Page 17 of Wood You Knot

“Where?” she perked up at that.

“Out for dinner to celebrate our first day at a new school and a new job. We did good, Squirt. And after, we could go check out the park and the beach.”

“Okay!”

Chapter Six

Sage

We stopped off at home so I could change out of my work clothes and into something more…me. I chose a blue sundress with a white floral pattern and buttons on the front. We were just about to leave when I saw my camera out of the corner of my eye and hesitated.

It had been some time since I’d picked my camera up. My recent heartache and the chaos of my life turning upside down had prevented me from doing, well, anything that formerly brought me joy.

Especially photography, which Warren had always viewed as a “cutesy little hobby of mine.” The few times I’d talked about maybe starting my own photography business, he’d laugh and say, “Everyone thinks they’re a photographer nowadays. Besides, everyone has cell phones and takes their own photos.”

That shut me up quickly, even though I disagreed with him. It’s hard to chase your dreams when you don’t have support, though, and Warren wasn’t the first to fail in that department.

But if I was planning on running the photo booth at a fundraising event for the school, I was going to have to dust off my camera and get myself reacquainted with it. Plus, I really did want to capture the sunset.

I grabbed my camera bag and checked that the battery pack still had a charge—miraculously, it did. I slipped my wallet into the front pocket and slung my bag over my shoulders.

“Ready, Daph?” I called out.

“Yes,” she shouted, coming out from her bedroom. She’d changed, too, into a pair of shorts and a tank top. I could see the straps of her swimsuit underneath. “If the water’s warm, I wanna go swimming.” Although it was September, the weather was warm and balmy, as if summer was lingering to welcome us.

“Okay.” I was happy my daughter didn’t seem to be so upset anymore.

“Mommy! Are you going to take pictures?” she asked, her eyes widening at the camera bag.

“Well, you volunteered my services. I feel like I should practice a little. It’s been a while,” I told her, gently bopping her nose with my finger.

“Yeah, you do need practice,” Daphne agreed solemnly. Shaking my head, I locked up the apartment and took my daughter’s hand.

We walked around Main Street and did a little more exploring, checking out a few of the beautiful historic shops before we ended up at a diner called The Hungry Hub. I held the door open for Daphne, and she walked in, peering around the bustling restaurant.

“Feel free to seat yourselves. Anywhere’s fine,” a woman with blond hair pulled back in a high ponytail said, sounding a little out of breath. She had her hands full of dirty dishes she was carrying back into the kitchen.

Daphne and I walked over to one of the free booths and sat down. Not long after that, the blond waitress came over with her order pad and a couple menus.

“Good evening. I’m Emily, and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I get you ladies something to drink?”she asked, setting the menus down in front of us.

“Two iced teas, please,” I replied, earning a smile from Daphne. She loved ordering iced tea; it made her feel grown up.

Warren hadn’t thought it was a good idea to let her drink caffeine. He thought it made her too hyper. I didn’t mind the surge in energy—especially when we were going to the beach after. She’d crash eventually. But Warren was steadfast that it wasn’t good for her.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. I didn’t have to worry about what Warren thought anymore. Screw him.

“You ladies have a look at our menu, and I’ll grab those iced teas for you,” Emily said, disappearing toward the counter.

“What do you think, Daph? They’ve got cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, pasta dishes…” I trailed off, my eyes scanning the menu.

“I want a cheeseburger and fries,” Daphne decided. I nodded, liking the sound of that.

When Emily returned with our drinks, I handed back the menus. “She’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, and I’ll have a cheeseburger with onion rings.”

I never would have ordered that when I was with Warren. He was the kind of man who cared a lot about appearances and eating healthy, so I’d always end up ordering a salad when out with him.

“Coming right up!” Emily announced, taking the menus before heading to the kitchen to put in our order.

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