Page 17 of Pour Timing

Matt always had a way of easing the tension, like he just knew I needed to be pulled out of the right now and dropped in a world that was fun and light. He made things easy. And it didn’t get by me that he immediately knew something was wrong when my own fiancé hadn’t noticed me in weeks.

And now, here I am, sitting at Little Red Hen with my ex-boyfriend's mom and a mimosa in hand.

“Do you ever feel like the red chickens are watching you?”

I laugh at her question. The decor here at Little Red Hen is, you guessed it, country and loaded with chickens. I’ve only been here once before, though it’s cute and fun and has quickly become a go-to place when you need to start the day with an amazing breakfast. Or amazing mimosas, in our case.

“Their eyes do kind of follow you, don't they?”

She giggles as she sips her drink. “I guess I prefer the red chickens, as opposed to a blue cock.”

I almost spit my drink back into my glass, nearly choking as I try to swallow. “Mrs. Byrne!”

She gives me a self-satisfied smile. “What? I’m old, not dead.”

I shake my head, still laughing to myself as the waitress approaches. We place our food order along with another round of mimosas, hand the menus back, and I settle in for what could be an uncomfortable conversation. But for some reason, I'm looking forward to it.

“Kylie, just know I think of you as if you were my own daughter. So please know my next sentence is said with love.” She pauses dramatically and it isn’t until I nod for her to continue that she says, “Your fiancé is a complete dickwad and you can do so much better.”

I bubble over with laughter once again and it’s not from the champagne. It's a relief that someone else feels the same way I do.

“Your laughter tells me everything I need to know.” She sits back with a smirk.

I take a deep breath and finish my drink before answering. “You're mostly right. Patrick isn’t a dickwad, but his goals are different from mine. The life I was promised is not what I’m getting. I just don’t know how to end it without hurting him and disappointing others.”

She raises her brow but keeps smirking, not saying a word.

“But in the end, I have to be happy with myself before I can make anyone else happy.”

“And?”

“And that means leaving the relationship, no matter how uncomfortable it’s going to be to end it.”

“Good girl,” she says with a grin. “Kylie, no one is going to fault you for putting yourself first. The first time you introduced me to Patrick, I knew he wasn’t the one for you. But I wasn’t going to say anything until you figured it out for yourself. And I knew you would, it would just take time.”

“I just wish it didn’t take me to the point of booking a wedding date.”

She eyes me over her glass, sipping from her drink. “I have a theory on that.”

“What’s that?”

“You picked our winery because you knew you could get out of it, and we’d support you. I think you chose a safe place because you could fall back on us, as needed.”

“Mrs. Byrne, I?—”

She reaches for my hand. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m so glad you feel comfortable enough with us to trust us with the most important and hardest decision you’ll ever make.”

I squeeze her hand. “You were always so kind to me. And I always felt like you were my family.”

She nods. “We love you and I think we always assumed it would be you and Matt in the end.”

“Me too,” I whisper.

She gives me a soft smile. “How has it been seeing him?”

“It’s been great honestly. And not weird, for the most part. I missed talking to him and I missed being at the winery. Planning this event is as much for him as it is for me, you know? I have such great memories of growing up there and being with Matt and you guys. I’ll never forget your anniversary party. It was one of the best days of my life.”

“Oh, to be young again.” She laughs. “That was a great day. And we’ve had a great life here. And just like I told Matt, don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.”

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