Page 18 of Tangled Up In You

"No. After she moved here, she never left her house. I'll be curious to know what she left Phoebe. From what I heard, Caroline traveled all over the world and received some incredible gifts from her three husbands."

"It's hard to imagine being married three times."

"I hear you," Chloe said with a laugh. "I'm not even sure I want to do it a second time. Not that I didn't love being married, but people can change. One day you're in love, and the next day you're not. I don't know if I want to go through that kind of pain again."

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with Kevin. You fell in love when you were so young."

"Which was part of the problem. We were young. And because Kevin was in the military, he did most of his growing up far away from me, in a world I couldn't understand. He was injured right before Leo was born. In fact, he missed his birth. I was in labor, and I didn't even know if my husband was going to live long enough to see his son. I thought he'd quit after that. And I think he tried. Not as hard as I would have liked, but he took a stab at being home. He was just really unhappy. His heart was with his team. I finally had to accept that."

"I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been, especially with a baby."

"It was a tough couple of years, but Leo and I are good now. We have each other, and Kevin is probably more supportive because he's free of the marriage that wasn't working for him anymore. He sends me money. He calls at least twice a month to check in, and he comes to visit when he can. It's not what I wanted for my son, but hopefully one day Leo will understand that his father is fighting for the world he wants his child to grow up in."

"That is admirable."

"Kevin is a good guy. Anyway, I didn't mean to bore you with all that."

"I'm not bored. And in case you have forgotten, I am a fantastic babysitter, so just say the word."

"I'll let you get settled in first. But I do remember that you were a good babysitter. All the kids loved the way you did voices in your stories. I also remember you saying that you used to tell yourself stories when you were a kid, because it distracted you from being scared when your mom left you alone at night."

She frowned. "I told you that?"

"It was one of the few things you said about growing up with just your mom. I might need some tips on what not to do as I raise Leo on my own."

"You will never be like my mother, Chloe. She was too young when she had me. Sometimes I took care of her more than she took care of me. When she got stressed, I was the one to comfort her, to tell her it would be all right. Then she'd feel better and go out, and I'd tell myself a story before I went to bed."

"That sounds lonely." Chloe gave her a compassionate smile. "When you were living here, your mom was with the fire chief, Neil Loeffler. You thought she was going to marry him."

"I did. Neil was great. I hoped he was going to be my stepfather, but like every other man my mom dated, he wasn't interested in marrying her, only sleeping with her. Their breakup was the reason she pulled me out of high school early and moved me to New Orleans. Anyway, that's all in the past. I'm looking forward."

"You may have to do a little more reminiscing tonight. You're still up for a barbecue, right? Gianna and Hannah will be there, and they want to see you."

"I'd love to come."

"Great. I'll pick you up at five. You'll get a chance to meet Leo. He'll be my date."

"I can't wait."

After Chloe left, she locked the door and then took the bag of food into the back room, where Drew was breaking down a cardboard box.

"I know your two hours is up, but my friend dropped off some lunch," she told him. "I have plenty to share. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," he muttered.

They sat down at a small table in what Phoebe had called the lounge, which was really just a kitchenette with a refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, and a table with two chairs. As she pulled out the food options, she said, "You've made a good start in here. I appreciate the hard work. Pick whatever you'd like to eat."

He selected a turkey and cheese sandwich, which left her with the chicken Caesar salad.

They ate in silence for a few moments, then Drew said, "What kind of software do you use for inventory?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure. I haven't looked into all that yet."

"Does the store have a website?"

"No. Phoebe never got around to making that happen."

Drew looked shocked at that fact. "You must have a website. You have a lot of shit to sell. I don't think there are enough people in this town to buy everything. You need to sell online, too."

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