Page 18 of Sometimes You Stay

Cretia shook her head to clear away her ridiculous thoughts before taking a careful step onto the wooden stairs. The handrail held steady as she cautiously made her way toward the foyer and front door, the third-to-last step squeaking under her weight.

“Cretia? You awake?” Marie’s voice sounded like it had come from somewhere near the kitchen, so she moved in that direction.

“Yes.” When she pushed open the swinging door with the jingle bell, she found two little girls eating breakfast at the island. One was maybe five or six. Cretia had seen her briefly the day before but hadn’t realized she was an exact copy and paste of her mom—all inquisitive blue eyes and brown curls. The other was a few years younger. From her high chair, the toddler grinned, unconcerned with the red jam smeared across her cheeks.

“Mama said we had to be quiet because you needed rest after your...” The older girl looked at the ceiling for a second before finishing. “Or-ordeal.” Her eyes narrowed, and then she nodded firmly. “You look okay to me.”

“Julia Mae.” Marie sighed as she slipped into the room through a side door. “You can’t decide that for someone else. You don’t know how she feels.”

Julia Mae frowned at her mom but finally nodded a reluctant agreement.

Marie gave her daughter a soft kiss on top of her curls before turning toward the door with a warm smile. “How are you feeling, Cretia? How’s your ankle?”

“Better. Much better. Thanks to your bag of peas.”

Marie’s smile grew. “I’m glad someone appreciated them. The kids refused to eat them.”

“Daddy too,” Julia Mae offered.

With a chuckle, Marie conceded. “Yes, Daddy too.”

Cretia cracked a smile at the sweet exchange, letting herself wish for just a moment that she had memories like that from her own childhood.

“Did you sleep well?” Marie bent over to wipe the cheeks of her youngest.

“It was lovely. Really. The best I’ve slept in years.”

Marie beamed up at her.

“I’ll pay you for the room as soon as I—”

Marie shook her head quickly. “We’ve covered that. You don’t owe us anything. I’m returning a favor to Finn, who definitely owes you.”

Cretia opened her mouth, but Julia Mae filled the silence instead. “Mama says we’re not supposed to argue with her. She says when she makes a decision we have to go with it. It’s for our own good. Even if we don’t understand.”

Cretia nearly snorted. Of course, Marie had to have had that conversation with her precocious daughter.

But Cretia wasn’t part of her family, and she wasn’t about to give in. She didn’t take charity from anyone. She had more than enough in her bank account to rent a room, so if Marie didn’t let her pay for it now, she’d do so later.

“So, do you know what you’re going to do today?” Marie asked.

“Um...” Cretia bit the corner of her lip and shot a glance at the mudroom, where the bucket of rice and ruined electronics still sat. “I suppose I’ll get to work on replacing my things.”

Marie frowned, her gaze shifting over her shoulder toward the room off the kitchen. “I want to help, but our computer guy is upgrading our system this week. I only have my phone to make bookings right now.”

Cretia waved off her concern. “No worries. I’ll figure something—”

“Finn can help you.”

Finn, who thought her job was a joke. Finn, who had all but pushed her into the water. Finn, who had dug through what was left of her personal things.

Finn, who had raced to the store to buy a bucket’s worth of rice the minute she’d asked.

“He has a...” Marie paused. “Well, he can help you order what you need.”

Marie’s pause made her teeth clench, but Cretia finally nodded. “Yeah, yesterday he said he’d help me figure it out.”

“He lives a few minutes out of town. My husband Seth picked up your rental car last night. You’re parked right out front, and the keys are next to the rice bucket.”

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