“How’s your day, Sage?” Lennon asked, approaching the counter.
I sighed, my shoulders drooping a bit as I let my defenses drop. I didn’t have to be my usual fake, cheery self to him. He wasn’t just some random customer, he was a friend.
“Do you really want to know?” My mind grew exhausted just thinking of having to rehash the day's events.
He chuckled, flashing a half smile. “From the sound of it, guess I don’t.”
Avery strided through the back door, a drawing in her hand as her eyes landed on Lennon. “Mr. Bronson! Do you wanna see my horse?”
“Is that even a question? Of course, I do.” He leaned toward her as she stepped up on the stool behind the counter, setting her drawing on the metal surface.
“I don’t know what to name him,” she said.
He picked up the paper like he was deep in thought, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Hmm. What are our options?”
She pushed her dark brunette hair out of her face, the color courtesy of her dad. Mine was more of an ash brown.
“Sparkle, Boots, and Pigeon,” she listed with confidence.
He arched a brow at the last one, peering over the top of the paper at her. “Pigeon?”
She nodded. “I think Boots is my favorite, though.”
He set the paper back down in front of her. “Boots it is.”
“Okay!” She pulled her pink colored pencil out of her pocket, doing her best to write the name on the paper above the brown horse. “Mama, how do you spell Boots?”
I pulled out my notepad and pen from the front of my apron, writing the word down as I said each letter out loud, then handed it to her.
“You ever get around to bringing her to the ranch?” Lennon asked me, as Avery spelled the word out loud to herself while she wrote it.
“To the ranch?” I asked.
“For those riding lessons I told you about a few months ago. My brother would be more than willing to teach her to ride.”
I glanced down at the drawing as Avery slashed the “t,” gnawing on my bottom lip. Amidst the chaos of raising a five-year-old on my own, I’d completely forgotten about his offer. She’d been begging me for a horse when Lennon offered for her to come ride at the ranch. Avery was obsessed with horses and would have a blast, but it’d be hard to find time in our schedule. At least with school being out, it was manageable, but I didn’t want to deflate her once summer ended if the lessons slowed down.
“Sage?” Lennon interrupted my thoughts.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll bring her by when I can.”
He dipped his chin in a nod, pleased with my answer. Even though Lennon didn’t have kids of his own, he could see how draining it was to be at the top of my game every day. He wanted to give me the break he so desperately saw that I needed.
That’s what happened when you had a kid. While your feelings still mattered, you’d do anything to never let your kid see the storm, and that meant no days off.
“I most likely won’t be there, but one of my brothers will. Just let them know I sent you,” he said.
“Does it matter what day?” I didn’t want to be rude and stop by without an appointment or anything, but with the cafe and Avery, my schedule was never set in stone. It was hard to plan much of anything.
“Nope. Cal’s almost always there.”
“Cal?” I’d never heard that brother's name before. I knew Lettie, Reed, and Beckham Bronson, but I assumed that was it. I’d lived here for three years, so I figured I’d met all the Bronsons.
“Callan. He’s about a year older than you, teaches lessons at our parents’ ranch, looks most like me than my other brothers…” He listed the traits like a little light bulb would go off over my head at any minute.
I shook my head, absentmindedly running my fingers through Avery’s hair as she added flowers to her drawing. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
As if on cue, the cowbell rang above the door as Gemma walked in.
I glanced at the clock out of habit, seeing that she was ten minutes late. She always was, but I’d learned my lesson the last time when she bit my head off for even opening my mouth about a schedule. I’d been late to pick up Avery from school that day, and I blamed myself for it, even though it was nowhere near my fault.
“You’re here,” I said with what had to be my hundredth forced smile of the day.
“I’m here,” she repeated dryly, coming around the counter to head through the back door.
I patted Avery’s shoulder, looking down at her. “Why don’t you grab your stuff and we can head home?”
“Okay, Mama.” She finished off her flower on the paper, leaving the drawing behind as she went to grab her backpack. Though it was summer, she still brought it with her so she had snacks, various toys, and extra drawing supplies to keep her busy throughout my shift.
“Well, just look for the guy that’s the complete opposite of Reed, and you’ll find him,” Lennon said, going back to the Callan topic.
“I’ll be sure to tell Reed you said that,” I teased with a smile. “Did you want anything before I leave?”
He shook his head. “Just wanted to check in, see how things were going. You’ve seemed…”
“Stressed?” I filled in.
His face fell. “Stressed.”
