Page 26 of This Heart
“You’re right. You’re right,” I said as I lowered myself back onto the outdoor sofa and grabbed my wine.
“What time do you need to get to The Muddled Moose each day?”
“Well, we open at five for our first dinner reservations, so I usually try to get there around three. That gives me ample time to prepare the bar and restaurant, ensure we have the necessary supplies, and address any pre-opening tasks or concerns that the other managers or staff may have. Since we close before the bar, the night crew cleans the restaurant and kitchen, so that isn’t an issue. I do like to have a short staff meeting before we open, just to make sure we’re all on the same page, no concerns, things like that.”
“Okay,” she said, picking up the notebook once again. “You need to be at The Muddled Moose by three each day. Do you ever take days off?”
“I never did until Winnie came along. I used to take Tuesdays and Thursdays off. It’s important I’m there on the weekends, since it is our busiest time.”
She nodded and kept writing. “Okay. So you want to stick to those two days? Have you ever thought about taking Sunday off?”
I shrugged. “I could. If it means spending more time with Winnie.”
“Let’s put that down on the side for more consideration. The good thing is your nanny wouldn’t have to be here all day, since you leave probably around two thirty to get to The Muddled Moose. She would have a good chunk of her day to do what she wanted. Let’s talk about what time you would get home.”
I thought about it. “If things were going well, I could leave earlier than I have in the past. Maybe between eleven and midnight, most likely eleven.”
Aurora looked up in thought. “So, she would be leaving to head home around eleven thirty, but she wouldn’t have to be back to work until two the next day. That gives you time to address anything with her about Winnie.”
“Correct.”
Smiling, she jotted notes down. “I think that would work, especially if we found someone younger. The only thing is, their weekends would be entirely taken up and they wouldn’t be able to make plans.”
I sighed. “That’s true.”
Aurora tapped her pen against her chin, and I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t noticed her little quirks before, most likely because my mind was always on Hope and getting her better. Or Winnie. “It would be easy enough to give her a break. I could always plan on staying with Winnie either on Friday or Saturday. I close the bookshop on Sundays now, so they can do most of the renovation work without bothering my customers. This way, I can always stay with Winnie on Saturday evenings. Maybe we could make it a tradition of some sort.”
My heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces, and I turned away so Aurora couldn’t see the instant tears in my eyes.
“Liam?”
“I’m okay,” I managed to get out. “Give me one second.”
And she did. That was one thing about Aurora, she gave you the space to deal with your thoughts and emotions. It was one of the things that had first attracted me to her. When Hope had first become friends with Aurora, before she knew about the cancer, she had told me Aurora had a way of just being there for you. She would listen to you and focus on your words, like you were the only thing that mattered at that moment. She didn’t need endless conversation and was comfortable with silence, which I had found grateful during the last six months or so of Hope’s battle with cancer.
Clearing my throat, I looked back at Aurora, who patiently sat there, notebook in hand, with a soft smile.
“Hope wanted to start a tradition with Winnie once she got old enough. She wanted to spend one day a week together doing girly things. Shopping, getting their nails done, working on a craft project together.” I let out a soft laugh. “That was one thing Hope looked forward to after she found out we were having a girl. She couldn’t wait until Winnie got old enough to go and get her nails done.”
I closed my eyes. Winnie would never know her mother the way she should have. What would life be like for my daughter without a woman in it? To teach her all the things a mother teaches her daughter.
“I’m sure Cadie, Harper, and Brystol would all love to take turns spending Saturday afternoons with Winnie.”
When I opened my eyes, I looked at her and smiled. “I’m sure Winnie would love that.”
“I can talk to them, see if we can get on a schedule. With Brystol being a new mom, it might be harder for her.”
I shook my head. “I like your original idea of you and Winnie having the day. Maybe the other girls can give you a break from time to time. Especially if you’ll be dating…what was his name?”
“Gary, and it was just one dinner. I’m not even sure how we’ll get along or if it will go anywhere.”
I instantly disliked this guy, Gary, and the fact that he had asked Aurora out, and she had said yes. Of course, Aurora had no idea of my feelings for her, and I doubted I would ever tell her or act on them. I valued our friendship too much and I wasn’t about to fuck that up again. A question popped into my head, and I decided to ask Aurora. “I don’t remember you mentioning you date very often. When was the last time you had a serious boyfriend, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve dated but have never been able to find the right guy.” She shrugged. “The Book Nook has been such a huge part of my life for so long, I put that in the forefront. I did date this one guy, Todd Merchant, for about four or five months.”
“Todd Merchant? Is he from Moose Village?”
“Oh gosh, no. He lived in Lake Placid,” she said, reaching over and picking up her glass of wine. “For a hot second, I thought he might be the one until I decided to do something crazy one day.”
