Urgh! She’d spent the night replaying Thursday’s disaster at the garden center over and over in her head.
Alfie with another woman.
She covered her eyes with her arm. How was she supposed to face him today at the garden project? What was she supposed to say? How would she explain her leaving like that?
But what choice did she have? She couldn’t disappoint Charlie.
Not when this was a problem of her own making. If only she’d had the courage to confront Alfie on Thursday. Instead, she’d run out on him and the situation had festered like an untreated wound.
Urgh! She dragged herself from bed and padded to the window.
Dawn was just breaking over Bear Creek, the mountains silhouetted against a sky tinged with pink and gold.
It would be a beautiful day for gardening.
A perfect day for building the bug corner Charlie had been talking about non-stop since Wednesday.
“We’re going to make a special section just for the beetles,” he’d told her enthusiastically, over dinner last night. “Alfie says they need hiding places made of bark and hollow stems.”
Marion pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
There was no way she could tell Charlie they weren’t going.
That she’d seen Alfie with another woman and fled the garden center like a coward instead of confronting him.
That she’d used Charlie himself as an excuse in her hasty text message and now didn’t know how to deal with the situation.
She was supposed to be the adult here.
No, she couldn’t disappoint him. Not when he was finally coming out of his shell, finally acting like a normal nine-year-old boy instead of the frightened, withdrawn child who’d arrived in Bear Creek.
She would go. She would smile. She would pretend everything was fine—just as she had done for years around Heather and Razor. She was an expert at hiding her feelings, at swallowing her own needs to protect those she loved.
Marion went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. The woman in the mirror looked tired, with shadows like bruises beneath her eyes. But she’d covered worse with makeup before, back when she needed to hide the evidence of sleepless nights spent worrying about Charlie.
Downstairs in the kitchen, she put the coffee pot on, measuring out extra scoops.
She’d need industrial-strength caffeine to get through today.
The thought of facing Alfie made her stomach clench painfully.
What would she say? How could she act normal when just days ago they’d shared that magical kiss under the stars when she’d foolishly believed they might have a future together?
The sound of Charlie’s feet thumping on the floor above her head broke through her spiraling thoughts.
She heard him dragging on his clothes, probably the gardening outfit he’d laid out last night with such care—his work jeans as he now called them, and the t-shirt with beetles printed on it they’d found at the thrift store.
Marion took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. She’d do anything for Charlie, go through anything for him. Even this.
“Is breakfast ready?” Charlie asked as he thundered down the stairs and skidded into the kitchen with his hair sticking up in wild tufts.
“Cereal or pancakes?” Marion asked, smothering a smile at his enthusiasm despite her own inner turmoil.
Charlie scrunched up his face thoughtfully. “Which is faster?”
Marion shook her head with a smile. “Cereal.”
“Cereal it is!” Charlie declared, though he had never before turned down pancakes for breakfast.
“Grab a bowl,” Marion instructed, reaching for the cereal box and placing it on the table.
While Charlie got a bowl and spoon, Marion poured herself another cup of coffee, breathing in the rich aroma. The caffeine was already helping clear her head, but her stomach still roiled with anxiety.
“What are you having for breakfast?” Charlie asked as he poured cereal into his bowl. At least most of it made it in.
Marion’s stomach churned at the thought of food. “I had some toast,” she lied, the words bitter on her tongue. Her second lie in nearly as many days.
She should never have used Charlie as an excuse to leave the garden center.
No, when she saw Alfie today, she’d come clean and tell him the truth.
And then turn down his generous business offer.
She glanced at her laptop on the counter.
She’d scoured the local online bulletin boards last night and come up with nothing, but first thing Monday she would hit the streets and find a job. Any job.
“Are you excited about today?” Charlie asked around a mouthful of cereal, milk dribbling down his chin.
Marion handed him a napkin. “Don’t talk with your mouthful, please. And yes, it should be fun.”
“I can’t wait to see Alfie,” Charlie continued, wiping his mouth. “Do you think he’ll bring his special magnifying glass again?”
Marion’s heart squeezed painfully. “I’m sure he will,” she managed, turning away to rinse her coffee cup so Charlie wouldn’t see her expression.
