just moved here from NYC, actually.”
“How in the world did you end up in Seagrove?”
“Long story, but basically my husband got transferred with his concrete paving company. And now, here we are, right in the heart of podunkville. No offense.”
“None taken. I’m not from here originally, either. I grew up in Atlanta.”
“And how did you end up here?”
“Parents divorced, mother moved here. I was in Paris at university. Got pregnant at nineteen, came home and kept the secret. You know, the typical story,” Meg said with a laugh.
“Wow. You’ve got a great backstory compared to mine. All I did was get married and have a kid.”
Meg took another bite of poundcake. “Well, we have one thing in common, I guess.”
“PPD?”
“Yep.”
Darcy sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to go back to the meetings.”
Meg nodded. “Probably a good idea. But, at least we found each other. I don’t have any friends in town.”
“Me either,” Darcy said, smiling slightly. “I guess I do now.”
Janine picked at her sandwich. Today hadn’t been the best. William had been gone for two weeks now, and she missed him all day, every day. Her hand had lingered over the keypad on her phone so many times as she thought about whether she should text him or not. But, her pride reeled her back in each and every time.
Her class schedule had been grueling today, with students showing up at seven in the morning and classes ending at five. She was so thankful for the business, but what was she doing it for, really?
When she’d opened the studio, her grand plans had included William, a couple of dogs and a white picket fence. Part of her had even allowed herself to hope for children, although adoption would be their only option at her age. She’d been so excited thinking about the prospect of being a mother one day, hopefully through the foster care system. Now, everything had fallen apart right in front of her face, and she didn’t know what to do to get her motivation back.
“Well, if it isn’t my oldest daughter,” SuAnn said, loudly of course, as she took the seat across from Janine. All hopes for a nice, quiet lunch were dashed.
“Hi, Mom.” She stirred her cream of chicken soup for the hundredth time, still without taking a bite.
“You’re looking a little glum today, dear. Wrinkles are a very real thing, and they come on much faster if you frown.”
Janine wanted to run out into traffic, only there wasn’t any in the small town. “Mother, please. I can only take so much today.”
“Is this about that William fellow?”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“So, it is about him. Well, if you want to know what I think…”
“I truly don’t.”
“I think you need to call him up, apologize for breaking up with him and get on the next plane to Texas.”
Janine stared at her. “What?”
“Dear, and forgive me for pointing out the obvious, you’re not getting any younger. As you get older, there aren’t very many good men to choose from. Letting a perfectly good one go isn’t wise.”
Janine considered throwing her bowl of soup at her own mother for a moment, but thought better of it. Who would ever come to her studio again to learn about peace and tranquility if she nutted out at the local bistro?
"Do you ever think about what you're saying?"
“I know it's not popular to think this way in this day and age, but a good man is worth his weight in gold. Don't you want to settle down? You're exhausting to keep up with, Janine."
Janine glared at her mother. "I don't even understand what you're talking about. I'm literally sitting right here in front of you, stable as can be with my own business. You're the one telling me to go running off to some other state chasing after a man."
"It just breaks my heart to see you all alone."
"I'm not alone, Mother. I'm an independent woman who has her family all around her."
"Yes, but your family won't snuggle up with you at night. And your family isn't going to grow old with you, sitting on the front porch watching your grandchildren play in the front yard. You keep this up and you're going to be one of those old women at the nursing home all by herself."
Janine couldn't believe what she was hearing, although it shouldn’t have come as any surprise given the history she had with her mother. "I need to get back to work. I