The Rest of the Story(71)

“BOGO?” I asked.

“Daily discounted item,” she replied. “Which today is . . . sticky buns.”

Indeed, there was a display across from the register: they were buy one, get one, fifty cents each. “That’s a bargain.”

“I guess, if you like sticky buns.” She sighed, putting down the clipboard. “What brings you in so early?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said. “I’m leaving today.”

“I heard.” She cocked her head to the side, smiling. “But at least you aren’t going far. Thank goodness. I don’t think Bailey could take it if you were going home for good.”

That answered the question of whether she’d been told about our argument. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you,” I said. “I wanted to come say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” She came out from behind the counter, adjusting her CONROY MARKET apron. Beneath it, she was wearing jean shorts and, again, platform wedges with a thick heel, showcasing her bright toenails. “You’re only going to the other side of the lake, though, right?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “But it won’t be the same.”

“Oh, honey.” She reached out, pulling me in for a hug. Her grip was still strong, but this time I leaned into it, holding on tightly as well. “Even if you were going all the way back to Lakeview, you couldn’t get rid of us that easily. You’re stuck with us now. You know that, right?”

I nodded, worried that a verbal response might get me teary again. “I’m sorry, Celeste.”

She loosened her grip, holding me out away from her and looking at my face. “Sorry? Whatever for?”

“For never coming here before,” I said. “All those years since my mom died. I didn’t realize . . . what I was missing.”

“How could you have?” She shook her head. “Honey. I know all you kids think you are long grown, but you are still children, for the most part. Which means adults make the decisions. The road runs both ways. We could have come to you.”

“But you didn’t,” I said, and as she opened her mouth to protest, I added, “because of my dad, and how he probably would have reacted. He could have brought me here, too.”

She gave one of my arms a hard squeeze. “Now, now. Family is complicated. You factor in a loss that’s particularly hard to bear and it just makes it more so. I’m sure it wasn’t your dad’s intent to keep you from us. Being a parent is tough. Being a single parent, sometimes impossible. He was just doing the best he could.”

“Which now is two weeks at the Tides,” I said.

“Hard punishment.” She smiled. “And, as we said, three miles from here and a place we all are dying to see in person. Good luck keeping us away. You can’t.”

“Bailey was excited when I told her,” I said.

“That child and the other side of the lake. It’s like your mom, all over again. I couldn’t keep her here even if I wanted. And I do, especially after what happened with that boy.”

There was a chime as the front door opened and a tall, slouching guy with a nose piercing came in. “Morning,” he mumbled, more into his collar than to us.

“Morning, Edgar,” Celeste replied. Once he ambled past us behind the counter, she added, “Bless his heart. I’ve never seen anyone move so slowly. It’s like a glacier or something.”

Just then, somewhere, a phone began to ring. Edgar didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ve got to take this, hold on a sec,” Celeste said with a sigh.

“I should go,” I told her. “I have packing to do.”

“All right, then.” She pulled me in for another hug, the phone still ringing. “You come back anytime, you hear? To Mimi’s or the Station or even here. We’ll be waiting.”

“Thank you,” I said. The phone was starting to make me nervous, but she squeezed me again before walking to the door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY and disappearing inside.

Which left just Edgar and me. Outside, a truck pulled in, a bunch of guys in orange T-shirts saying DOT piling out. I was going to slip out as they came in, but right by the door I saw a shelf lined with loaves of bread, which gave me an idea.

I grabbed three of them, then crossed to the coolers lining the wall, scanning the groceries there until I found the tubs of butter. I took one and then, after thinking about it, another, adding them to what was already in my arms as I walked over to the register to pay. When I got home, I’d put it all where everyone at Mimi’s could find it. Like the dishes, they’d notice or wouldn’t. But either way, there would be plenty of toast for a while. Maybe it was the best way to say goodbye.

Gordon swung her feet back and forth on the bench where we both sat, by the Calvander’s office. It was eight thirty a.m. and my dad would be here any minute.

Back at the house, everyone else would be finally waking up and eating breakfast, maybe even breaking into the loaves I’d bought at Conroy’s earlier. I’d had enough of farewells for one day, though, so I’d taken my duffel and the rest of my stuff up here to wait. If it was true what Celeste and Mimi had both said, I wasn’t really leaving anyway, just changing locations. Even so, I hadn’t wanted to deal with seeing Bailey after our argument, preferring to leave as I’d arrived, basically alone. But then Gordon showed up.