Inglath Cooper - The Lost Daughter Of Pigeon Hollow

“Is that it, then? Do you think I should let you quit school? Hang out with guys who are going to lead you down the road to nowhere?”

“I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”

Willa stood and walked to the bottom of the stairs. “That’s not what I think at all. I think you’re smart, beautiful and at a very confusing time in your life. But, Katie, the choices you make now are going to affect your future in ways you can’t begin to see from here.”

“Like the choices you’ve made, Willa?” She tore up the stairs then, throwing out behind her, “At least I’m out there playing the game.”

WILLA DROVE KATIE TO SCHOOL the next morning. Neither spoke the entire way. Katie kept her headset on, the beat of the music pounding like a muted jackhammer.

Willa pulled up at the high school’s main entrance. Students loitered around the front steps. “You’ll go by the principal’s office, Katie?”

“Sure thing.”

“Two more absences, and you’re going to fail your classes this semester.”

“That would be a disaster,” Katie said, sounding mildly bored. She got out of the Wagoneer and strolled toward the front entrance, stopping to talk with a trio of defiant-looking teenagers wearing nose rings complemented by varying degrees of purple hair.

Katie had never seemed farther away.

AT THE TOP SHELF, Willa pulled into an empty space beside Judy’s old Citation. If possible, it was more of a rattletrap than her own. She got out and waited for Judy who slid out of the car, then slammed the driver’s door. The door failed to catch, so she opened it and closed it again.

The sleeve of her white sweater slid up with the movement. An ugly purple bruise encircled her wrist.

Willa touched her arm. “Hey. What’s that?”

Judy avoided Willa’s gaze. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? Judy—”

Judy held up a hand, smiling a little too broadly. “Uh-uh. This problem’s not going on your shoulders.”

They walked across the parking lot to the diner entrance, both quiet.

“Are you all right, Judy?” Willa finally asked softly.

Judy smiled an of-course smile. “Yes.”

“I really am worried about you.”

“Don’t be.”

“How can I not?”

“You know, if they measured worry in a person’s blood the way they measure cholesterol and triglycerides, you’d be on the operating table.”

“Judy. I’m serious.”

“So am I. I’m fine. And we’re talking about you, anyway. Now let’s hear about those circles under your eyes.”

Willa gave in for now. “I don’t know what to do with her anymore. It seems like the more I say, the worse things get.”

“Maybe it’s time to let her fall,” Judy reasoned. “My mama always said she could tell me all day long what a bump on the head was going to feel like, but until my own noggin hit the pavement, there was no way I would ever believe her.”

Willa smiled, pushing through the front door of the diner. Clara Hibber, one of the other waitresses, opened up every morning so Willa could take Katie to school.

Clara waved from behind the counter. Willa waved back, then looked at Judy. “She’s just so angry. I wish I knew why.”

“When you’re sixteen, it doesn’t matter,” Judy said. “Anger is just another hormone. You feel justified. But if anybody should be angry, it’s you. You got to be a mother at twenty-one without any of the fun that comes with arriving at that happy state.”

“I don’t regret what I’ve done for Katie. She’s my sister.”

“I know you don’t. But for seven years now, you’ve been living the life of your mother. Taking over this place after she died. You didn’t get the chance to be young. Take it from me, the years fly by, and you wake up one day looking at a big sign with Too Late written in big, bold letters.”

Willa put a hand on Judy’s shoulder. “If that’s your subtle way of saying I need a man, I haven’t seen anything out there worth missing a night with a good book.”

The diner door opened. The man from yesterday walked in, taking the same table as before. Both Willa and Judy stared for a moment. He looked up. They both got busy shuffling menus and stacking coffee cups.

“That’s what I call amazing timing,” Judy said.

“Just take his order.”

Judy grabbed a pad, handed it to Willa, then bolted, whispering over her shoulder, “Ladies’ room.”

“Judy—”

But she was already out of sight. Willa stared after her, made a mental payback note, then walked over to the table.

The man glanced up.

“What would you like?” she asked, trying not to stare. He was unbelievably good-looking. Dark hair contrasted by light blue eyes. The kind of mouth a woman’s gaze could not help being drawn to.

“What do you recommend?” he asked.

“Eggs and bacon are always a sure thing. Pancakes, too, but you don’t look like a guy who eats a lot of starch.”

“Eggs and bacon, then. But add a pancake, too. I’m feeling like a walk on the wild side.”

Willa scribbled the order on her pad, a small smile touching her mouth. “And to drink?”

“Coffee.”

She nodded. “Your order will be out in a few minutes.”

Judy was back from the ladies’ room when Willa got to the front counter. “What did he say?”

“Eggs and bacon. Add a pancake.”

Judy snorted. “I really am starting to worry about you. A man like that walks in here, and you don’t even flirt with him.”

“I said he looked like he doesn’t eat a lot of starch. Does that qualify?”

“Struck instant lust in his heart, I’m sure.”

Willa smiled, poured coffee in a cup, then carried it to the man’s table. He looked up, and she noticed how blue his eyes were. Magnetic, really. She wanted to look longer, but she jerked her gaze away and set the coffee down. “Your food will be right out.”

He stood, stuck out his hand. “Owen Miller,” he said.

“Willa.” She cleared her throat. “Addison.”

He stared at her for a moment. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Dinner? Ah, thank you, but I—” She waved a hand at the diner. “I’m here until pretty late.”

“Late is okay.”

She stood there, tapping a thumb against the coffeepot. “I take it you’re passing through?”

“Can’t deny that.”

“What would be the point?”

“Conversation?”

For a moment, Willa actually considered it. He was gorgeous, and she was tempted. But her life already had enough complications without pursuing something that would end up going nowhere. She’d already done nowhere. She shook her head. “Thank you for the invitation,” she said, “but no.”

NO.

He hadn’t expected rejection. It was the first time in his life he’d ever been turned down by a woman. The thought was completed with no particular amazement; it just wasn’t something he was used to. And so, he wasn’t exactly sure how to react to it.