Amanda Renee - Home to the Cowboy

Tess aligned the vinyl-covered stainless steel chairs while her mother ducked behind the counter for a rag and made one more pass over the Formica surface for good measure.

“Bridgett, add tomato bisque to the Specials Board. I’m going to start a batch in a minute.” Maggie didn’t bother to look up. “I’m sorry, Tess, what was it you were saying?”

“It can wait.”

For some reason she felt a conversation that involved Ever deserved more of her mother’s attention. Tess had hoped to make the best of this trip, visit with family, catch up with a few friends, attend the wedding and head home to New York. Already her plans were shifting since Kay had asked her to help market Dance of Hope.

Despite what happened with Cole a few years ago, he didn’t seem to hold much of a grudge, although she wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke to her again after being a no-show at his father’s funeral.

Why did he have to kiss me and confuse the issue?

“I should have come home for the funeral,” Tess said, louder than she anticipated.

“Yes, you should have.” Maggie stopped long enough to lay a hand over her daughter’s. “But what’s done is done. You can’t go back.”

“No, I can’t.” The words had more than one meaning, but luckily her mother didn’t catch on. Tess wasn’t ready to admit she was contemplating a move back home for fear everyone, especially her parents, would think she’d failed in the big city.

Tess was tired of running through the million what-ifs that had plagued her since her tidy little world came crashing down. What if she’d taken on more accounts at work, even though her workload was almost unbearable? What if she’d been more of a team player, although she always worked well with Cheryl-Leigh? So why was her roommate still there and Tess out of a job?

Cheryl-Leigh knew Tess was vying for a promotion and even supported her bid by offering to help in any way she could. While Tess was grateful for her friend’s support, she couldn’t help but wonder if her help was Tess’s downfall. There was no question about Tess’s ability to get the job done, but from an outsider’s perspective, Cheryl-Leigh was the one always lending a helping hand, which made it look like Tess was unable to manage on her own. Was it intentional on Cheryl-Leigh’s part or was she reading too much into it?

“Mom, where are all the napkin dispensers?” Tess looked around the luncheonette.

“I completely forgot I polished them last night. They’re behind the counter at the end. Don’t get them all smudgy with your fingerprints, though.”

“Am I supposed to wear gloves?” Tess teased, causing Bridgett to snicker.

“Here.” Maggie thrust a pair of disposable latex gloves at Tess as she walked past.

“I guess so.” Pulling them on, Tess began to set out a dispenser on each table.

Seeing her reflection in the side of the shiny chrome, Tess considered herself reasonably attractive. Which left her once again questioning what went wrong with Tim? If she’d gone on that last business trip with him he wouldn’t have returned married, although the logical side of her brain reasoned that since he did, he must have been having an affair for a while.

Tess glanced around. She’d missed the unpretentious and homey surroundings of the luncheonette. Trophies and photographs from Maggie’s Silkie Chicken competition days sat on a shelf above the kitchen pass-through window. It was a quirky little eatery, and her mother took pride in every square foot of it.

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