Page 44 of Pumpkin
“You think I don’t know that! You think these visions arefun? You think I want to know when every member of my family will die and how? You think I don’t still have nightmares about your parents? Because I knew! I knew but I was too young to understand or to doanything to stop it!”Tears streamed down her face, covering her cheeks. “Life is about surprises and choices, yet I have none! I know it all. And every single day I have to sit on a bench across from a fucking bakerybecause I know that the man I love isn’t ready to meet me yet! You think I’m happy?! You think Iwantthese visions? You will never understand the pain of knowledge. You will never know what it is like to see the man you love with another woman! All because it’s not fucking time to meet him yet.
“So yes, Dosia, I saw an opportunity to give you happiness and I took it. Because I love you and I want nothing but you and JJ to finally have the family you deserve.” Her laugh was cynical as she added, “At least one of us should get to be happy.”
Calliope started towards the kitchen, likely heading to the backdoor and her bees. Her hand on the doorframe, she paused. Turning, she said softly, “I am sorry for whatever pain I’ve caused you, Dosia. Please believe me that that was never my intent. He’ll come for you soon, and when he does, I pray you’ll take a breath andlisten. Don’t let your fear of what might be get in the way of your heart.”
CHAPTER 9
Dosia: I’m sorry you found out that way. I honestly was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how, which seems ridiculous now. Please, can we talk?
Dosia stared down at her phone. She’d typed and retyped her message to Pumpkin over a dozen times in the last hour. Every time, she ended up hitting Delete instead of Send. Nothing sounded right. Nothing sounded reasonable. Nothing sounded sincere.
Tossing her phone to the side, Dosia dropped her head onto her arms folded on the counter. JJ was at school. Grandma Solstice was staying at home today and would have no problems picking her up. Calliope was, uh,somewhere. Per Grandpa Marmot, she hadn’t come home last night.
Dosia had no idea what to do about her aunt. Her mind felt all abuzz, and no thoughts were stringing together to formulate a plan. She was still pissed at Calliope. How could she not be? But there was such raw emotion in her aunt’s pleas the night before that it made Dosia moresympathetic, she supposed. Still didn’t help Dosia decide what to do next.
But Pumpkin was her priority. She needed to talk to him before any lawyers got involved. Shit, he was probably alreadyata lawyer’s, and probably an expensive one too. She didn’t have much, which meant that she’d get the losing end of the deal because her lawyer wouldn’t spend that much time on her case. She did not want to have to take out a loan to pay lawyer fees!
Could she get him to understand? Somehow, make him see reason?
Dosia didn’t even know what she was asking for or what the ‘reason’ was. All she knew was she wasn’t giving up her daughter. And there certainly wouldn’t be any shared custody until JJ met Pumpkin and understood more of what was going on. Dosia would not rip JJ from anyone and everything she knew just because Pumpkin wanted to be selfish.
The cowbell rang out, and Dosia had to suppress a groan. She’d gotten almost no sleep the night before, just tossing and turning. But she picked up her head, put a fake smile on her face, and greeted her customer.
“Welcome toWrinkle on—” She stopped when she saw it wasn’t a customer who had walked in.
It was Pumpkin.
Her heart stutteredto a halt as her eyes went wide. And for some stupid reason, the first thing that popped out of her mouth upon seeing him was, “JJ’s not here.” Her voice was nothing more than a squeak.
Pumpkin nodded. He had a silver walker with him today, making her heart ache for an entirely different reason. Had he hurt himself yesterday, walking without his cane? He was slow as he came forward, and Dosia could see the tightness in his mouth and the corners of his eyes. Hewasin pain.
She rushed around the counter. “Are you okay?”
The chuckle that came out of his mouth held a note of cynicism. “Not particularly.” He reached into the inside pocket of his cut and pulled out a bar of white chocolate. Handing it to her, he said, “It’s my version of a white flag. Can we talk?”
This close to him, Dosia saw the colored bags under his eyes and thought perhaps he’d gotten even less sleep than she had the night before. Accepting the chocolate, she nodded, “Please.” Pointing to the corner of the store where she had a seating area next to the kids’ books, she said, “I’ll lock up so we’re not interrupted. I never took a lunch hour today anyway, so it should be fine.”
“I don’t want to cost you customers—” Pumpkin started, but Dosia waved him off.
“What customers? Apparently Tuesdays are extremely slow because you’re the first person to walk in today.” Which was yet another sting to her pride.
Pumpkin started towards the seating area. Dosia hurried over to the door, turned the lock, and flipped the sign to Closed. Then she pulled the shade down out of habit.
Glancing at her hand, she looked at the white chocolate bar. Had he gotten it for the white flag symbolism or had he somehow known that white chocolate was her favorite? She wasn’t sure if she’d told him that six years ago. Even if she had, she doubted he would remember such a small detail.
Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the Children’s section and Pumpkin. He was on the love seat against the wall. The other chairs were way too small for him—other than her rocking chair, which she’d brought from Grandma Solstice’s house. It had been Dosia’s mother’s and had been sitting unused in the attic until last week.
Dosia took a seat in it now, putting herself across the colorful carpet that decorated the hardwood floor in this section from him. It also was the furthest she could sit from him, though that hadn’t been intentional. She needed to feel close to her mom for this conversation.
Neither of them spoke for a long minute. The only sound in the store was from the offices overhead. Shit, she’d forgotten about thatwhen she locked the door. She hoped neither doctor had an appointment any time soon.
Maybe she should go unlock the door. Keep the Closed sign up but give patients the option to enter.
Before she could decide what to do, Pumpkin spoke, effectively distracting her. “I’m sorry.”
Dosia’s eyes flew to his. He was looking directly at her, an expression of sincerity on his handsome face.
Dosia swallowed hard. “Me too.”
