Page 81 of Fighting the Tide
“Mon,” I start, but she cuts me off with a shake of her head.
“It’s okay now, Nolan.I came back here to hide from the friends I knew would judge me and found my soul.It’s always been Avery, and it’s always been Chatham.Both have healed wounds I thought were permanent.”She sounds miles away as a small smile decorates her mouth.I envy her and the contentment she feels, but I don’t think I will find that here in Chatham.I drop my eyes to look at my hands when she says, “I know you don’t feel like this place is your home, but sometimes our home is in the people, not where they live.”
“I thought Brooke was my home.”It’s out of my mouth before I can stop it, and even at the risk of sounding damaged, I add, “She took my soul with her when she died.”
“Oh, Nolan.”Monica pushes up from the counter and comes to kneel in front of me as she grabs my hands in hers.“No, she didn’t.She damaged a bit of it, but I see your soul shining bright all the time.The way you are with my family, Elijah and Avery, there’s no way you couldn’t have a soul.It’s just lost, and we need to find it.”
The determination in her tone almost has me believing in her, so much so that I murmur, “I guess I should get more groceries.I’ll be staying for a bit.”
“Yes!”she squeals and giggles, making me smile.“Come back for dinner tonight and we’ll have a barbeque.”
“I can’t.”I cringe.“I told Cassie I would have dinner with her in Harwich.”
“Cassie O’Brien?”Monica rears back, a look of confusion on her face.
“Yeah.Why?”She stands and leans against the table, her arms crossing over her chest.
“Cassie O’Brien has been teaching at Chatham High beside herfiancé, Kasen Barnett.”A startled laugh flies from my mouth at her revelation and she shakes her head as a grin plays along her lips.“It would make sense why she would want to go to Harwich.She’s always had a thing for you, and I bet she’s willing to ditch Kasen for another chance.”
“Not happening,” I vow as I stand.“But thanks for the heads-up.”As if she can sense us talking about her, my phone lights up with a message.It’s the address she promised to send me.“What should I do?”
“Go to dinner.”Monica shrugs.“See what she wants and then you make it painstakingly clear you want nothing romantic with her.”
“I’ve been telling Cassie that for years,” I grumble as I send her back a thumbs-up.“Hopefully this time it sticks.”
I push the cart through the narrow aisles of Chatham’s grocery store, the size much smaller than the Whole Foods back in New York, then I throw another pack of frozen vegetables into the cart and wince when I peer down inside.Chicken, vegetables, fruit.If I’m going to be staying here longer, I’m going to need to look into the local gym.I head down the next aisle, finding the candies, chocolates, and chips, and instead of strolling on by like I usually do in every other grocery store I’ve been in, I begin to saunter, my finger reaching out to brush over a few different chocolates while my mouth waters with anticipation.Why not?I think as I grab a few and throw them in the cart.
“Oh!Milk chocolate and almonds.”A raspy voice sounds from right behind me, making me turn with a startled gasp.“Those are my favorite.”
My ability to speak has completely vanished as I look into a stunning pair of mismatched eyes and freckles dusted all along a pert nose.“Are you following me?”As soon as I say it, I know I sound like an idiot and there’s no taking back the words as she begins to laugh.
“This is the only grocery store in Chatham.You do know how small this town is, don’t you?”She turns to look over her shoulder, her thick, blonde hair swinging in front of my face and casting the scent of something flowery mixed with the ocean.“That’s Mrs.Arnold.”I follow her line of sight to see a middle-aged woman searching through the chip bags at the end of the aisle.“She teaches kindergarten at the local primary school.Did she follow you here too?”
“Never mind.”I turn away from her and push my cart toward the end of the aisle, her presence making me feel unnerved.
“Oh, look, it’s Kasen Barnett.”My head snaps up to look ahead, and sure enough, there he is standing at the end of the aisle, watching me and Colette with a strange look on his face.“He must have followed you here too.”
“Can you be quiet?”I snarl at her just as Kasen walks toward us.
“I heard you were back in town, Sears.Looks like you’ve met Colette Eastham.What a trip, right?She looks just like her mother, don’t you think?”The way Kasen’s eyes roam over Colette is nothing short of disgusting.
“No, actually, she doesn’t look like Brooke.”Colette turns to look at me with a small smile, her eyes shining with gratitude.It’s probably something she hears often, and with the way Kasen is looking at her, I bet he is imagining her the way Brooke looked all those years ago.“It was nice seeing you, Kasen.”I begin to walk by him, getting a good eyeful of his thinning hair, the color now a light gray.His hand latches onto my forearm, forcing me to stop at the end of the aisle.
“I just want to let you know that Cassie and I are engaged now, so I don’t want you to think you can just fall into old habits.”I hear his warning as I fight to hold in the sarcastic chuckle that’s threatening to spill from my mouth.
“I’m not here for Cassie,” I assure him, and then I take a step closer, just so he knows I don’t appreciate his warning, and when I shake his hand off of my arm, I make sure he hears mine.“It’s not me you need to warn.You need to talk to your fiancée.”
“We’re going to miss the matinee if you take any longer,” Colette says as she loops her arm through mine, guiding me back to the cart and away from Kasen.“We’ll be seeing you around.”
His dark chuckle has me pausing as his eyes skim over the two of us, paying close attention to where our arms are linked.I extradite myself from her as his grin grows.“What is it?A daddy-daughter date?Color me intrigued.”My spine stiffens at his words and I can feel the fiery burn of rage as it begins to bubble up from the pit of my stomach.He takes a step back from whatever he sees in my eyes and holds his hands up, letting loose an awkward chuckle.“It was just a joke, man.”
“That’s our local comedian, Kasen Barnett, folks!”Colette gives him a slow, exaggerated clap.“Next time you put on a show, maybe take the time to brush your hair and wash evidence of your breakfast from around your mouth.Thank you.”Then she grabs a hold of my cart, pushing it away and down the next aisle as I rub my hand across my face, hiding the smirk I know will just set him off again.So I give him a nod and follow behind her as he continues to glare after us, but thankfully, he keeps his mouth shut.
“Do you see why this is a problem?”I ask Colette as I catch up with her, gently pushing her out of the way and re-commandeering my cart.
“What are you talking about?”She turns to look over her shoulder, probably making sure Kasen isn’t following behind us.
“The fact that people are always going to suspect that you are my daughter.We need proof.If you’re so sure that you’re not, then there should be no problem with taking a test?”She turns on me quickly, her eyes filled with fire and her mouth thinned with irritation.
