Page 52 of The Uncomplicated Café
CeCe couldn’t lose her dad. Not now, when the two had so much to say, so much to mend.
But what could he do from half a world away?
Chapter Thirty-One
CECE
Numb,CeCe leaned against the railing, the phone limp in her hand. Was Mama still talking? She wasn’t sure. The world faded in and out of focus.
Your father and three others are trapped in the dig site. They were working late. Something went wrong. We don’t know much else yet. They’ve promised to keep me posted.
Her mother’s words still pounded in her ears, increasing the pressure between her temples. Her father would be okay. He had to be okay.
She scrunched her hot, tender eyes shut, hoping for relief.
Jayce took the phone from her hand. “Durene, we’re on our way.”
CeCe’s eyes fluttered open. What did he say?
He anchored his arm around her waist, supporting her weight as he slid the phone back into his coat pocket. “Come on. I’m taking you home.”
Dazed, she shook her head. “You—you can’t. The ceremony. The screenplay.” Her thoughts came in ragged fragments, her emotions torn between conflicting desires. She needed to be with her mother. But Jayce needed to be here.
“Neither of those things matter right now.” He led her off the balcony, back inside.
Too stunned to resist, CeCe wordlessly relented as he helped her into the car—Mia’s brightly colored VW Beetle he’d borrowed for the weekend. The cheerful daisies painted on the side seemed to mock the dire mood.
Instead of driving back to Blessings Bay, Jayce parked at the airport where a private jet waited for them. Normally, she would’ve asked about the logistics—How would they return Mia’s car? How would they get from the small local airport near Blessings Bay to her mother’s home?—but tonight, she didn’t care. Jayce would figure out the details.
CeCe sat perfectly still, staring at her cell, barely registering the plush leather seat or her opulent surroundings. She didn’t even remember Jayce getting her phone from the bathroom. He’d grabbed her glasses, too, and although her eyes enjoyed the reprieve from the scratchy contacts, she still hadn’t shed a single tear. She existed in a state of emotional limbo, praying her mother would call with another update before takeoff.
Jayce sat beside her in supportive silence while her thoughts flooded with all the words she wished she’d said to her father. All theI’m sorrys. All theI love yous.
What if she never got another chance to tell him? What if she’d seen his strong, sun-worn features for the last time? Or never again inhaled his familiar earthy scent of sandalwood soap and dry clay and soil?
At that moment, the abundance of anger she’d carried for so long gave way to an intense ache in the center of her chest. All the milestones he’d missed, the countless times he hadn’t called, the once-close relationship he’d allowed to slip away, suddenly paled in comparison to an entire future lost. She’d give anything for a do-over, a chance to begin again, to fix what they’d broken.
Whatthey’dbroken, she reminded herself. The distance between them wasn’t all her father’s fault, was it? Over the last few years, she hadn’t made much of an effort to stay connected, either. She’d placed the burden of responsibility squarely on his shoulders, reasoning that he was the parent, after all. But did she really deserve a free pass?
The quiet self-reflection continued until they reached her mother’s doorstep. One glance at Mama’s swollen pink eyes released the floodgates holding CeCe’s own tears at bay, and for a moment, they merely stood in the doorway and wept in each other’s arms.
Pulling away, Mama wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sundress. “Come in, come in. I’ll make us some tea.”
As Jayce stooped to kiss her mother’s cheek, something stirred in CeCe’s heart. For the first time that evening, her mind made room for thoughts beyond her father’s safety, to what had transpired between her and Jayce on the balcony—what would’ve been the most glorious, pivotal moment of her life before her mother’s call. She couldn’t help reading into every glance, every display of love and support.
“Thank you for coming.” Mama welcomed Jayce’s embrace, seeming to gather strength and comfort from his presence.
“Of course.” He squeezed her tightly, the way a son would hug his mother.
He’d always been a part of their family, but had things changed between them since their kiss? Was this the beginning of something more? He hadn’t hesitated to come with her, putting her needs above his own. Was it possible he’d give up Hollywood? That he’d choose to stay—withher? Was it foolish to even hope?
The sharp ring of a cell phone interrupted her rumination.
Her mother rushed to the kitchen table to answer it. “Hello? Yes, this is she.”
CeCe held her breath.
Jayce reached for her hand.
