Page 8 of Every Sunset
“It is. The town’s pretty quaint too. Good people and decent family owned businesses. I own and run a bar there –Easton’s.”
“It’s all a huge change from what we’re used to. We lived in the city before,” I told him.
“Where abouts?” he asked, and I suddenly realized I was talking way too much. I didn’t want to give him too much information about us, especially now I knew there was a cop - well ex-cop - in the family.
“Shouldn’t you get him inside?” I asked as I nodded to Maddox on the ground. He seemed to be out cold again.
“He’s fine there. Serves him right for getting into that state.”
“I should get back home anyway. Max will worry if he wakes up and finds me gone,” I floundered nervously.
“At least let me walk you back over there,” Logan pushed.
“No. I’m fine, really, but thank you. I hope Maddox is alright.” With those rushed words I practically ran back onto the lawn and across it. I didn’t think I even dared take a breath until I was around the side of our cottage and slipping back through the sliding doors. I locked them behind me, then slid down one of them until I landed on my ass on the floor. That had been too damned close. I needed to be a whole lot more careful about keeping my big mouth shut. I knew it was unlikely anyone would be looking for us, but if they were, the last thing I needed to be doing was advertising who we were, where we were from, and where to find us.
“Mom?” I stood as fast as I could, just in time to see Max coming down the stairs. He looked half asleep, his hair wild around hishead as he rubbed at one of his eyes, and for a moment I was taken back to when he was so much younger, when he used to come into the kitchen straight from bed in search of breakfast, looking just that same way, only so much smaller.
“I’m here, honey,” I spoke up as I stepped into the kitchen and set to work making coffee. It would be sunrise soon and I had no intention of trying to return to sleep.
“What are you doing? It’s the middle of the night,” he groaned as he walked over to me and took a seat at the breakfast counter.
“I couldn’t sleep. You should go back to bed for a few more hours though. You don’t have much of the summer break left to indulge in being lazy,” I reminded him.
“We need to figure out how to get me enrolled at school here.”
“I know. It’s on my list. I need to get the car fixed first though, so we can get into town,” I said. Considering the state I’d just seen Maddox in, I doubted he’d be looking at my beat up old Honda any time soon. “I might walk into town today and see if there’s a local garage that can tow it and repair it.”
“Walk into town? It’s miles, mom!”
“Only three. I’ve walked a heck of a lot further than that before. I walked everywhere before I had you and moved to the city,” I reminded him.
“Fine, but I’m going with you. Should you even be pushing yourself that hard?” he asked with worry.
“It’s been a year since the transplant, Max. I’m fine and exercise is good for me. It’ll be fun. Like the adventures we used to go on in the park, but a bigger one this time.”
“I’m almost sixteen mom. You don’t have to make everything into an adventure for me anymore,” he groaned.
“You used to love our adventures in the city!” I defended with a smile.
I never had much money to entertain Max when he was little, so I used to turn everything into an adventure, including going to the grocery store, or an afternoon in the park. I’d make every trip into some elaborate story, and he always wanted to be a super hero who had to complete missions, even if it was usually just to find milk, or eggs in the store.
“I’m not a kid anymore,” he reminded me again, and I nodded. He was right, he wasn’t. “I might grab my stuff and go for a swim.”
“Okay honey. I’ll make some breakfast when you get back, if there’s anything left in the refrigerator.”
We had been amazed to find the cabinets and refrigerator filled with food when we moved in, provided by Logan we found out when Max texted him to ask. It had kept us going for the last two days, but we would need to find a grocery store soon. It had been incredibly thoughtful of our new landlord though. He really did seem to be one of the good guys from everything I had seen of him, but then again, who was I to judge? I had thought Callum was a good guy too, and look how that ended.
“Mom!” I looked to Max and hated the way he was studying me with worry. “You keep doing that. It’s like you zone out. Are you sure you feel okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just lost in thought. Stop fussing and go take your swim. We’ll eat when you get back, then set out on our new, exciting adventure,” I teased, hoping to make him smile.Instead he groaned dramatically and slapped his hand against his forehead in despair.
“Almost sixteen, mom,” he told me as he got to his feet and strode back upstairs.
Almost sixteen. How did that even happen? He was almost as old as I was when I had him. It wouldn’t be long before he went away to college and started a life of his own. I had no idea what I would do without him if I were honest. I didn’t even know what it was to be an adult without him, and the idea of it terrified me, but I would have to learn. I’d have to find a life and future for myself so that my son didn’t feel he needed to spend his own life worrying about me. I needed to show him that what happened hadn’t broken me, even if it had.
CHAPTER 5
ANNA
