Page 22 of Sweet Southern Memories

“My nerves are a mess, and I’m trying to hold it all together. I’m pretending to be unaffected and happy, but the truth is I want to strangle him. I want to go to his house, the one filled with all my things and I want to smash everything into tiny little pieces. I want to shred all of it, and then light it on fire. I wish that part of my life didn’t exist but then it would mean my girls didn’t and for them I’d lived through it all over again but I can’t seem to sleep, because nights are when things are quiet and my mind races.” She says this all in one breath, and then her shoulders sag, like she is now exhausted from her confession. “And now you think I’m insane and I probably am,” she adds, and I chuckle because damn she is still so incredibly beautiful. Even when she is rattled, she is breathtaking.

“As a doctor, should you really be laughing at your patient,” she asks with a smile. “I’m not laughing at you,” I assure her. “But as your doctor I shouldn’t be sitting here thinking how cute you are when you ramble either, but I am.”

With my hand still on her thigh I offer it a squeeze.

“You’re not insane Zoey, you just have more going on than one person should and you need a little something to help you relax.” I release my hold on her and slide back grabbing my prescription pad. I start to scribble and she sits waiting for me to finish. Ripping off both notes, one for a mild sleeping aide the other for another kind of prescription, I hand them to her and she looks down at them.

“How do you know about Wine-Down Wednesdays?”

“Apparently I triggered an emergency meeting.” I arch a brow, and she shrugs, not once denying it.

“A week’s worth of pills, just something to take the edge off, no drinking with them.” She nods. “I don’t think you need those pills.” I point to the prescription in her hands. “But what I really think you need is to accept none of this is your fault and from what I can tell you three are better off. I’m here if you need more than that, but I don’t think you will.”

She slides off the table.

“And if you need to talk, yell, or whatever, I’m here too.”

“Thanks Jay,” she says and the corner of her mouth tips up. “Thanks for listening to me vent, though I fully intended to come here and hold it together.”

“Any time,” I tell her.

“I hope not, because if I keep acting like this, you’ll run for the hills.”

“Not a chance,” I tell her as I walk her out of the room and she turns toward the receptionist desk. Marcy smiles knowingly because apparently everyone in my office knows all about my personal business.

“Remember if you needanything.” I emphasize the word, because I’ll not only talking about being her doctor. “Just call or stop by.”

fourteen

. . .

Zoey

“Look Momma, it’s the pwince.” I spin around as Riley tugs on my arm trying to move in the opposite direction. Scanning over the area around us, I’m about to ask her what she is talking about when I see him. Nervous energy fills my stomach feeling like lead as it settles deep.

The last time I saw him I was spewing all my drama and all he could do was look at me. Probably thinking this is a whole lot of crazy. But Jay is too nice to say, damn you are nuts. Plus he was in doc mode so its unethical for him to tell me I’m a lost cause.

He is across the street talking to Dolly Hanes, the owner of Magnolia Mart. It shouldn’t make me jealous as her son Nash stands at her side, but it does. I find myself watching them, observing their body language wondering if it could be more than two old friends catching up.

When he glances in my direction and our eyes lock, my stomach feels like it drops.

“See, Momma.” Riley bounces up and down and points with her free hand. “The pwince.”

“Riley, stop pointing.” I can’t bring myself to look back in his direction. I’ve already been caught in stalker mode.

“Aunt Sarah is waiting.” I pull the girls along as we walk down Jasper Way. It’s a nice day and I thought a walk would be enjoyable. Plus we’d been cooped up in my shop for a few hours. The girls coloring and I finishing up my bookwork for the end of month. I knew I’d have to work late tonight to catch up but I can only take so much of the girls asking me over and over if we are done yet.

Aunt Sarah messaged and said she’d made a fresh batch of candies and needed the kids to come run a taste test. She was obviously feeling lonely and needed some company.

When I hear my name hollered out my body freezes and I know from the resistance I am getting from Riley there is no hope of a graceful escape. It seems my little spitfire is smitten with the new doctor in town and it’s just like my life to add in another hurdle.

“Hey.” I bite the inside of my cheek and turn around just as Jay steps up onto the curb. “How are you ladies doing today?”

“Good,” Riley answers before I can. “Where’s your crown?”

“I only wear it to parties and balls,” Jay tells her and her eyes light up. There I stand watching my first love and my daughter carry on like no one else is there. The same man who very possibly took my heart with him thirteen years ago when he left for college.

“Regan”. Riley peeks around my legs. “He’s a pwince,” she whisper yells to her sister. I can’t help the smile that covers my mouth. My two fairytale obsessed gems.

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