She smiled. “My treat. Max is a great guy, but I know for a fact he has the least stocked kitchen in the county. A mouse would starve at his place.”
When he stared at the steaming plate, she thought for a moment he might refuse it.
“Thank you,” he said at last.
“You’re welcome.” She glanced at a table to the left. “Ready for that dessert, Jason?”
“Yes, ma’am,” replied the burley gentleman. “And a warmup on the coffee.”
“You got it.”
Half an hour later, only a couple of tables were occupied, and Logan remained in the corner booth. When he’d finished the special in record time, Sky added a slice of pecan pie to his meal. He didn’t object, merely thanked her and made quick work of devouring it as well. At the moment, he was staring into his cup as though the answer to his woes lay hidden in the heady brew.
How I wish life were that simple, she thought as she took a breath and headed over to clear the empty plate.
“Can I get you anything else, Logan? More coffee?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Thank you.” He glanced around the diner. “Is—is my mom still at your house?”
“Yes.”
He looked up, and Sky ached for him. Sad eyes radiated so much hurt and confusion, she wished there was something she could do to help.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said softly. “Or where to go.”
Maternal instinct kicked into high gear as the look of despair washed over his face. She glanced around the near-empty diner and slid into the seat opposite him. She hesitated, then reached across the table and lightly placed her hand over his.
“I can’t imagine how difficult this is for you, Logan. And I can’t tell you what to do. But I know this. Your mother loves you very much. Everything—everything she did was for that reason.”
“How can you say that?” His voice edged up. “You don’t know her. Us.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Instinct. One mother to another. Call it what you like. The bottom line is, she loves you. And everything she did was with your best interest at heart.”
“Would you do it?” His voice contained no animosity, only curiosity.
“None of us can say exactly what we’ll do in a given situation. We know what we think we would, but until you’re actually faced with it, you don’t know.” She pulled her hand back and moved the empty pie plate closer and spun it on the table. “Being a parent, especially a single parent, is the hardest job in the world.”
“How—I mean, where…” Face bright red, he looked away. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
“We divorced before Maddie turned three.” She took a deep breath. “He’s not been a part of her life since.”
“Do you know him? Cade Jackson, I mean?”
“He owns the local hardware store.”
He straightened. “I hear it in your voice. You don’t like him, either.” His statement was flat, resigned. “Why?”
Uncertain, she hesitated. “I don’t know him all that well since I’ve only lived here about three years.”
“Why won’t anyone give me a straight answer?” This time his voice took on the hard edge of someone about to reach their limit.
Quickly reaching a decision, she took a breath. “What do you want to know?”
Max glanced at his watch. Again. One-thirty. A whole ten minutes had passed since the last time he looked. Damn. Will two-o’clock ever get here?
Sky drove herself to work, so there was no need for him to pick her up. But, he rationalized, it would save time if I’m there when she gets off. We can pick Maddie up and go get the tree, then I’ll bring her back to get her car.
It sounded like a good plan, but he wondered if she would object to leaving her car. He finally decided to just go when a soft knock on the kitchen door drew his attention.
Maddie stood on the steps, trademark smile in place.
“Hey, Tink.” He looked behind her and around the yard. “What are you doing here?”
She hurried inside, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Miss Janet said we’re going to go get a Christmas tree. Isn’t that terrific!”
Before he could get a word out, she continued in that same breathless kid-like voice that never failed to generate a smile from him.
“I told her I’d just come down here and ride with you. That way, Mama wouldn’t have to go pick me up.” She clapped her hands together, blue eyes sparkling like sapphires in sunlight. “I can’t wait. We’ve never chopped down a tree before. We always got one at the store. And they have this wagon you get to ride, and they have hot chocolate and stuff.”
Evidently, his silence finally penetrated her euphoria because some of the joy in her face gave way to confusion. “Aren’t you excited, Max?”
He squatted down in front of her, ignoring the stiff leg muscles that reminded him he’d missed his stretches this morning. Since it meant extra time with Sky, he decided it was a good swap. “Of course I’m excited, Tink.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “Just hard to get a word in edgewise.”
The smile returned. “We have to get one for you, too, even though you’ll probably be with us most of the time.”
“I will?”
