Page 1 of Wood You Knot

Chapter One

Sage

The closer I got to Hartwood Creek, the farther away my problems seemed, and the easier it was to breathe again. Perhaps it was the fresh, woodsy air from the forest and the heady scent of Lake Hartwood that helped revive me.

Putting the miles between me and my ex-fiancé, Warren Davidson, was certainly helping ease my fractured heart—and confidence. With each town I drove through, I felt more and more myself and less like the person I’d slipped into when with him.

The pang of bitterness grasped firmly around my heart at the very thought of Warren, and I did my best to push it away, opting to draw in a breath of the crisp air coming through my open car windows. But try as I might, escaping my failings was still a challenge.

I had the worst luck when it came to men. My biological father died before I was born, so I never knew him, and my daughter’s father hadn’t stuck around. He’d never wanted to be a part of Daphne’s life and had tried to insist I “get rid of the problem.” Daphne’s father had a hockey scholarship and no desire to be a father.

But from the moment I found out about her, I wanted to keep her. I wanted to raise her with all the love and affection I didn’t get, regardless of whether her bio dad wanted to participate.

I didn’t harbour any resentment toward him for it. If anything, I was thankful I didn’t have to worry about co-parenting with someone who had the emotional maturity of a squash. If Derrick’s escapades since getting drafted were any indication, Daphne and I both dodged a bullet there.

For years, I’d lived the single-mom life happily. Just me and Daphne, no man required. I tolerated living with my mother long enough to find a stable job, daycare, and a place of our own just before Daphne’s second birthday. Then, it was just Daphne and me.

Until Warren walked into our lives…

I’d thought I had finally gotten it right with him, but what a disaster that turned out to be.

I met Warren when Daphne was three and a half. He worked a block away from the café, and he would always flirt with me when he came in. He tipped well, and he took his time asking me out, but when he finally did…I didn’t hesitate.

I couldn’t help but think back to the early days, picking them apart with the hindsight of the present time. I’d thought Warren was so charming and magnetic; he’d said and done everything right to win my heart. He really had me fooled, thinking he was a good, genuine guy. A family man.

I thought he was a total catch. He was good-looking and had a great job. He worked upper level in the finance department, wore suits, and styled his hair…I didn’t have to remind him to shower or shave. He cared about the image he portrayed to the world, and I thought that meant he cared about me.

I thought we were building something special, but the whole time, the jerk had been micromanaging every aspect of my life while also shacking up with his secretary, and what a cliché he’d turned out to be.

I was sick of clichés, and right now, it was hard not to feel like one myself.Single mom, on her own—again.

“How much longer?” my six-year-old daughter asked, raising her voice to be heard over the music. I turned it down before replying. According to my GPS, we were less than ten minutes out from crossing the town border.

“We’re almost there,” I said, making eye contact with Daphne in the rear-view mirror. I found a smile for my daughter. She truly was the one good thing in my life—my sole purpose for trying to do and be better. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to settle for a man who didn’t love her and tried to control every aspect of her, just so she wouldn’t be alone. “About ten more minutes, then we’ll be at our new home.”

Daphne’s big green eyes seemed to see straight into my soul. She wasn’t happy about all the changes. In fact, she was downright angry about them. She didn’t understand why the relationship between Warren and I had dissipated so quickly because I refused to go into detail on what actually happened. A six-year-old wouldn’t understand such a thing as cheating. All Daphne knew was it was over, and we were moving on.

Daphne wanted to stay in Guelph, but I couldn’t find an affordable place for us on my barista job wages. Daphne’s solution was for me to forgive Warren so we could keep living with him.

It was bad enough my mother thought I should forgive Warren; I didn’t need my daughter echoing that sentiment. The way my mother saw it, Warren had proven he’d take care of me and Daphne. Men were dogs, but Warren was rich. She thought I ought to forgive Warren’s “extracurricular activities” for the security he could provide us. My mother was superficial, and that was putting it kindly.

Even worse, Warren had believed I’d forgive him. That I’d overlook his indiscretions because “he really loved me, and we had a good life together.”

I would rather be on my own and broke as a joke than be tied to a man who couldn’t be faithful to me.

This opportunity to work at my aunt and uncle’s hardware store and live in the apartments above was a well-timed miracle because, after two weeks of staying with my mother, I was ready to burst with frustration. I couldn’t handle her superficial, materialistic nature any longer, and the thinly veiled insults were not something I wanted my daughter to continue to overhear.

Small doses of my mother were key to maintaining a distant and slightly healthier relationship. Elouise Whitaker was used to living on her own selfish terms, and I’d long since learned she wouldn’t be the kind of mother to wipe my tears or help me heal a broken heart.

No, she’d just look me dead in the eyes and tell me the ways I’d messed up. By not quitting my barista job when Warren heavily suggested it because it made him feel “less manly” that I wanted to keep my paying job. By not “doing enough” in the bedroom to keep his attention. The list was endless, and she’d said it all with little regard to the small ears listening in.

“I don’t want it to be our new home. I miss my school and my friends.” Daphne crossed her arms and pouted, glaring out the window at the scenery as if it were to blame. “Why can’t we live with Warren anymore?”

It wasn’t the first time Daphne asked that question, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. I chewed on my bottom lip, deliberating. “Remember how I’m always talking about how important it is to be honest?” I asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror at my daughter. Daphne reluctantly nodded. “Warren was dishonest, Daph. He broke my trust.”

“Well, you can forgive him, can’t you? Mimi says you should. Forgiveness is important,” Daphne said with all the stubborn willfulness she possessed. She took after me in that regard.

“I bet she does,” I muttered, my attention returning to the road. My mother had forgiven many cheating men over the years, especially her latest husband, because she was accustomed to the certain lifestyle they provided. “Listen, kiddo. Forgiveness is important, but so is honesty. Warren turned out to be a dishonest person, and I know I deserve better than that. We both do.”

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