Page 4 of Make Me Whole
Chapter Three
HAILEY
"SO… THERE HE was; pants around his ankles, his eyes bouncing between the two women and all he could say was: Oops."
"No!" I cried, tears of laughter leaking from my eyes. Mavis had been entertaining me with too-good-to-be-true stories from guests who had stayed on the ranch. I'd been laughing so much, my tummy ached.
A sobering thought slammed into me at that very second. When was the last time my cheeks were damp because of happy tears? I couldn't even remember. If the lightness in my chest was anything to go by, coming here was definitely the right thing to do.
Without thinking about it, I jumped off my stool and flung myself at Mavis. Her arms instantly closing around me. "Thank you." With my face pressed against her shoulder, my whispered words were barely audible.
She'd heard them all the same.
"Whatever for, child?"
I held on a little longer before I slowly pulled away, but not enough to break our contact. Somehow, I needed that connection. "I needed this."
Her hands came up to cradle my face; her touch so motherly I almost choked on the sob that wanted out. "I know for a long time you thought you were, but Hailey, you were never alone. Never. And for as long as I live, you never will be." I swallowed hard as she continued. "I wanted to come see you at the center but they advised me not to." The regret I heard in her voice burned bright in her hazel eyes.
I shook my head vehemently. "I was in a bad way, Mavis. I didn't want anyone to see me like that."
"Oh, child." She pulled me to her chest again, and I allowed the comfort her hug offered to seep into my pores and soothe some of the ache in my chest.
"Ugh, Mavis. You're not going to believe what just—"
The sound of the unfamiliar voice had me quickly pulling out of Mavis' embrace. I turned to find a tall, blonde woman standing in the entrance of the kitchen, an apologetic look on her face.
"So sorry for the rude interruption," she said, focusing her big, bright smile on me. "I didn't realize you were here already. Although," she paused to hook her thumb over her shoulder. "The green Honda parked outside should've been a dead giveaway."
I could feel the excitement roll off her as she hastily approached me, sticking her hand out for me to shake. Pasting on a smile I hoped didn't look forced, I pressed my palm against hers. "It's so great to finally meet you, Hailey." The confusion I felt must've shown on my face because she quickly explained, "Oh, Mavis never stops talking about you. I feel like I know you already."
Ice cold dread wrapped its fingers around my throat and squeezed. I felt the accusation work its way to the surface, and I had to swallow hard to will it back down. Mavis wouldn't betray my trust in any way.
I had to believe those words were true, otherwise the only hope I had left would be completely destroyed. As if she'd sensed the direction my thoughts had taken, Mavis' fingers brushed over my elbow. It was a whisper of a touch, but I felt the reassurance in it.
"I'm Talia, by the way." Her smile turned even sweeter, her blue eyes sparkling with sincerity. She released my hand and turned her attention to Mavis. "The new guy quit before he even began."
A sound of shock came from Mavis as she meandered back to the fridge and pulled out a covered dish and what looked like a can of squirty cream. Talia slipped onto one of the stools and motioned for me to do the same. Rubbing her palms together, she grinned, "You're in for a treat."
Just then, Mavis placed the now uncovered dish—that held a delicious looking pie—between us, followed by three plates and the cream. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the air the second she sliced into the pastry. My eyes followed her as she served each of us a healthy portion before squirting an even healthier amount of cream on top.
I picked up my little fork and shoved a decent bite into my mouth, humming in approval when the cold pastry melted on my tongue. Talia's eyes crinkled at the corners in pure delight. Aiming her fork my way, she declared, "Told you so."
We continued to devour our pies in a comfortable food-lulled silence. Only when all three of us pushed our plates away did Mavis speak. "What now?" she aimed her question at Talia, who simply shrugged.
Picking up her tea, Mavis regarded me over the rim of her glass for a long, long minute. I was at the point where I wanted to ask her if I had cream on my face or something when she turned her attention back to Talia.
"We need someone by tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah." Talia toyed with the top button of her pinstripe shirt. "That would be ideal otherwise I foresee a lot of late nights for us all."
Mavis fingered the edges of her silver-streaked inky hair. "I might have a solution." Before she'd even finished her sentence, I'd known what she was getting at. I had zero time to protest before she spoke again, "Hailey could help out."
Talia immediately sat up straighter, hope brightening her features. "It would certainly take a load off."
My gaze flicked between the two women before settling on Mavis, giving her a pleading look. In answer, she raised her brow. "You need a job, don't you?"
Nibbling on my lip, I conceded, "I do. But…I don't know anything about working on a ranch."
