Twenty minutes later, I felt more centered, relaxed, and in control. When I checked my phone, I saw a message from Ellie. Coffee and power walk this morning?
Sure, I replied. Meet at P & H? My mom’s coffee at the pastry shop was the best.
Give me twenty, she texted back.
I sent her a thumbs up and went upstairs to make my hair more presentable and put on socks and shoes. At the top of the steps, I stopped and pressed my ear to the wall, on the other side of which was the smaller of the two bedrooms of Dex’s unit.
Would it be the girls’ room? Were they getting ready for church? Already there? Or what if he’d given them the master with its own bathroom and taken the smaller bedroom for himself? Was he in there getting dressed?
Frowning, I pushed myself away from the wall. It was going to take some effort today to keep him from infiltrating every thought.
I had to be vigilant, which meant no stalking or spying. I needed to ditch the Gladys Kravitz routine and put my energy into something else—maybe while we walked, Ellie and I could plan a road trip or something. Or brainstorm a new guest amenity at Cloverleigh Farms. Or partner up on some autumn wine tastings—Cloverleigh and Abelard.
I needed a distraction.
“Hi, Mom,” I called, entering Plum & Honey and holding the door open for an elderly couple on their way out. Even though she was technically my stepmom, I’d been calling her Mom since she married my dad.
“Hi, sweetie.” She smiled at me from behind the counter. “What are you up to today?”
“Meeting Ellie here for coffee and then we’re going to take a power walk.”
“Nice. Want coffee to go or for here?”
I glanced around. Plum & Honey only had a few tiny tables, but there was one open. “For here.”
“You got it.” She placed two cups and saucers on the marble counter and began to fill them from the pot. “Did you have fun last night?”
Immediately I thought about the kiss, although I knew she was referring to the party. “Yes.”
“Mariah seems sweet.” She replaced the coffee pot in the machine.
“She does.”
“And young.”
“She’s only ten years younger than Chip, Mom. Same as you and Dad.”
“I know.” Shaking her head, she took a couple scones from the case and put them on two plates. “I guess I feel like twenty-four is very young to make a lifelong commitment. You hardly know who you are yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “You were what, twenty-seven when you married Dad?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Okay, twenty-eight. That’s only a few years’ difference.”
“I know, I know.” She laughed at herself. “Maybe I’m just remembering the panic I felt when I thought you were getting married at twenty-two.”
My smile faded. “That’s different. Merrick was obviously not the right choice for a lifelong commitment, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t ready to make one.”
“I know.” She held up her hands. “And I remember very well what it was like to be young and want to make my own decisions, whether they were mistakes or not. You have to be free to stumble along the path, which is why I didn’t say anything negative to you about Merrick even though I knew all along he was not the one for you.”
“Next time, you could at least drop a hint,” I said wryly, picking up both saucers.
“Deal.” She took the plates with scones on them and came around the counter, following me to the empty table. “By the way, your new friends were in this morning.”
I sat down and looked up at her in surprise. “My new friends?”
“Dexter Matthews and his girls.”
The butterflies returned. “Oh.”
“They came in to grab breakfast before church.” She laughed as she set down the plates. “The girls were looking for you. They thought you might work here.”
I smiled. “They’re so funny.”
“They are. And Dexter seems nice.”
“Yes.”
“And very handsome. I’d never met him before.”
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I guess.”
“His ex-wife Naomi does my hair.”
“Oh really? I didn’t know that.”
She sighed, twisting her fingers together. “I’ve heard her side of things—she definitely isn’t shy about discussing her personal life at work. But her side isn’t the only one.”
“What does she say about him?”