Mom entered the living room with a gigantic bag of sidewalk chalk.
"One large bag of sidewalk chalk coming right up."
"Thanks, Mom. If I would've known it was going to be such an intense search, I wouldn't have said anything."
"Oh, it's no bother. I knew I had some. It was just a matter of remembering where."
She came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"I thought I heard your voice. How's my girl?"
"I'm good. I came to check on you and dad. It looks like he's ready for a nap, and you look like you're buried in chalk."
She looked down and dusted her pants off. Mom was the kind of grandmother who always kept fun toys and games on hand to keep her grandkids entertained.
"I guess I do look a little dusty."
Abby grabbed a folding chair to take outside.
"I'll be outside with the kids if you need me."
"Okay, dear."
"Rebecca, would you like something to eat?"
"I'm good, Mom. I can't stay long. I'm supposed to be working from home this afternoon."
"Oh, okay. Well, I won't hold you up now, but when you have a chance, I have some legal papers I want to show you."
"Legal papers? Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine. It's about your uncle's estate. After he passed away a couple of years ago, he left a few things to the family. Anyway, I thought all of that was sorted out a long time ago. I barely understand all the legal jargon, so when you have some time, I'd like to sit down and go through everything."
"I can take a quick glance at it now if you'd like."
"No, no, you need to get your work done. We'll sit down sometime soon, on a day when you're not working."
"Okay, I'll leave it up to you to remind me. On another note, how has Dad been?"
"You know your father, Rebecca." She spoke more softly.
"He still has his days, where he struggles to remember things. He's also as stubborn as a mule, which makes my job more difficult."
"Maybe he's not aware of just how bad it is?"
"I don't know. Some days are good and other days not so much. I'm worried that the latest tests are going to come back with more severe results."
"Really?"
I followed mom to the back, where we could talk more freely.
"I watched his father struggle with the same thing. I'm not trying to speak it into existence, but the behavior looks so familiar. Just keep praying for your father, and let's hope that I'm wrong."
"I will. And, I want you to promise me you're going to remain positive. Besides, it's not like Dad hasn't been to see the doctors before. I'm sure they would've told us if there was something more severe going on."
"Maybe."
Mom didn't seem to be as optimistic, but she did live with Dad and was able to see everything firsthand.
"Don't forget to stop by Payton's place tomorrow."
"I won't. I was just telling Abby that I plan on being there. We certainly have plenty going on to keep us all busy."
"You're right about that, but I look forward to having something to celebrate."
"Me too."
I started making my way back to the living room to pick up my purse.
"I knew I had something to tell you. Guess who's back in town?"
"Who?"
"Ethan."
She thought about it for a minute.
"Ethan Davis. The guy I went to…"
"I know who he is. How could I forget Ethan Davis? I was just shocked, that's all. How is he?"
"Fine, I guess. He's the defense attorney on a case I'm working on."
"Get out of here! What a small world."
"Too small."
"Is he still single?"
"Mom!"
"I was just wondering, that's all. Seeing how you two were prom king and queen, and almost destined to be married."
"Okay, clearly, I made a mistake by sharing. I wouldn't care if he was single, married, or otherwise. He walked in that courtroom like an arrogant jerk and had the nerve to call me Becks in front of everyone just like it was old times. Ugh. How unprofessional."
Mom thought it was amusing. I felt like I could spit fire just thinking about it.
"After all these years, I see he still has an effect on you."
"That's my cue to get back to work. I have a pile of paperwork to go through and a ton of research to do."
She yelled behind me as I made my way to the door.
"Mmm-hmm. Have fun, dear. And tell Ethan I said hi when you see him again."
"I'll do no such thing. Then, he would know I was talking about him."
"So, you care about what he thinks?"
I marched right out of the house. I knew she was just being funny, but the last thing I needed was to be teased about Ethan. I'll admit to feeling raw after he left, but that was so long ago. Now, there was no way he could have an effect on me, no matter how hard he tried!
Payton
The first hour of the opening was quiet. My family stopped by to celebrate and dropped off an assortment of cookies to leave out for my customers. As time passed, my excitement was starting to dwindle.
"Honey, give it some time. The whole town knows about your store. We put up fliers, you posted ads, now you just have to be patient and wait. Besides, you have one special visitor who's just walked in the front door."
She pointed toward Cole.
"Thanks, Mom."
I walked over to say hello. It was the first time we'd spoken since our little awkward exchange.
"The store looks great."
"Thanks. Unfortunately, I can't make any money without the customers."
"Don't worry. I saw a few people pulling up in the parking lot. You'll be just fine."
I didn't know what to say. I don't know why I always struggled to embrace the next level with Cole. It's not like I didn't love him. Fear had become one of the side effects leftover from my previous marriage.
"I hope it's okay that I stopped by. I didn't want to miss your first day."
"It's more than okay. I'd be
