one she had built up in her head.
She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs. “What’s up?” she asked casually.
He drummed his fingers on the table, his probing eyes moving over her with the thoroughness of a bulldozer lifting away the top layer of dirt. “How ya doing, honey? Are you starting to feel a little more settled?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose. As settled as I can be considering the circumstances.”
Concern flicked over his rugged, windswept features. “I hear Carl’s been giving you a hard time of it.”
She blinked in surprise. “Where’d you hear that?” Her mind filled in the blanks. “Jaxson told you.”
He nodded.
Jaxson had gotten home from Atlanta the day before. As rotten luck would have it, the minute he walked in the door, he found Zoe in the living room, having it out with Carl over the phone. She huffed out a breath, crossing her arms over her chest. “Our family really needs to learn the art of keeping things under wraps,” she muttered, “especially when it comes to personal matters.”
“What’s the situation with Carl?” Daddy asked, neatly sidestepping her barbed comment about the family.
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