Page 107 of Digging Up Love
“I offered her Honey and Hickory.”
Simone looked toward their grandfather. “Is that okay?”
“Why are you asking me? It was your sister’s place to do with as she liked.” Simone set her jaw, and he relented. “’Course I’m okay with it, baby girl. Long as it’s what you want?”
She nodded.
“About dang time.” Everyone’s eyes swiveled toward Granny. “I’m thrilled you made a decision without asking our permission first, Ali.”
“You are?”
Both her grandparents nodded.
“Me too,” Grandpa said. “All I wanted was to see you happy, Alisha. See you whole. I’m sorry if I ever got in your way.”
“Speaking of happy, can we get to the part where our Ali gets her happily ever after with a certain someone?” Granny bobbed her eyebrows. “I’m dying to know how it went with Quentin’s boss.”
The screen door swung open, and Meg stomped in, wearing tall rubber boots and cutoffs, her hair twined into a fishtail braid. “Yeah, Ali. Is Dr.Hot Stuff reinstated or not?”
“Who invited her?” Simone slumped back in her chair, glowering at Meg.
“Hello to you, too, Sim. And no one invited me, but it looks like I showed up right on time. Unless I’m interrupting something?”
“Yes.”
Granny shot Simone a glare. “’Course not, Meg. We’re just all anxiously waiting to hear Alisha’s plan to win Quentin back.”
“I don’t have one. This right here?” She looked around the room. “This is my happily ever after.”
Meg blew a raspberry. “Two thumbs down.”
“For once I concur with Margaret,” said Simone. “Zero out of five stars. Would not recommend.”
Her family needed to back off. Maybe they should’ve started this conversation with a refresher on boundaries. “It’s not meant to be, okay?”
“Are you kidding me, Ali?” Meg crossed her long arms. “You’re deserting me after all, and it’s not even for a man?”
Alisha gave Meg a side-eye. “I thought you were okay with me leaving?”
“I am! Or I was, when I thought you were in full possession of your faculties. But you’re giving up on a future with Quentin for what? Pride?”
Her family and best friend all stared at her, their faces identical, unamused masks. She wanted to roll back the rug and hide underneath. “You don’t know the full picture. He’s not just gone because he got kicked off the job. Before that, the night of the party, I broke up with him.”
“Alisha Marianne Blake.” Granny pursed her lips.
“I was going to stay here in Hawksburg! What would be the point of us dating any longer?”
“The future isn’t set in stone, hon. The least you could’ve done was give it time.”
Alisha hung her head. “That’s what he said. He begged me to reconsider. Said he’d wait years for me to get the restaurant settled.”
“And?” The word rang out in chorus, and Alisha groaned.
“And I sent him packing! Chased him off like a stray dog begging for scraps.” Her stomach curdled at the memory. “I proved to him I’m not cut out for the long haul. I couldn’t even last a month in a real relationship.”
“Not cut out for the long haul?” Grandpa broke in. “Ali, girl, you’reonlycut out for the long haul. If I’m hearing you right, you’ve wanted out of Hawksburg for seven years and not once said a word. If that’s not constancy, I don’t know what is.”
“But dating me almost cost Quentin his job. He’s not going to want to jump back into a relationship.”
