Page 72 of Pinch of Love

He brushed his finger under my chin before tricking me. With a quick scoop of his arms, he picked me up and carried me to the patio table where he’d set the takeout.

“Wow. It smells amazing.”

He picked up a napkin from one of the bags and handed it to me. “You still have a tear on your left cheek.”

I quickly grabbed the napkin and dabbed the remaining tear.

Cash started opening containers and spreading them out along the table. He opened two sodas and set one in front of me before spooning mac and cheese, coleslaw, beans, pork brisket, and a chicken leg onto my plate.

“That should start you off well.” He smiled, studying me. “But I’d really like to know what happened while I was gone. Is it your ex? Do I need to call Nate?”

I let out a groan and placed my forehead in both palms. “When I say I’m a hot mess, I mean it. I come with baggage, and that baggage has small purses, bags, and organizers for all my crap.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

I smiled and nodded. “Oh, it is.”

I spooned in a couple of mouthfuls of baked beans and sat quietly eating with Cash. I didn’t know how to start or what to say, so I stared at the lake.

From everything I could tell, Cash had a normal family.

I didn’t.

There was nothing normal about being left home alone for weeks at a time with no food or money while our parents were on a bender. There was nothing normal about lying to case managers to protect the people who were supposed to be protecting us.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Cash tried again.

I turned my gaze to his and took a bite of chicken. “I don’t want you to think I’m an awful person.”

He shook his head. “I never would.”

“Nina called me because she had news about my mom.”

He nodded and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “You haven’t mentioned much about your parents. You told me Rob called them failures, but it sounded like it was in a nasty comparison.”

I let out a deep breath. “Yeah. He was partially right, for once. They weren’t the parents that we needed growing up.”

“I’m sorry.”

I took a sip of soda as my bravery rose. “My parents are addicts. They live on the streets and have for most of my grown life. My home life growing up was hell until I came here to Buttercup Lake. Even my grandma didn’t know what was going on at home. We wanted to protect our dad, her son.”

Shock registered across Cash’s face. “Wow. That wasn’t something I expected.”

“It always seems to surprise people, which I take as a compliment. Most of the time.”

He tried again. “Is everything okay with the call?”

“Not really.” I clasped my hands together and set them on my lap. “My sister called because my mom died of an overdose. My father is MIA, so the county coroner reached out to Nina.”

Cash shot from his seat toward me and pulled a chair next to mine.

“I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now.”

My eyes connected with his. “That’s just it. I feel nothing.”

“And that’s your right.” He nodded. “I can’t imagine growing up with parents like that. Our family was close. We were a priority. I don’t know how I’d feel if that hadn’t been the case.”

I licked my lips, feeling my throat restrict. “I feel like an awful daughter, a horrible person for not breaking down and crumpling and...”