Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy
CHAPTER FIVE
Hazel was awake. She laid in bed, gazing at her daughter. Grace was sleeping hard. Her cheek smashed against the pillow, one leg thrown out of the covers. She was always a beast to sleep with, rolling and tossing all night like a tornado, but Hazel loved it. Since the divorce, Grace often crawled into bed with Hazel, both seeking comfort and finding it in late night talks and plenty of snuggles.
Through the drawn curtains, pale morning light peeked into the bedroom. Hazel reached for her phone on the nightstand. She figured it was probably about seven o’clock. She gasped when she saw that it was almost nine.
Grace stirred. “Mom? What’s wrong?”
Hazel set her phone back down. “Sorry, sweetie. I was just looking at the time and we really slept in.”
Seven o’clock was sleeping in for Hazel. Yesterday must have completely done her in.
Grace rolled to her back and stretched her arms above her, touching the rails of the oak headboard. She pushed wispy hair from her forehead. “What are we going to eat for breakfast? I’m hungry.”
“Why don’t you brush your teeth and I’ll see what Frankie is up to downstairs. Maybe we can run into town and get donuts for everyone?”
“Yum.” Grace pushed the covers back and sat up.
Last night, Frankie had retrieved toiletries for Hazel and Grace to use. She also found t-shirts and shorts for them to sleep in. She’d even offered to throw their clothes in the wash. Hazel felt like she was imposing, but she also hadn’t planned to stay overnight in Maple Bay . . . or for the entire summer. She and Grace had arrived with only the clothes on their backs, so Hazel was forced to take advantage of Frankie’s hospitality. Hazel had also called her parents to tell them about her decision to stay in Maple Bay. Before Hazel could even ask, they offered to pack and deliver suitcases the next day. Hazel was looking forward to seeing her parents’ faces.
“Grandma and Grandpa are going to be here this afternoon. They’re bringing our clothes and some stuff to get us through the summer.”
Grace turned sharply toward Hazel. “You asked them to bring my swimsuit, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” Hazel grinned at Grace’s excitement to go swimming. Last night as they drifted off to sleep, Grace had asked a million questions about the carriage house, the lake, the horses, Frankie, and Rose. Hazel tried to answer them as best she could. She had plenty of questions herself and wasn’t sure she was ready for the answers.
As Grace brushed her teeth and hair, Hazel tiptoed down the stairs, listening for Frankie or the boys. The house was quiet. In the kitchen, she found a note on the table along with a few boxes of cereal.
Hazel & Grace,
Make yourselves at home. I brewed a pot of coffee. There’s milk in the fridge. The boys and I are out in the barn. Join us if you’d like.
-Frankie
Hazel peeked out the kitchen window, taking in the backyard and red barn. Noah was skipping around by the front of the barn, a bucket in hand. Wyatt and Tommy were brushing a horse which was tied to a pasture fence. Frankie sat on the top rail of an arena fence watching a couple girls as they rode horses.
Yesterday, Frankie mentioned she gave horseback riding lessons. Hazel hoped the lesson would be done soon—before Grace had a chance to see the girls riding. Grace would take one look and beg to ride a horse until Hazel’s ears bled. But honestly, horses scared Hazel. She’d never been around such big animals, and riding didn’t seem like a safe sport for her daughter to take up.
Grace appeared in the stairwell. “Brushed my teeth and my hair!” Grace had smoothed her chestnut tresses into a cute bun on the top of her head. At ten years old, she was starting to look like a mini teenager, growing taller with each passing minute. Hazel wished time would slow down.
“Great,” Hazel said, wanting to keep Grace from glancing out the kitchen window. “How about instead of donuts we do cereal this morning?”
Grace wrinkled her nose, but when she saw the brightly colored cereal boxes on the table, she smiled. Hazel didn’t keep sugary cereal in the house. Mostly because Hazel knew she’d dip into the boxes for a midnight snack every night.
Grace sat down at the table, and Hazel pulled a gallon of milk from the fridge, setting it on the table next to Grace. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sipped as Grace scanned the cereal boxes, making the hard decision of which she would have for breakfast. The kitchen looked like Frankie had been in a rush this morning. The sink was full of dirty dishes and the counters looked rampaged by a pack of hungry boys. Which it probably was. Looking to keep herself busy, Hazel filled one half of the sink with warm, sudsy water and started scrubbing. She’d made it through all the dishes and was drying off the frying pan when Frankie came in the backdoor.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Frankie said, looking surprised as she shut the door.
“I don’t mind.” Hazel set the pan in the dish rack. “Least I can do considering you housed us and are feeding us this morning. I was going to go into town and get donuts for us all, but then I saw that you guys had already eaten. I didn’t realize how late it was. Maybe tomorrow?”
