Page 88 of Take Me Away, Cowboy

“Heropinion?” Paige cried out. “That’s bullshit and you know it. She thinks her daughter is completely without fault, like she can’t screw up. I was just pointing out that fact so they stop blaming Brad for everything. Why weren’t you?”

“Paige,” her mom began, her pointer finger and thumb pressed against the bridge of her nose, “you have no idea the influence Betsy has…” Marge said before Paige cut her off with her hand wavering in the air. Her whole body shook.

“No. I don’t care about her ‘influence,’ Mom. I care aboutourfamily, about Brad. I don’t give a damn about Julia or her stuffy parents.”

Marge opened her mouth to reply, but Alan, propped up in his bed with pillows, cleared his throat.

“Enough,” he said. Paige’s veneer cracked when she heard the weakness in her dad’s voice. For the first time, she noticed how fragile he looked without the backdrop of the farm behind him. “You two have it all wrong,” he said. “You’re both concerned with what she thinks and that’s where you’re messing up. What she thinks of you, of Brad, is none of our business.”

“Honey,” Marge began, but Alan put his hand up, using Marge’s signature move against her.

“No. If the past few months have taught us anything, it’s that time is short. Why the hell would you two waste it arguing logic with a woman who showed up to defend her daughter’s honor?”

Paige looked down at the floor feeling very much like a chastised three-year-old. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her mother doing the same thing.

“Now, don’t you have a friend here?” Alan asked. Paige looked up. He nodded in the direction of Aurelie, who attempted to look busy on her phone, but Paige could tell by her sidelong glances she’d caught all of the past few minutes. Well, at least that would save some debriefing time over rum. She nodded at her father.

“Go be with her and let me rest,” he told Paige and she nodded again. He was spot-on about all of it.

Shit, almost thirty-five years old and still being schooled by her dad. It would be embarrassing if he wasn’t so right all the time.

“As for you,” she heard him tell his wife, “I could use some ice cream.” Paige could tell his mother protested because she heard her dad add, “Now, please. I love you, Margie.”

Paige stifled a giggle as she left. Her mom hated that nickname.

Paige got to Aury and sighed, throwing her head against her friend’s chest, thoroughly exhausted by the day, by the month that preceded it.

“It sounds like we have much to drink about, yes?”

“Hell, yes. I hope you came with reinforcements.”

They were waiting for the elevator to arrive, when Marge slid up beside them. She tucked a hand in Paige’s and squeezed.

“I’m sorry, hun,” she whispered. “I really do value her friendship. And before you say anything, I know that sounds as complicated as it probably is.” Paige shut her mouth, nodded. She’d take that as a win, even though her mom was right—she didn’t understand it. “I’m Marge, by the way.” Paige forgot that the whole witnessing of the fight was because she’d wanted to introduce her friend to her folks.

“I’m Aurelie. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me out.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you. Paige’s told us so much about your time together in the islands. It sounds heavenly. How long are you here for?”

Aurelie smiled at Paige and shrugged.

“That’s to be decided. I might end up staying for quite a while.”

“Well, welcome to Banberry. I think you’ll like the town.”

“The people here are all pretty… Fantastic.” Aurelie nudged Paige. She meant Owen was pretty fantastic. Paige stifled a giggle and turned to her mom.

“We’re gonna head home. Do you need anything tomorrow?”

“We’ll be fine. You girls have fun.”

Paige took that as her cue so when the elevator doors opened, she pulled Aury inside, desperate to leave, to get some air, to start her night with her friend. She let Aury continue her benign talk about work at the clinic in Turks, her stomach lurching when Aury talked about the kids, how much they missed Paige. She missed them, too, but her time there was over, she was as sure about that as Aury was about leaving.

It did make Paige think, though. The idea of seeing the kids grow up, beat their illnesses, be there for the families not as lucky that way, held an appeal it never had before.

Having told the story of the doorbell on the way home, the only story safe to tell Aury until she figured out what to say about Owen, she rang it, laughing before she did at how obnoxious it would be.

Except it wasn’t.

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