The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,133
and Laurie would soon have a coffee shop to manage as well as the store; Sierra and Taylor would help out here and there, but Autumn would run it. Then she wouldn’t have to be separated from Quinn, and Taylor wouldn’t have to be separated from Sierra.
It would be wonderful to leave behind the life that had imploded when Nick disappeared and start over. Her son was the only thing holding her back. “I’ll talk to Caden,” she said. “See if he’s even open to the idea.”
“Am I hearing right?” Laurie asked as she joined them at the register. “Are you thinking about staying in Sable Beach?”
“We’ll see,” Autumn said.
She bent to get her purse. “You know Chris and I would love that.”
“I would love it, too,” she admitted.
Mary and Laurie had to meet with the architect to have something changed on the plans for the coffee shop. After they left, Autumn walked around the store, running her fingers over the shelves and spines of the books. This place had shaped her childhood. She felt such a sense of promise as she considered making it part of her future, too—like bookends, she thought with a chuckle.
For her, this town, this bookshop, was home and home was where her heart would always be.
* * *
That night, Taylor sat at the kitchen table with her mother, Caden and Mimi. They were about to call Oliver’s parents; she was so nervous she had butterflies in her stomach. How mad would the Hancocks get? Would they blame the pregnancy entirely on her? Make her out to be some sort of slut? Oliver had said his father would kick him out of the house. Taylor couldn’t help worrying about that. As upset as she was at Oliver for telling his brother about the baby, she wasn’t out to ruin his life.
“You ready?” her mother asked.
She wasn’t ready, but she couldn’t put this off any longer. Now that she’d told her mother, she felt like she was halfway across a high and very shaky bridge, one that could break and let her fall through at any second. She wasn’t eager to stay on it any longer than she had to.
“Tay?” her mother prompted.
She nodded. Do it, she thought. Just do it. Fortunately, Autumn had Oliver’s mother’s number from before, when Caden used to hang out with him.
Caden, Mimi and her mother looked at each other, drew a deep breath—and her mother dialed the call, which she had on speakerphone.
A woman answered right away. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Hancock?”
“Yes?”
“This is Autumn Divac.”
“Caden’s mom.”
“Yes. I’ve got my mother, my daughter and Caden on the line with me.”
“Oh, okay.” She sounded taken aback. “How are you all?”
Jill Hancock seemed to be curious about this call but in a good mood.
She must not know, Taylor mouthed to Caden, and he agreed with a nod.
“We’ve been better,” Autumn admitted.
“Have you learned anything about Nick?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you for your condolences.”
There was an awkward lull, during which Mrs. Hancock had to be wondering why they’d called her. Meanwhile, Taylor could tell that Autumn was looking for a way to start the real part of the conversation, and she felt sorry that she’d caused this whole thing.
“Listen, um, I’m afraid we have a problem,” Autumn said, plunging in.
“We do?” Jill responded, sounding uncertain.
“Yes. You know Taylor, Caden’s sister, don’t you?”
“I believe so. She’s older than Caden and Oliver, will be a senior this year.”
“That’s right.”
“She’s a pretty girl. Popular, too. I’ve seen her at school.”
The lump in Taylor’s throat swelled at the thought of the humiliation and embarrassment she would face when she returned to Tampa, and the fact that her life would take a dramatically different turn than the lives of her friends. But she hoped appealing to Oliver’s mother would help, that they could convince the Hancocks not to be too hard on him, which was why she’d asked her mother to place this call.
“Well...my daughter and your son were...together at a party before the school year ended, and... I’m afraid there’s no easy to way to say this, but...Taylor’s pregnant.”
Dead silence.
Taylor bit her bottom lip as she waited for Oliver’s mother’s reaction.
“You’re not saying...” Jill started but couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
“Yes. I’m saying that,” Autumn said.
“It’s Oliver’s baby?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“That can’t be. Oliver and your daughter haven’t even been dating!”
Again, Taylor winced. That was true.
“It was a...a one-time thing,” Taylor heard her mom say. “At a party.”
“Oh, God,” she groaned. “You can’t be serious. Surely, it can’t