The garden project. Alfie. The woman in his arms. It all swirled together in her mind as she stared out the kitchen window at the bug hotel she’d built with Charlie.
Everything had seemed so perfect, so promising. And now...
“Aunt Marion?” Charlie’s voice pulled her back to the present. “Are you okay?”
Marion turned, forcing a smile. “Of course, buddy. Just thinking about all the bugs we’re going to help today.”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed as he studied her before returning to his cereal with renewed enthusiasm.
Marion leaned against the counter, watching her nephew. For him, she would face Alfie. For him, she would put on a brave face and pretend her heart wasn’t breaking. And somehow, she would find the strength to rebuild the walls that Alfie Thornberg had so effortlessly dismantled.
Because that’s what she did. That’s what she had always done.
A half-hour later, they were heading out the door, Charlie practically bouncing with each step while Marion’s feet felt leaden. She locked up behind them, her keys jangling in trembling hands.
“Do you think we’ll finish the bug corner today?” Charlie asked, buckling himself into the backseat.
“Maybe,” Marion replied, trying to infuse her voice with an enthusiasm she didn’t feel. “But I think the bug corner will evolve.”
“Like dinosaurs evolved from reptiles?” Charlie asked.
Marion chuckled. “Something like that. What I mean is that I don’t know if the bug corner will ever be finished because there will always be things to add to it, and bits of it that need maintaining.”
“Cool,” Charlie replied, nodding as he looked out of the window. “I’d like to keep working on it and helping it evolve.”
When they pulled into the community garden parking area, Marion’s heart lurched painfully.
Alfie’s truck was already there, parked beneath a sprawling oak tree.
For one brief, treacherous moment, excitement fluttered in her chest at the thought of seeing him again.
Then anxiety crashed over her like a wave, leaving her breathless.
“Come on!” Charlie called, already unbuckling and reaching for the door handle.
Marion took a steadying breath. “Wait a second. Remember, there are other cars.”
“Okay.” Charlie got out of the car and then waited for her to grab her tote bag and gardening gloves. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder.
They walked together toward their plot, Charlie skipping ahead while Marion’s steps grew heavier with each passing moment. When they reached their section, she scanned the area, relief and disappointment warring within her when she didn’t see Alfie anywhere.
Charlie looked up at her, his expression falling. “Where’s Alfie?”
Marion swallowed hard, hating how her nephew’s excitement dimmed. “I’m sure he’s just busy helping others,” she said, forcing a smile. “There are a lot of gardeners here today.”
Charlie nodded, but his shoulders slumped slightly. The sight confirmed her deepest fears. If she let Alfie further into their lives and things went wrong, Charlie would be the one hurt most. Just like with Razor. Just like with Heather.
“Let’s check on our tomatoes while we wait,” Marion suggested, desperate to distract him.
Charlie crouched beside the plants, his expression brightening. “Wow! They’ve grown so much!”
“They certainly have,” Marion agreed, genuinely surprised by how much the plants had flourished in just one week.
Just like Charlie, she thought with a bittersweet smile.
As Charlie counted the tiny green tomatoes forming on the vines, Marion glanced around the garden again and froze. Across the way, near the new greenhouse, stood Alfie with the same woman from Thursday. They were laughing together, the woman’s hand resting casually on Alfie’s arm.
Nausea rose in Marion’s throat. She wanted to grab Charlie’s hand and flee, to protect them both from further heartbreak. The woman leaned in to say something to Alfie, and he nodded, his face lighting up with that warm smile that had once been directed at Marion.
Oh no! They were heading this way. Together.
Marion stood rooted to the spot, willing her face to remain neutral as anger and hurt bubbled inside her. She knew it wasn’t fair to blame Alfie. He’d never actually promised her anything. But that kiss! Had it meant nothing to him? Did he go around kissing all the women in Bear Creek?
“Alfie!” Charlie’s shout cut through her spiraling thoughts. Before she could stop him, he was racing across their plot and launching himself at Alfie with complete trust and abandon.
Alfie caught him easily, his strong arms lifting Charlie in a brief hug before setting him back down.
The genuine affection on his face as he looked at Charlie made Marion’s heart twist painfully.
Perhaps Alfie truly cared for her nephew, even if his feelings for her had been exaggerated or misinterpreted.