Page 77 of The Trophy

I swallow the hard lump in my throat, suddenly feeling tongue tied. “I was looking for Cash, I…”

I don’t really know what to say right now. Lame, I know.

“I’m sorry sweetie,” the woman smiles. “Cash is at work right now and he has a shift that doesn’t end until later this afternoon. The gym closes at six on a Sunday and he’s gonna be there until then.”

I force a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes, unsure about how to ask her about the status of her relationship with Cash. “Sorry, I didn’t know. He left something at my place last night and I was hoping to catch him.”

I stop talking, worried that what I just said sounds bitchy. Even if she’s his ex, I’m sure she doesn’t like a reminder that he was with someone else.

She smiles, moving her long, blonde hair away from her face. “Do you want to leave what he forgot with me, or shall we hang out and wait for him? He should be back for his lunch break. The gym is literally around the corner. You should stay and have lunch with us. I was making his favorite omelette and bacon and sausages. I love brunch and whenever he gets to spend some time with me, I take the opportunity to make him his favorite. He’s loved my potato and onion omelette since he stopped eating baby food.”

Baby food? How long have this woman and Cash known each other?

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose,” I stutter, thinking of a polite way to get out of a potentially awkward lunch.

Her smiles widens. “Nonsense. Cash has been talking about you non stop, Lakyn. I’ve been begging him to bring you over. He’s never brought any girl home to meet his old mom, but then again, he’s never even talked about any of his dates before you. So I knew you were special from the moment he mentioned you.”

Wait a second. “His mom? Do you live with Cash’s mom?”

The woman giggles. “Well, it would be a little hard not to, unless I wanted to have some kind of out of body experience.”

What? “Wait,” I gawk, as it finally dawns on me. “Are you Cash’s mom?”

“Who did you think I was?” she asks, now looking a little confused. “I’m Lena. Cash’s mother.”

I know I must look like a fish out of water with my mouth wide open. “But… But you don’t look old enough to be his mom.”

She must be doing the math about who I thought she was, because her gray eyes—I now spot the uncanny similarity to Cash’s—widen in surprise.

“Did you think Cash and I were together?”

I hang my head, ashamed that my mind went immediately to the worst case scenario. “I didn’t know what to think,” I admit. “He keeps canceling on me last minute or disappearing in the middle of a date. Then last night he asked me to get him his wallet and I saw this.”

I grab the incriminating photo from my purse and show it to her. “You’re so young and beautiful and those kids look so much like Cash…”

Lena covers my hand with hers. “I’m sure it was a honest mistake, Lakyn. You aren’t the first one who thinks I’m Cash’s girlfriend.”

That makes me feel slightly better. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Hanbury.”

She shakes her head, her smile firmly in place. “That won’t do, Lakyn. I’m Lena. Mrs. Hanbury is Cash’s grandma.”

I immediately liked Lena from the second she opened the door; even when I thought she was Cash’s ex. “I hope you don’t mind calling me Lake. All my friends do.”

“Of course,” she rises from her seat to pull me into a hug, stumbling a little on her injured foot.

“Watch out,” I help steady her. “What happened to your foot?”

Lena sits back down. “A work related injury. I’m a yoga and aerobics instructor. Not a very good one obviously, I stumbled on the edge of a yoga mat during a class and broke my ankle.”

“Ouch,” I commiserate. “It sounds painful.”

She nods. “It is. It’s getting better though. I’m afraid I’m the reason why Cash has been a little absent. I got injured about a month ago and since then things have been hard. Especially with Carolina and Conor.”

I assume she’s talking about the two kids in the photo. “I’m sorry,” I say honestly.

“I don’t know what I would have done without Cash. I’m a single mom and I’m not going to lie, things tend to be a little tight especially once the high season in Star Cove is over and the gym where I work loses the influx of tourists who get a seasonal pass, since we’re right on the beach. So when I got injured, I practically got fired. The gym owner said he couldn’t afford to keep me if he had to pay for another instructor. I didn’t know what to do, it isn’t like I can tell the bank that I can’t pay my mortgage for a couple of months. I don’t have any family who could help either, so Cash offered to cover for me at the gym until I can return to work. He can only do part time, but that works since there are less customers in the winter. I know that meant his already busy schedule got impossibly tight, but we don’t have anyone else who can help.”

Now a lot more things make sense. “What about your kids’ father?” I ask. Even if Lena is divorced, she has two young children, surely she should be entitled to some child support?

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