Page 111 of The Promise Of Rain
21
Teetering
Jenny
With the baking done for the day and the lunchtime rush coming to an end, I perched on my stool and opened Mahjong on my phone.
The timer was running out, and I only had a few tiles left when the bell over the door trilled.
I lifted my head to offer a smile and came face-to-face with Deacon’s mother for the first time in well over a decade.
She’d aged more than I expected, and it hurt my heart that I knew the probable reason why.
“Hello, Mrs.Raine,” I greeted.
She’d never, not in all the time I’d worked at Buns and Biscuits, come into this bakery.Not even when Ansel owned it.
“Hello.”
My knees quaked.“Can I help you with something?”
She looked over the racks behind me and the case in front of me.“I’ll take a baguette and a sourdough loaf, please.”
I nodded and commented, “Ansel’s sourdough is famous around here.”
I didn’t know why she was here, but I knew it wasn’t for bread.
Hands shaking, I retrieved the paper bags with my Buns and Biscuits icon on it and packaged her bread.
Laying them down on the counter in front of her, I asked, “Would that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, digging into her wallet for a ten-dollar bill.
I opened the cash register, scooped out her change, and placed it in her trembling hand.
Tipping my chin up, I met her eyes.There was anger flashing in their depths, but also distress.
“I want you to leave my son alone,” she blurted.“Nothing good can come of you two being together.”
Her words sliced through me like a knife.
Deacon and I hadn’t talked about his parents, what they thought about him being with me.He hadn’t offered the information, and I’d been afraid to ask.
This was why.
She narrowed her gaze on me.
“He won’t even talk to us,” she spat.
My eyebrows leapt, and I spoke without thinking.“Aren’t you seeing him everyday on the farm?”
She laughed, the sound bitter and sour.“I guess you two don’t spend much time talking.”
A red haze filtered over my vision.
Mouth dry, hands shaking, I slammed the cash drawer.“I’m going to do you a favour this one time and not tell Deacon you stopped by--”
Her mouth opened, but I held up a palm.
