Don't Let Go(46)

But being about to break up—again—that was a whole new head spin.
“No, I should just go,” she said, looking back toward the parking lot, her eyes looking troubled again. Probably that woman code slapping her in the face.
“Come on,” I said, guiding her in. I pointed at a group of couches and chairs in a far corner. “Let me go turn these in and I’ll meet you over there.”
“Mom, what are you doing here?” said a voice behind me.
I wheeled around and handed Becca the heavy box. “Hey, Bec, help me out a second.”
“This is your daughter?” Shayna asked, swiping quickly at her eyes.
I smiled. “Yes, this is Becca.” I put my arm around her neck and squeezed her in a hug that I hoped she was smiling for and not looking tortured. “Bec, this is Shayna Baird. She’s—” How to explain? Becca didn’t even know Noah. “She’s Johnny Mack’s son’s fiancée.”
Shayna chuckled and shook Becca’s free hand, and I was proud of myself for not choking on the word.
“Nice to meet you,” Becca said, very polite. “I didn’t know Johnny Mack had a son. Thought it was just Linny.”
I saw Shayna’s eyes dart to me for a split second and then she did her practiced smile. “He’s like the prodigal son returning.”
Becca laughed and then gestured at the box on her hip. “Reason?”
“Bring that up to the counter for me, please,” I said. “Those are donations from the store. Why are you here, by the way?”
“Lizzy had a book on hold for a project and I said I’d meet her here before we go to the mall,” she said, just as the blonde and perpetually cute Lizzy walked up.
“You’re going to the mall?”
“I texted you all this.” At my questioning look, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I was going to text you all this. I forgot.”
“Who’s going?” I asked, still fixated on the image of her hooking up with the mystery Mark.
“Me and Lizzy,” she said slowly, with the tinge of last night’s argument still blanketing her as well. “There’s a shoe sale at Epic, can I have some money?”
“No!” I said. “You just got three new pairs of shoes and a pair of boots at Christmas.”
“Then I’ll buy some boots for you and we can share,” she said, cheesy smile in place as she looked hopeful.
“Right, like I’m gonna want to wear your boots,” I said. I pulled three twenties from an inner pocket of my purse. “Consider it toward your birthday.”
“Hey, Ms. White,” Lizzy said with a sweet smile.
“Hi, Lizzy, good to see you,” I said. “Shop smart, Becca.”
“Sixty dollars? That’s all?” she said, eyeing the bills with dismay.
I scoffed. “If you need more than that for shoes, it’s not a sale, Bec. Make it work.”
“Don’t argue,” Lizzy whispered.
“Fine,” she said, hugging me briefly. “Oh, by the way, they invited me over for a big barbecue thing later, that okay?”
Of course they did.
“That’s fine,” I said as she turned to make a beeline for the counter with my box. “And be careful leaving the parking lot since you parked—”
“In the pit of hell, I know,” she said, waving as she kept walking. “I will.”
I took a deep breath, watching them walk away, Becca’s dark shiny lopsided hair swinging over a baggy hoodie jacket and jeans she could have painted on.
“Can’t wait,” Shayna said with a smirk.
I chuckled and shook my head. “Yeah. Luckily they start out sweet and unable to talk so you can fall in love with them before you get that.” I pointed in her direction. Shayna laughed out loud, some happiness coming back into her face. “Let me go get the receipt for this and I’ll meet you over there.”
When I rejoined her in the corner, she had her game face back on, and I wondered if she’d had a chance to dial it back and change her mind. I would if it were me.
“She’s beautiful, Jules. Stunning, actually.”
That warmed my heart. “Thank you,” I said, sinking onto a couch sideways to face her. I had the oddest sense of a repeat performance since I’d just talked to Becca the same way the night before. Hopefully the outcome would be better. “She has the potential—if she keeps her mouth closed.”
“I can imagine it isn’t easy being a single mom,” she said, leaning an elbow on the back of the couch.
“It’s not, but Hayden helps. When she lets him,” I added. “She’s making us both crazy right now.”
“I remember feeling so under my dad’s thumb,” Shayna said. “I’d do anything just to give him a shock. One time I came home with a nose ring and a dog collar necklace.”
“Holy shit.”
She snickered. “I know, it was hideous, but I was just trying to spread myself out a little. Once he let up, I wasn’t interested in the weird stuff anymore.” She hesitated a beat and tilted her head. “Your daughter doesn’t know, does she? About Noah and—everything?”
Everything. I shook my head. “There hasn’t been a reason for her to know. It was all before her time.”
“And the longer time goes on, it’s harder to do,” she said, her voice going softer at the end. Guilt settled in my belly, but there was something else there in her tone. Something that maybe wasn’t about me.
Shayna picked at a perfect fingernail that didn’t need picking, but I knew it was so she wouldn’t have to look me in the eye as the real conversation came up to queue.