Not My Mother by Miranda Smith (lightweight ebook reader .txt) 📕

Ava in her carrier. There’s a perceptible glimmer in his eyes, then he looks at me. “Like I said, I think Des needs a friend right now more than she needs someone to blame.”

I lift Ava off the ground, taking one more look at the muddied windows. Inside, the restaurant is dark and quiet. Des is sitting in a corner, scrolling through her phone. She puts it down on the table when she sees us.

“I guess you saw our latest art project?”

“I’m so sorry, Des. I wish you’d called me.”

“You haven’t been much of a talker the past few days.”

Des lifts her coffee mug to her lips. She takes a sip, winces, then lets out a sob.

“Des, are you okay?” I move quickly, pulling out the chair by her side.

“It’s just all hitting me, you know?” Her eyes are glossy, puckered skin beneath them. She makes another scowl. “What am I doing? Anything I’m going through is hitting you ten times worse.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it,” I say, looking down. I’ve been upset with Des because she didn’t tell me about Mom’s cancer diagnosis, but now I feel guilty. She has been struggling through all this, too. “I’m here. Let me listen.”

Des exhales, and I catch a whiff of alcohol on her breath.

“People think I’m naïve, but I still don’t think your mother is capable of what they’re saying. I mean, she’s my best friend! Don’t you think I would have been able to pick up on the fact she was a liar? A killer?”

“I know how you feel,” I say, my voice low. Truth is, I didn’t pick up on it either. I place my hand on her shoulder.

“The more time that passes, I guess it makes sense, doesn’t it? The police wouldn’t have arrested her if she wasn’t guilty. And now they’ve confirmed the fingerprints match. Thinking about what she did to the Parkers all those years ago makes me sick, but I’m mad because she fooled me, too. I thought she was better than that.

“All I’ve been trying to do is keep myself busy. Think positively. But I can’t even come to work without some dipshit vandalizing my building. My regulars haven’t stepped foot in here since the arrest. It’s bad enough I’ve lost my best friend, but now I’m about to lose my business, too.”

Even if we have enough money to bail us out, neither of us wants to start over. The Shack is at the center of both our lives. To think all that hard work could be gone overnight is devastating.

“We won’t lose the business.”

“Won’t we?” She makes a face. “This isn’t the type of industry where you can start over again from scratch, and it’s all I’ve known.”

“We won’t lose the business,” I repeat. “Trust me, okay?”

I give Des a hug. She rarely shows emotion like this, but I’m glad she has. I need to know I’m not the only person devastated. Mom betrayed us, something Des is only beginning to admit.

Des snorts and wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I need more coffee.”

“Just coffee?”

“Yes.” She stands, her jovial nature returning. “This time, it’s just coffee.”

Des walks to the back. I unload Ava from her carrier and put her in the playpen. From behind, the front door opens, and Evan walks inside.

“I think one more wash is all it needs.” He looks around the room, seeing I’m alone with Ava. “Where’s Des?”

“She’s fixing herself up.”

“Is she okay?”

“I think she will be.” I cross my arms, walking closer to him. “I appreciate you cleaning up the mess. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Des is my friend. I’m just happy she can lean on me when she’s feeling overwhelmed.”

My phone pings with a text from Amelia: Are you home? I was thinking of stopping by.

I’ve not spoken to her since yesterday, which was before I reached out to Rick about the DNA test. Now I’m the one harboring secrets, and I don’t like it.

I’ll be there in ten, I type back.

“Could you do me another favor?” I ask Evan.

“Sure,” he says, leaning the mop in the corner.

“I need to run by the condo for a second. Can you stay here with Des? Help her keep an eye on Ava?”

“No problem.”

“Thanks.”

I take my wallet and keys out of the diaper bag and start heading for the front door.

“You know, I’m here if you need me.”

I stare back at him, pushing the door open with my back. “The window looks great. Thanks again.”

Amelia is sitting on the front porch of the condo when I pull up.

“Out and about today?” she asks as I approach.

“We have some work to do at The Shack.”

Emerald Shores Hotel is right across the street from the restaurant. I wonder if Amelia drove by there earlier and saw the graffiti on the front windows. If she did, at least she is being polite by not bringing it up.

She looks over my shoulder into the back seat of the car. “Where’s baby Ava?”

“I left her at the restaurant. I can’t stay long. Anything in particular you wanted to meet about?”

Already, I can feel this barrier between us. The barrier of the DNA test she doesn’t know I’m submitting. Part of me wants to tell her, but I’m afraid of what other problems that might cause. I need to come to terms with the results on my own, then I can start involving others. Still, it doesn’t feel right holding onto this secret.

“I wanted to give you this.”

She pulls a folded paper out of her pocket and places it in my hand. It’s a check.

“Amelia, I already told you—”

“You need this right now. So does Ava. Please, let me help you.”

I unfold the paper and look at the amount. My mouth falls agape.

“It’s too much. I couldn’t possibly take this from you. I mean, we’re still just getting to know each other.”

Amelia holds both her hands together and smiles. “Listening to you talk about the business the other day