Page 15 of Domino
“Mark is amazing. I am so happy for you, Missy. You deserve it.”
She reaches across the table and takes my hand, giving it a firm squeeze, as she looks me in the eye.
“So do you, Ash. You deserve love and happiness every bit as much as I do.”
A crooked grin crosses my lips. “I think that ship’s sailed. Maggie and I missed out, and I am no longer sure we get a second bite of that apple.”
“Stop it. Yes, you do. And now that you’re out of that godforsaken town, I have a feeling you’re going to find it,” she insists.
The sun is shining down on us from a sky scattered with white, fluffy clouds. It’s warm, but not too warm, and a breeze blows by us, carrying the scent of the ocean as well as the forest. It’s beautiful and it’s intoxicating.
Blue Rock Bay is definitely a modern town, but it’s got a quaint, small-town appeal to it. Harrison Avenue, which Missy says is the main artery through town, is lined with a variety of adorable mom-and-pop shops. The big box and chain stores are hidden discreetly in other, out-of-the way parts of town where they’re easily accessible, but not so easily seen.
It’s a really different dynamic back home. In Erwin, they fight to get the big box stores into town to begin with, then relegate the homey mom-and-pop shops to the far corners. They proudly display those big chain retailers to prove they’re a modern town and one it’s safe to invest in whereas this city seems to harken back to a simpler time and seems to have the confidence people will invest in it whether they have a Starbucks on every corner or not. The differences between Erwin and Blue Rock Bay are literally night and day.
We’re sitting on the patio, enjoying the sunshine, at a cute little boutique coffee house called Holy Beans. I watch the cars rolling up and down the street and I swear to God, this place looks like something out of 1950’s Americana. There’s just something so wholesome about this town. It seems like the perfect place to raise a family, and I get the idea that Cole and I could be really happy here.
“What do you think of our town?” she asks.
“I love it, Missy. I really love it.”
“Think you can build a home for you and Cole here? I, for one, would love to have you living close by again.”
“Well, I’m living in your guest house right now. Not sure how much closer I can get without Mark getting weird about it.”
She laughs. “Trust me when I say, the man will never get tired of being around beautiful women.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he’s got you to look at when he wakes up every single morning.”
“You’re so sweet,” she says with a smile.
I take a sip of my drink and sit back in my chair. “The first thing I need to do is find a job. Once I have some money coming in, I can pay you guys some rent and take the classes I need to take to get my certification.”
She waves me off. “You are not paying us rent.”
“I really am.”
“Uh-uh. You’re not.”
“Missy, I wouldn’t feel right. I’m living in your house—”
“Babe, all that matters to me is that you’re here, you get on your feet, and you find something, and somebody, who makes you happy.”
It would definitely help me get my counseling certifications faster to not be paying rent, but I was raised to never take handouts. I’m already indebted to Maggie for helping me flee Erwin, and to Missy for even letting me use her guest house. Taking more from them is something I don’t know that I can do.
“Ash, we’re family. You’re the sister I never had, and that’s all there is to it. You’re not paying us rent. You’re going to focus on doing what you need to do, and when this is all over and you’re on your feet, you can take Mark and I out for a nice dinner. With wine.”
The laugh bubbles out of my mouth as the tears race down my cheeks. The depth of love and gratitude I feel for both her and Maggie right now is profound. I honestly don’t know how I ever will repay them for what they’ve done for me and Cole. Above the financial considerations, what they’ve done is give me my life back. For the first time in years, I feel like I can actually breathe.
“So, do we have a deal?” she presses.
Wiping the tears from my face, I nod and give her a watery, wavering smile. “We have a deal.”
“Excellent. Then I may as well tell you, we’ll be going to Salvatore’s. They have the best food in town and a wine menu that’s to die for.”
“Anywhere you want to go. It’ll be on me.”
“I am going to hold you to that.”
