Page 56 of The Uncomplicated Café
Abby smiled. And one less thank-you note to write after the wedding, too. Her fiancé, ever the pragmatist. “Who’s it from?” She couldn’t think of anyone who would leave a card inside her mailbox instead of handing it to her in person.
“No clue,” Nadia said. “But I know how you can find out.” She tapped the corner of the envelope.
Her friends collectively leaned forward, their expressions openly curious as Abby tore the seal and slipped out the card. When she flipped it open, a small piece of sea glass fell into her lap.
Her heart froze at the sight of the familiar aqua stone. “It’s from Sam,” she whispered in a barely audible breath.
Swallowing the lump of emotion lodged in her throat, she read his note aloud. “‘I don’t really believe in good luck charms. But this sliver of sea glass is my most valuable earthly possession. And the only thing I own that could possibly convey my gratitude for everything you’ve done for me and my son. I hope it brings you good fortune on your special day.’”
Tears welled in Abby’s eyes, betraying her best efforts to keep them at bay. She curled her fingers around the smooth stone, allowing the man’s kind gesture to soothe her wounded heart.
Sam Bailey was a good man. And that needed to be good enough for her.
“Are you okay?” Nadia asked softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I will be.” She smiled up at her friend, wiping her damp cheek with the ruffle of her flutter sleeve.
For the first time since Max left, she actually believed she would be… eventually.
Chapter Thirty-Four
CECE
CeCe pulledinto her private parking spot in the small courtyard behind the café, her thoughts lingering over Abby’s words from earlier that day. What had she said about love?It’s worth cultivating, whatever the cost.
Her friend had made the claim with such heartfelt conviction, CeCe couldn’t help comparing Abby’s outlook with her own reticence toward any emotional risk.
A romantic future with Jayce finally floated within her reach, solid and tangible and oh so tempting. She could still taste his lips on her own and feel his fingertips cupping her face, firm and intentional, driven by an all-consuming desire she’d only ever experienced in her dreams.
Did she dare take the next step despite all the uncertainty? The answer had seemed so clear last night, before the doubts of daylight had crept in, threatening her fragile confidence. Especially considering he’d left so abruptly and still hadn’t called.
Mired deep in her thoughts, she trudged to the side entrance of the café, her heavy footsteps traversing the habitual path in the dusky haze of twilight. As she reached the dimly lit door,the streetlamps flickered to life, illuminating the shadowed alleyway.
That’s when she noticed the shrouded figure leaning against the side of the building.
The man straightened when he spotted her, his angular, stubbled features silhouetted in the soft amber glow of lamplight.
Her chest swelled, strangling her breath. Struggling to process the strange apparition, she blinked several times, waiting for the vision to vanish.
“Hi, chouquette.” The familiar yet foreign voice triggered a deluge of memories, like a beloved childhood melody unlocked from deep within her subconscious.
“Dad?” she asked warily, not trusting her own eyesight. How was it possible? She wanted to throw herself in his arms, to hug him tightly and never let go. But he couldn’t be real. Her brain simply wouldn’t accept such an outlandish scenario.
“You look nice.” His warm, wistful gaze slowly took in her appearance, as if he could picture his little girl behind the grown woman wearing a simple blue sundress, her unruly curls twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck.
“Thank you. You look—” She faltered, still adjusting to the shock. The man standing before her looked exactly the same as she remembered, even though she hadn’t seen him in several months. Somehow, her father never aged. Or was it simply because she still looked at him with the eyes of youth, trapped in the past?
“Like I was buried alive?” He finished her sentence with a wry grin, making light of his traumatic ordeal as he brushed dust from his wrinkled khaki pants.
“Don’t remind me.” Her throat tightened, the worry still fresh in her mind. “I thought—” Once again, words failed her.She wanted to say,I thought I’d lost you. But, in so many ways, it felt as though she’d lost him long ago.
“I know.” He grimaced, his features etched in empathetic apology. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”
“Have you seen Mama?” She still couldn’t wrap her head around how or why he’d materialized on her doorstep.
“She knows I’m here. But I came to see you first.” He hesitated, shuffling his feet. “May I come inside so we can talk?”
For a moment, CeCe merely stared. He’d come to see her first? So they could talk? Surely, she had to be imagining the surreal exchange. “Sure,” she said at last, unlocking the door in a daze. She stepped aside, so he could enter first.
