Page 112 of Recipe for Rivals

“Mom, listen.”

“It’s not a trial, honey. Your dad and I have considered it more than once in the last few months. We’ll rent a place big enough for all of us until the lease is up for the renters in my house, then we can move home.”

A spark of hope flared within me before dying swiftly under a bucket of cold water. “Listen, I’m safe. The kids are fine. We were just…” How did I explain this? Why did I ever send that stupid text? I pulled in front of Gigi’s Diner and put the truck in park, letting out a breath. “I’ve been kind of seeing this guy.”

“I know,” Mom said. “Gigi does talk to me, honey.”

“Right.” What had my aunt said? It’s not gossip when it’s family. I should’ve known she’d report on me to my parents. “Well, he’s a high school football coach, and one of the kids on his team had a terrible situation at home.” I filled her in on Brody’s last few months, culminating tonight.

“It was smart to get the law involved,” Dad said, cutting into the conversation. “You did the right thing.”

“Maybe, but it was scary for a minute there. I’m relieved it’s over.”

They were quiet for a minute. “Nova, listen. I don’t want you to decide right now. I take it you care a lot for this man, and after everything that happened with Carter, you deserve someone who puts you first. But Dad and I are serious about coming home. It looks like Dad will need hip surgery soon, and it would be better for us to cut our time here short and take care of it in the States. Take some time to think about it, okay? I’dlove to have you three come stay with us. You know it won’t be a burden.”

I did know that. My mother adored my kids, and we could manage to share a place for a while. But it meant leaving Arcadia Creek, which left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I don’t know?—”

“Think about it,” Mom repeated. “Call me later. I don’t want you making decisions while you’re fresh out of this situation. You need time to let your emotions settle again.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll think about it.”

Mom promised to fill Blair in for me, since she’d gone so far as to call my sister-in-law and ask if she knew what was going on, and we hung up the phone. I sat in the truck, immersed in silence. Dal would need a few more minutes to get the food bagged up anyway, and my parents had given me a lot to think about. My gut reaction was to brush them off because the thought of moving again so soon made me feel hives threatening to break out.

But wecouldmove home, live with family. Even if I chose a school in Brooklyn, the kids would be close enough to see their old friends, and we would be near their cousins again. It wasn’t an option without merit.

I didn’t necessarily want to live that close to Carter, but the kids would be able to see more of him. They could maintain a relationship with their dad.

I shook my head and jumped out of the truck. Mom was right. It wasn’t smart to make life decisions while I was riding the wave of adrenaline and coming down from high emotions. Sleep would level me out, and I would talk to my kids, and then I would know what the right thing was for us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

DUSTY

We stayedat the house for another twenty minutes before Brody and Patty got in their car and went to meet Hank at the station to file an official report. The way they carried themselves as they walked to the old Toyota revealed how much relief they felt to have Brody’s dad in custody. Some people weren’t meant to be in their children’s lives, and this guy was one of them. I’d never considered my own situation like that before, but maybe it was similar. Maybe if my parents had stayed, our situation would have only escalated.

My grandpa was a level-headed guy who was very happy spending most of his time alone. If he’d thought he was the better choice for raising me, then my parents had to have been a terrible option. I actively avoided thinking about them, but after almost fifteen years of no contact, sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder where they were. I was only human.

I was waiting on the sidewalk with Travis when Nova pulled up in my black truck, and my heart flipped over at the sight. She looked good behind that wheel.

“Where’d they go?” she asked, hopping out and carrying twobrown paper sacks. Her skirt swayed with each step, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Police station,” Travis said. “We can put the food inside and lock the door on our way out. Patty left us her spare key.”

“Okay.” Nova smiled at him. “I think it should reheat well. Dal put together more food than they could eat in one night anyway.”

I wondered how much she’d told him about the situation. Honestly, she only had to say that someone needed food and he’d fill bags, no questions asked. People in this town looked after one another, as evidenced by how things went down tonight. My faith in Arcadia Creek was rewarded, and my gratitude that Nova got to experience it made me glow.

Nova carried the bags into the house. We put them in the fridge and met Travis at the truck. “Can you drop me off at home?” he asked. “Desi had to get Kendall to bed, so they left the fundraiser.”

“For sure.” I glanced at the time, surprised to see how late it was. By the time we’d taken Travis home, the auction was definitely over. We sat in my truck while I sent Henry a text to update him on the situation.

Dusty

Brody is good now. His dad was taken back to jail. I’ll give you the full update when I see you

Coach Gable

Don’t worry about coming back. We have enough boys here. Clean up will go fast.

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