Page 24 of Broken

Sinclair

Welefttherestaurantand went back to Mias store. It was a quiet day with very few customers, so I asked if Mia wanted to call Aine. I explained I had to call her anyway but thought it would be nice if she wanted to say hi and introduce herself.

The two of them ended up talking for almost an hour. They talked about everything from old movies and the best silver screen vixen. To their favorite early 2000s emo band. The two of them were going to be best friends someday. I made a mistake keeping Mia at a distance. I started to regret some of my choices since coming back.

I thought I did the right thing in keeping everyone away. I thought I protected everyone I loved. It turned out, no matter what I did, I couldn't protect the people I loved from getting hurt by my demons. My darkness consumed all and would eventually destroy everything I held dear.

Mia begged me to join her and Tess for dinner tonight. She swore Tess would calm down by dinner. "Besides, Callum is dying to see you!"

She insisted.

It was obvious she lied, but she did it to make me feel better, so I didn't call her out on it.

Mia explained last night, Callum threw a party for Kai to celebrate the end of his residency and the beginning of his continuing his father's family practice here in town. She said she wanted me there; understood why I chose to stay behind.

I hurt Kai when I left for ASU. I said a lot of cruel things to him in the campus parking lot. Especially given how we had spent the last two months before summer. But I did have a reason. I didn't expect it to affect Kai the way Mia said it did.

After her revelation about the night before, she went into detail about when Kai came home from college that first semester, heartbroken. He barely passed his classes and wouldn't speak my name. She said he almost didn't go back after Christmas that year.

Every year since, when he came home, he devoted any free time to volunteering at the hospital, and in the clinic. After med school, he came home to do his residency rather than go to some big hospital in the city. Mia said he did it to help get the town's addiction and recovery programs better organized and help roll out programs for victims of domestic violence. He even helped set up a program for children of addicts, in my honor.

As far as Kai Carter thought, I died a tragic death, and he did everything he could to keep my memory alive. He did exactly what I told him to do, and for some reason it really fucking hurt.

Back at my hotel, I called Aine early. I'd be drinking and didn't want to call her drunk. I would be no better than the woman who raised me if I did. I never let my daughter see me drink anything more than a glass or two of wine. She never heard my speech slur or witness me stumble over my own feet. One emotionally draining trip to my childhood home was not going to change that.

Aine and Riley were busy playing a game with a couple of kids from the apartment building. Dani let Riley spend the night, so I kept my conversation short with Aine. She wanted to meet Mia soon.

Before hanging up, I talked to Danielle for a bit. I told her about my encounter with Kai, and how it left me ridiculously hot and bothered, and totally mind fucked. Then I gave her an update on my plans for the night. She loved the idea of me having a girl's night out and hoped I found some random guy to blow off my steam with.

I promised her a night at Joel's restaurant on me when I got home. All you can eat and drink, tacos and tequila. That made her happy, but she informed me she didn't think things with Joel were going to pan out.

We talked about Mia and Tess while I got ready. I didn't pack for a girl's night when I packed for this trip. So, I wore skinny jeans and a lacy tank top. Nothing extravagant, but enough to class up my flipflops, the only shoes I happened to bring.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I had to admit having a 'mom' body looked good on me. My flat stomach had a few faint stretch marks here and there.

I looked pretty damn good. My tits were amazing in this top, with just enough cleavage to be sexy, but not enough to seem slutty.

I kept my makeup subtle. A little more than I typically did for work, but still downplayed to coordinate with my clothing choices. I threw my hair into a high ponytail and put in some silver, leaf-shaped earrings. Overall, I thought I looked great for a girl's night out.

I walked to the little restaurant and bar that Mia said to meet at. I passed the street I grew up on, it was quiet for a Saturday night. Nothing like Palm Springs over the weekend. A part of me missed the quietness of a small town.

One thing I didn't miss, was the ghosts who lingered in a small town. On the other side of the street sat an empty office building with a white wooden sign out front. The blank sign had a 'For Lease' sign stuck to it.

I passed the side of the street Mr. and Mrs. Carter's house was on. I could see their front porch from here. The Hydrangea bushes still growing and blooming beautifully.

There was a time when Mia and I would pick her hydrangeas and pretend they were wedding bouquets.

Mia pretended to marry John Stamos because he was John Stamos, and you couldn't find a girl who lived between the years of Full House and Scream Queens who didn't have a crush on John Stamos at some point in their life.

Except me. I wanted to marry Kai. I never told Mia, but I had the biggest crush on my best friend. He was always there, him and Noah. Noah would swoop in and save the day, and Kai just made everything better, and back then I had nothing but heart eyes for him.

I followed them around like a lost puppy when Mia couldn't play. Kai thought I had a crush on Noah, and actually threatened to end our friendship over it once. He said it was gross, because his brother was ugly, smelly, and liked to pick on him when we weren't around. Of course, I chose my best friend over his brother. Kai was the one who encouraged and aided me in all of my dangerous adventures.

I laughed thinking about how different things ended up between all of us. Mia didn't marry John Stamos, although she's still young, who knows what fate has planned for her? Me, I didn't fall in love and marry anyone. But I had my Aine. That was enough love for me.

The bar was a cute little place. I wouldn't quite call it a restaurant though. At least not by Palm Springs standards, but the small town of Lakewood was not even a quarter of the size of the City of Palm Springs.

I saw Mia and Tess sitting at a table talking to someone. Well, shit, think of the devil, and he shall appear. Noah was sitting next to Mia, sitting a little closer than just friends, something was definitely between them. I hoped, after all, I shared today; she would open up and tell me. Not that I deserved to know anything though.

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