Page 101 of Just Like Starting Over
“It would be tough to walk away from that.” I’m understanding why she never went back to school to learn anothertrade, although I can’t imagine what she would have wanted to do. Waiting tables probably pays better than being an artist for a lot of people.
“Especially as the hours worked out well. I was able to be with Sierra in the daytime, then Eileen was with her at night.”
“Eileen. Una’s sister?”
She nods. “Eileen had a house in Toronto and we lived there. She didn’t want to live alone but her own kids were married and gone. I needed a helping hand. It worked out well for all of us.” She smiles at a memory. “Sierra adored her and I think it was mutual.”
“I can believe it.” I want to check out all the pictures on the fridge. I noticed that there are some of Sierra and some of Sylvia, but I don’t want to be too nosy.
She grimaces. “Then Eileen died and everything changed. Her kids wanted to sell the house, so we had to move out.”
“Weren’t they worried about you?”
“Not really. I didn’t know them well. They’re my dad’s cousins and he died when I was a kid. The house was worth a lot of money given Toronto real estate prices and it was their inheritance. I can’t blame them.”
I’ll just have to be the one to do that, though I respect her understanding. “Tough for you, though.”
She avoids my gaze. “We managed.”
“You could have come back to Empire then.”
“I could have. I didn’t.” She smiles. “It was around that time I met Merrie. I was working more lunches, trying to get away from the late-night shifts. She was chef at the place I was working, not a partner, but she had influence. She got me the hostess job and a promotion. When she left there, I went with her.”
“And the rest is history.”
“Pretty much. Sierra was friends with Lila by then, so Lila’smom, Hannah, and I worked out a schedule. They wanted to have another child and some nights without kids underfoot were appreciated. I needed someplace reliable and familiar for Sierra on the nights I worked. It was hectic, but it all came together somehow.”
“And you stayed close to Una?”
“We talked every week. We had a fixed date on Sunday night at eight and would talk for an hour or more. She’s so practical and supportive. She found resources for me and gave me ideas.” She puts down her fork. “She never gave me a guilt trip or shamed me at all.”
“Because she was proud of you.” This seems obvious to me but my saying so makes Sylvia blush.
“She came to Toronto a couple of times a year. Sierra’s birthday. Christmas. At least once in the summer, maybe twice. But she never told me about this cancer.”
“She didn’t want you to feel obligated to come back?”
“Exactly. And she’s so independent that she probably thought she could manage it alone and tell me when it was done.”
I have to think that Sylvia came honestly by her self-sufficiency. “She has to be glad you’re here.” I watch her smile.
“I think so. She never says, of course, but she gives more hugs than I remember.”
“That could be Sierra’s influence.”
Sylvia laughs. “It could be.”
“She’s amazing, Sylvia,” I say. “You’ve done a terrific job raising her.”
She reaches across the table and takes my hand. “And I’m so glad she’s getting to know you. Thank you, Mike. She’s so excited about the greenhouse and everything else.” She tilts her head to study me and her eyes are full of stars. “You’re making things right for everyone, you know.”
“I’m glad,” I say because my throat is tight. I’m pretty sure I’m mostly making things right for myself, then Sylvia comes around the table and nestles in beside me. I lift her into my lap for a sultry sweet kiss and my hand slides under the hem of her dress.
A moment later I break our kiss and look her in the eye, pretending to be stern. “You’re not wearing your panties.”
She pretends to be astonished but her eyes are twinkling. “No? How could I forget? Do you think I had a scheme?” Before I can chuckle, she kisses me, her hands framing my face. I manage to get out of the bench seat with her in my arms and carry her back to the bed for another round.
This is all I want and more, which is the best possible indication that it will go sideways and soon.
