Page 67 of Tactical Revival

“Sure thing.” I set my pen aside and turn to face her in the desk chair that’s been mine since my freshman year of high school.

My mom walks into the room, then takes a seat on the edge of my bed. “Matty and Dad are outside working in the shop.”

I smile, so happy that they’re bonding. It wasn’t too long ago that my dad, a former cop now bound to a wheelchair, would do nothing but sit in front of the television, depressed and wishing he’d died rather than been injured. “That’s good.”

“Yeah. It’s nice to see them together. Matty looks a lot like your father did when he was younger. Same as Michael.”

“Our genes run strong,” I reply.

My mom chuckles. “How are you holding up?”

“Not great. I barely had enough money to keep the doors open as it was, and now with the fire—I’m just not sure I can afford to reopen.” I fight back the tears threatening to spill. Crying will do me no good. I know that, but I still cried my eyes out in the shower earlier. I haven’t even begun to consider how I’m going to pay Jaxson back too.

All in all, I am grateful no one was hurt in the fire, but I’m not sure how I’m going to climb out of this one.

“God will see you through, baby girl. He always will.”

“Maybe this B&B isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing.” I run my hands over my face.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just—it’s been an uphill battle, Mom. It ruined my marriage?—”

“No. It didn’t ruin your marriage,” my mom interrupts. “Chad ruined your marriage because he couldn’t be faithful.” The anger on her face is potent, which is honestly amusing given the fact that my mom is one of the most even-tempered people I’ve ever met.

“It wasn’t until the B&B that we started having problems.”

“This life tests us all. He failed. You didn’t. The B&B had nothing to do with it.” She runs her hands over the skirt of her dress, smoothing out the light blue fabric.

“Either way, I just don’t see how I reopen. I have to reimburse everyone who’s been displaced and handle the fact that their personal belongings either have water and smoke damage or were destroyed altogether. Then I’ll have to pay the deductible and any additional out of pocket expenses the insurance won’t cover, somehow pay the bills while it’s in repair—” I close my eyes as the walls start to close in on me again.

My mom’s hand covers mine, so I open my eyes to see that she’s now kneeling in front of me. “It’ll all work out, baby. Don’t lose sight of your dreams.”

“What if it doesn’t? I have nothing else, Mom. I have no husband to help cover bills, which means I’ll have to get a full-time job, but I don’t have any actual skills. I went from school straight to being a mom.” Fear shreds me apart. What will I do? How will Matty get into college? I’ll likely need every penny I’ve saved for him just to get us a place to live.

“You hush right now, Margot Anderson. You are the smartest, most talented woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I will not hear you talk poorly on yourself just because you’ve hit a speed bump. You hear me?”

“A road bump? My entire business—and home, by the way—nearly burned completely to the ground.”

“That doesn’t mean you get to say terrible things about yourself, young lady.”

I let out a laugh. Leave it to my mom to put things into perspective. The woman has never met an obstacle that took her down. “You’re right.”

“I know I am. You and Matty will stay here until your B&B is repaired, and then you’ll be right back on your feet. Your dad and I can help with the bills.”

“No, Mom. You guys are not going to help with that.”

“Yes, we are. In fact, your father already called the bank this morning and paid your mortgage on the place for the next six months.”

“Six months?” I choke on the words. “What? Why?”

“Because you’re our daughter, Margot, and there’s not a thing we won’t do for you.” She stands and takes a seat back on the bed.

“You guys can’t afford that, Mom. Seriously. I’ll figure it out.”

“You don’t have to do it all on your own. And yes, we can. We’ve been squirreling money away for decades. Take the help, honey.” She smiles softly at me.

“That was for retirement. Not this.”

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