Page 68 of Live for Me

“Barry’s burgers are too big for everyone,” Valerie muttered, taking another sip.

It was true. All of them weighed over half a pound, topped with an ungodly amount of bacon.

My throat thickened as memories of Beau struggling to finish them as a kid floated to the front of my mind. Even on the days where he’d been working the ranch all day, he still couldn’t finish it.

Shaking those thoughts away, I looked down to the to-go box, knowing what was inside: a grilled cheese, potato soup, and one of Ms. Mary Ann’s oatmeal cookies. It was my usual, because it was the only decent meal I remembered eating as a child.

Once, on my seventh birthday, my mom decided to be a mother. She took me out for a birthday meal, the first time I’d ever been into town. Our school wasn’t anywhere near Main Street, and Momma never took me with her when she went out. Seeing Main Street for the first time was like seeing Times Square. I was in awe of the small-town Momma kept mehidden from me. I don’t remember a lot of good things about my childhood, but I do remember my seventh birthday meal. I remember biting into the grilled cheese, finally tasting fresh bread. I remember how warm the bowl of potato soup made me feel. I remember the sweetness on my tongue from the cookie.

It was the best meal I’d ever eaten.

Years later, when I grew up a bit and ventured into town to eat at the diner, I would always get the same thing. By my senior year, it was my usual.

A tear fell down onto the box, veering me away from memory lane. I snapped out of it, quickly giving the women my back and wiping my tears. They didn’t seem to notice, thank God.

I was tired of crying in front of strangers.

“Thank you for letting me use your phone,” I told Valerie after wiping my mouth.

She gave me smile, waving it off. “Not a problem.”

We were all sitting around the coffee table on the floor, the remains of our late lunch scattered across the wood, dotted with stray napkins and used plastic utensils.

“God, I needed that,” Valerie groaned, letting her head fall back as she patted her belly.

Harmony chuckled. “That was the best lunch I’ve had in days.”

Valerie shot her a look. “You don’t have to eat it, you know.”

Harmony shrugged her shoulders. “They tried so hard. I don’t want them to feel like they failed.”

“People-pleasing is a sickness. You are aware of that, yes?” Valerie asked, raising a brow.

That got her an eye roll.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I had a strange desire to know. It was an unsettling feeling, after all, being alone in the midst of company.

“The twins made this…stew for everyone earlier this week, and Mase and I got stuck with majority of the leftovers,” Harmony explained, filling me in.

“Stew is not a word I would use to describe what was served to me,” Valerie muttered.

Harmony shook her head, smiling at me. “Don’t listen to Val. She was only brave enough to eat half a bowl.”

“They’re lucky I even managed that,” Valerie said, looking at me. “I mean, it was gray, Abbie. The stew, or whatever you want to call it, was gray!”

I winced. “That sounds nasty,” I admitted.

“It was…unpleasant,” Harmony noted, taking a sip of her water and then holding the bottle to her chest. “But I was grateful for it. The twins helped Mase and me out so much when we were building our house. I didn’t expect that, let alone them wanting to cook for everybody.”

“You know why, though, don’t you?” Valerie prompted, sitting up and bringing her dark waves back over her shoulder.

Harmony shook her head. “Mason said something about them leaving Hallow Ranch soon.”

“Oh, they don’t want to leave,” Valerie assured. “They want to make sure they can stay.”

My brows went up slightly. “Why wouldn’t they be able to stay?” The question slipped from my lips before I could stop it, and both women looked at me, their eyes kind. That was something else I hadn’t expected—the kindness these two women had shown me.

Valerie opened her mouth to answer, but a knock at the front door cut her off, followed by small cries that echoed down from the stairs. Valerie checked the dainty gold watch on her left wrist and muttered a soft curse. “NJ is awake. Harm, would you mind getting the door?” she asked, rising to her feet and disappearing up the stairs.

---