“Uh, sure. The boys would love that. There’s an amazing bakery in town—Patty Cakes. Patty makes the best Maple Bars.” Frankie stepped out of her cowboy boots. “I was just going to switch the laundry. I totally forgot about your clothes until this morning, but I did get them in the washer.”
“I could’ve switched it,” Hazel offered as Frankie vanished into a room off the kitchen. She heard the dryer start up.
“You’ll have clean clothes in about an hour,” Frankie said as she reappeared in the kitchen.
“Frankie, I want to pull my weight around here if we’re going to be taking up your guest room while I prepare the carriage house. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll get it done. I’m pretty good at cleaning and cooking.” Those were two things Hazel knew she did well. “And it would make me feel useful.”
Frankie stepped back into her cowboy boots, and the silver spurs attached to the heels jingled. Grace sat up straight with interest. “Well, you don’t have to twist my arm too hard.” Frankie gave her a polite smile. “Those are two things I’m not too fond of. Mom always helped me in those areas. And thank you for cleaning up the kitchen. I got the boys fed, and we’ve been out in the barn doing chores and lessons since six.”
“You were up early.” Hazel knew how late Frankie had been up. Last night, Hazel was having a hard time falling asleep. She’d gotten out of bed, intending to get a glass of water. As she snuck down the stairs to the kitchen, Hazel overheard Frankie talking with a man. Hazel assumed it was her husband, Garrett, and the conversation sounded tense. She didn’t want to intrude, so she turned around and headed back upstairs. She hadn’t heard much, but knew those types of late-night conversations were only meant for the two people involved. In the last few years of their marriage, she’d had many of those conversations with Bill. “How about I make lunch for us all?”
Frankie looked like she wasn’t sure if she should allow Hazel to do so. “I’ve been meaning to get to the grocery store. . .” Frankie trailed off.
“I’ll run to the grocery store. I’m sure I can find it on Google Maps.”
Frankie chuckled. “It’d be hard to miss. Just take a right out of the driveway and head into Maple Bay. You’ll run right into it.”
“Perfect.” Hazel set the dish towel on the counter, but realized her clothes were in the dryer. She looked down at the oversized t-shirt and basketball shorts she was sporting and didn’t think she should meander into town looking like she’d just crawled out of bed.
Frankie seemed to read her mind. “Do you want to borrow some clothes?”
Hazel hesitated, mostly because she wasn’t sure she’d fit into Frankie’s clothes. She’d been trying to lose the extra weight she’d put on in the past few years, but the extra pounds were a bit stickier than she’d like.
Frankie didn’t let her answer. She walked through the living room and into a bedroom, which must’ve been the master. A few minutes later she appeared with a stack of clothes and set them on the table. “It’s hot today, so I grabbed some shorts and tanks for you to pick from. There’s a sports bra here too. You’re on your own with the underwear though.”
Hazel huffed, hoping her underwear would dry quicker than the rest of her clothes. “Okay, thanks. I’ll see if they fit.”
“Grace can stay with us while you run to the store.” Frankie turned to Grace. “The boys are cleaning pens while I work. I know it’s not very glamourous, but you could join them if you want.”
Grace shoveled the last few bites of cereal into her mouth before jumping up from her chair and setting her bowl in the sink. “Can I, Mom?”
“I don’t know,” Hazel replied. Grace was wearing one of the boy’s t-shirts and basketball shorts. She’d be just fine running around the farm in that, but Hazel didn’t like the idea of Grace being around the horses without supervision. “You’ve never been around horses before, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“There aren’t any horses in the pens they’re cleaning, and I’ll be able to see them from the arena. Plus, Jesse will keep an eye on them.”
Jesse? The cowboy? He was here again? Did he live here, too?
Before Hazel could ask, Grace clamped onto her arm and gave her a pleading look.
“Okay, okay. But you need to listen to the adults, and no petting the horses without asking Frankie, okay?”
Grace ran to the door. She plopped down on the floor and put on her tennis shoes. “Ready,” she announced and hopped up.
“Follow me.” Frankie opened the door. She and Grace headed out and walked toward the barn. Hazel watched them through the window. They were talking and Grace was nearly skipping. Hazel had never seen anyone so excited to clean a horse pen.
Hazel looked back at the kitchen table and the stack of clothes Frankie had set out. She took a breath. The clock said it was half past nine. If she was going to make lunch, she’d better get to the grocery store. Frankie and the boys ate breakfast early, so they’d surely be starving by eleven.
Hazel took a big slurp of coffee to give herself gumption. She was much more excited to cook than she was to pour herself into Frankie’s clothes.