Take It All

Chapter One

Anna

Nothing in this world makes me smile more than when I see my daughter's beautiful face. It doesn't matter what mood I’m in; the moment I see her, a sense of peace fills me. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but she’s the one thing I’ve done right in this world.

I make my way across the quaint coffee shop to where she’s sitting in the corner. She clicks away on her laptop looking adorable, and I wonder if she’s nervous to start a brand-new high school next week. It’s her senior year, and I’m sure she’s finding out everything she can about Craven Cove High.

I thought she should spend her last year of high school actually in school since over the years we’ve shifted between homeschooling and in-person. It normally depended on where we were at the time, but it felt like this last year was important.

I wanted her to get to do all the things so many high school girls love. From dating, to parties, to prom, and even graduation. So much of our lives were anything but the norm to everyone else, but I wanted to make sure she got every experience in life other girls got growing up. Things that I didn’t get.

“Everyone here is so lovely,” I say, placing the cup of coffee I got her on the table next to her laptop before I take a seat at the small table.

I don’t know where she picked up the coffee habit because I don’t even like the smell of it. Celeste can be so different from me at times and others exactly the same. I’m not sure if that's good or bad. I suppose bad since I am a bit of a con artist.

“Making friends already, I see.” She flicks a glance over to the ladies who have taken a seat at one of the corner tables. I was chitchatting with them in line a few moments ago.

“A girl’s gotta make a living.” I give Celeste a wink, making her laugh.

All three of the women engaged in conversation with me. I am new in town, and most women are nosy. It makes my job easier really. The more people try to dig into your life with their questions, the more they actually give away pieces of their own. All three of them have given me a peek into their lives so easily without realizing it. Doing a reading for them would be like taking candy from a baby.

I don’t hide what I do from my daughter. Most would call me a con artist, but I tell people what they want to hear or what they already know but can’t admit to themselves. They want me to talk to a loved one they’ve lost or tell them their future. Can I actually do any of those things? In a way I suppose, but only because of the information they give me or from what I’ve picked up on. Basically, people pay me to give them reassurance about their past or their future.

“I think you’re fine on money, Mom.” She takes a sip from her coffee.

We are. I’ve never been frugal with our money. I know what it’s like to go without a roof over my head and go to bed hungry. Some nights the stomachaches were so bad it made it almost impossible to sleep. My daughter will never have those experiences. I don’t care who I have to con to make sure that happens.

I reach across the table, pulling her smudged glasses off her face to clean them. “What do you think of this place?” I ask.

I don’t know what it is about Craven Cove, but something has been pulling me toward it for a while now. It first caught my attention when I was reading an article about some of the richest men in Washington State. Rory Crew topped the list, and after doing a little digging, I found he’s done it for years.

Rich men have always been a bit of an easy mark for me, and I don’t carry any guilt about it after I get what I want from them. The more I dug up on Rory, the more intrigued I became. A single father well known in the business world and even more known in the small island town of Craven Cove.

The next thing I knew I was packing us up and moving to the small island town. It would be the perfect place for Celeste and me to settle down for a while. I’ve been getting the sense Celeste is longing to put her roots down somewhere, so why not one of the best places in the country?

If I’m honest with myself, I think I might be ready to settle down a bit too, even if the thought of doing so scares the crap out of me. For some reason, the thought of being tied down somewhere gives me the sensation of being trapped.