Not What I Expected

“Hey, Mom.” Linc hugged me as soon as I climbed out of my Tahoe.

“My baby.” I hugged him back and all six feet five inches of him lifted me off the ground. “Have you been here long? I went to my meeting at church before the grocery store. I didn’t expect to see anyone arrive until later tonight.”

“We wanted to surprise you.” He set me back on my feet. “Bella just got home with Grandma and Grandpa, and Finn went to get Grandma and Papa Smith.”

“I didn’t plan on dinner for everyone.”

“And …” Linc opened the back of the Tahoe to help unload groceries. “Chase ordered pizza, and it will be here in thirty minutes.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek before carrying grocery bags into the house.

My family left me speechless. They had no way of knowing the full extent of my emotionally rattled state. Yet they were there for me.

“There’s our girl.” Dad hugged me the second I removed my boots as Bella took the sacks of groceries from my hands.

“Hey, Dad. Good to see you. How was your flight?”

“Smooth as could be.”

“Hi, Mom.” I went straight from my dad’s arms to my mom’s arms.

“Baby girl.” She kissed the side of my head. “How ya doing, honey?”

“Good. I’m good.” I pulled back and smiled. I was doing good. In spite of the shit show called my life the previous months, I felt oddly at peace with my uncertain future.

No plans. And that was okay.

No Kael. And while that didn’t feel as okay, it was life in the now.

He taught me that.

“Are you sure?” She pressed her hand to my cheek.

“Of course.” My face contorted in a little confusion at her sudden concern. It wasn’t like she’d recently called me to check in.

“Well, we’re here now and everything’s going to be okay.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I didn’t have time to ask because Finn came through the front door with Craig’s parents.

A good ole Griswold family Christmas.

We ate pizza, and the boys shared with their grandparents how college and jobs were going. Bella remained uncharacteristically quiet. More than that, she wouldn’t hold eye contact with me for more than a few seconds.

“Can I say something before we leave the table. I didn’t expect everyone to be here tonight, but it actually feels like the right time to make this announcement.”

Everyone eyed me suspiciously.

Too suspiciously.

What was going on?

“After much thought and careful consideration, I have decided to close the store at the end of the year.” Just like that … a hundred pounds lifted from my shoulders.

Linc reached over and covered my hand with his. “We know. Well, we didn’t know for sure that you were planning on it and had set an actual date. But we were going to suggest it.”

“Uh … we?” I gave him a narrow-eyed inspection before sweeping my gaze around the table. So many sad and pained faces.

“It’s kinda why we’re all here tonight.” Chase eyed Bella briefly before returning his focus to me.

I laughed nervously. “What do you mean? You arranged everyone to be here to suggest I close the store?”

“Not just the store.” Finn took his turn speaking. “This is more like an intervention.”

Bella … she kept her gaze on her plate with a half-eaten piece of pizza on it.

“An intervention?” My eyes widened. “For … what?”

“Sweetie,” Mom gave me that motherly, overly sympathetic look, “we know.”

“Know what?”

Bella squirmed, but she still wouldn’t look at me.

“We know about your young boyfriend. And the breakdown you had at the young man’s store. We know you’ve been showing signs of mental distress at your grief group. Unwarranted anger. And…” she shot Craig’s parents a quick glance “…we know you asked Craig for a divorce right before he was in the car accident.”

Oh.

My.

God.

A fucking intervention? It had to be a joke. I did nothing wrong. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t losing it. I was honest. I was human.

I immediately gauged Linc’s and Chase’s reaction. Were they mad I never told them the truth? And Craig’s parents … that news and the news of me closing their store.

But nobody looked mad or disappointed, just painfully sympathetic. Except Bella … she bled shame with her complete avoidance of me.

She was the rat.

And I wasn’t mad at her. I was really confused because I was good. I did all the things I needed to do.

Closing the store.

Breaking up with Kael.

Confessing to my grief recovery group.

And I was going to come clean to Linc and Chase right after Christmas.

I. Was. Good.

What in the hell happened?

I thought Bella and I were good.

“I see …”

I didn’t actually. It was all a blur, mass confusion running rampant in my head.

“So …” I drew in a long breath. “What exactly are you intervening? Because I’m not in my group anymore. Tonight was my last night. I’m not with the younger man anymore. I already said I was closing the store. What’s left for me to do?”