The Single Dad Deal

Mondays sucked. This sentiment was the one thing I could guarantee was a universal experience. The effects of a pending Monday could be felt from the day before—the Sunday scaries were a real thing, and my current situation bore testament to that.

I sat in my favorite chair on my back porch, overlooking a vast acreage of grass. The view from my childhood home never got old. I often found myself sitting out here when I needed a moment of silence to ease my constantly racing thoughts.

Vermont was beautiful this time of year. The trees had traded their summery green for warm shades of amber, crimson, and gold. The air had that unmistakable fall bite to it—cold enough to allow me to sit in a cozy sweater, but not cold enough to make me look for the nearest fireplace.

I had my hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee, the black mug contrasting harshly against my chipped pink nail polish. It had been a few weeks since I'd last gotten them done, but the thought of sitting through a nail appointment was jarring. Longest two hours of my life.

Before I could even process my next thought, my beautiful best friend flopped beside me in the vacant chair, propping her long legs onto the coffee table in front of us. Linking her arm with mine, she let out a heavy sigh.

Elisia was dramatic. She embodied the word in every sense, but I loved her to bits. And because I did, I had no choice but to play into whatever she was pondering.

I lightly rested my head against hers. "What is it?" I asked, taking note of how the chilly air tousled her blonde locks.

She turned to me with a glint in her eyes. It was something she always had, and something I'd come to love over the past ten years. "Nothing. My dad keeps texting me to do a silly favor for him that I'm definitely not in the mood to do."

She opened her phone and stared at the three notifications on her screen as if she could reply telepathically.

"What does he want you to do?" I asked. Elisia's dad wasn't usually one to ask for favors.

"My uncle is back in town. He arrived yesterday and needs help unpacking some of the stuff the movers brought over. Dad would've done it, but he's in New York until Friday," she explained, slightly chewing on her bottom lip. "I don't know if I should do it or not, and I'd obviously need your help."

Because I had nothing else to do and saw no problem with it, my answer was an easy yes. "Yeah, I can do that. Why are you so hesitant?" I asked.

Elisia's relationship with her uncle was distant, to say the least. She rarely spoke about him, and if she ever did, it was brief. I couldn't say I knew much about the guy, other than that he lived in Massachusetts and had moved here with his daughter to start a new life after his wife of four years cheated on him.

How someone could do that to a partner they share a child with was something I couldn't fathom. Does no one ever think of the kids these days? Poor girl.

She put down her phone and faced me completely. "I just don't have the best relationship with Uncle Christian—not that I've tried to have one. He still remembers my birthday and reaches out occasionally to send pictures of Hazel, but other than that? Nothing. We barely talk, and I feel like it would be awkward to see him so suddenly after everything that happened."

I nodded in understanding. Elisia wasn't a social butterfly, and neither was I—it was why we got along so well. I could understand her nerves, even if they were directed at someone she was directly related to.

"I don't think it'll be that bad," I commented, sipping on my coffee, which was losing its temperature by the second. "I'll be right there with you, and I'm sure it'll be quick. We'll probably be so busy we won't really have time to think about how awkward it might be." I grinned at her, trying to ease her mind.

She fiddled with her fingers, tapping them against the screen of her phone before replying. "Fine, maybe you're right. And it wouldn't hurt to see my cousin again. You'll love her—she's the cutest girl in the world. I could also attempt to get to know my uncle more, considering he's only a twenty-minute drive from us. This could be a good thing."

I nodded and gave her a small smile. "There's the positive attitude I was looking for!"

Elisia giggled and immediately turned to text her dad back.

"Okay, so we'll go tomorrow morning? He said my uncle will be awake around six. There's no way we're doing that, so I'd settle for around nine-ish. Is that okay with you?"

I nodded, making a mental note to set my alarm for tomorrow morning.

Having something to do would take my mind off the fact that I was twenty years old with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My mind was constantly pulled in different directions, without a clue as to what would be best for me or which path to take. I still hadn't found what gave me enough passion to want to study it for four years. Thinking I'd have it all together by now was a serious misconception. Everything looks so much easier until it's your turn to figure it out.

Has anyone written a 'How to Be an Adult' handbook yet?

A tug on my hand brought me out of my thoughts. "Hey, you were daydreaming."

I gave my best friend a lazy smile. She knew me so well. "I was. Did your dad respond?" I asked.

"Yes, he let my uncle know we'd be coming. I can tell he's grateful, which is good enough for me." She waved a hand in front of our faces.

"Anyway, enough about that. I caught you looking at your nails earlier, and the answer is yes: you are in dire need of a manicure." Elisia gave my hands a pitiful look, and I burst out laughing at her expression. She wasn't wrong.

"I am. Are you offering?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her. Did I forget to mention my jack-of-all-trades friend owned her own nail salon?

"Free of charge. Just put all of us who have to look at those hands out of our misery. Come on, I'll even open the shop for you." She grabbed my almost empty cup and set it on the table.

I walked toward the back door, leaving the stunning view behind, and followed Elisia into the house. My mother was settled in the living room, going over bills and payslips for the diner my parents owned down the street.

Millie's Diner had been in our family for decades, owned and run by the beautiful Millie Cullen herself. My mother had done a stunning job of keeping her dream of a cozy diner afloat all these years. But the more I looked at her, the more I noticed the tired shadows under her eyes.

"Hannah, my darling," she greeted, standing up to place a warm kiss on my cheek. Her scent of maple syrup and coffee wafted over me—a comforting reminder of her love.

She turned to Elisia and gave her the same welcoming kiss, which my best friend knew all too well. "Hi, Mrs. Cullen. How's the diner treating you?"

My mother took her seat on the old rocking chair swaying in the corner of our warmly lit living room. She sighed deeply before responding. "Oh, you know, keeping me busy. I can handle pretty much everything until it's time to process all the paperwork. That's where your dad comes in." She shifted her gaze to me. "I asked him to come in here an hour ago, but I think he fell asleep."

Both Elisia and I laughed. My parents were by no means old; they were in their mid-fifties and fitter than ever. But all three of us knew my dad would never say no to an afternoon nap.

"Do you want me to stay and help?" I offered, once the laughter died down.

My mother's expression softened into a warm smile. "No, but thanks. You girls go ahead. I might just join your father—all this accounting and tax stuff is a tomorrow problem anyway."

She battled a yawn, and I reached over to press a kiss to her wavy black hair—the same hair I'd thankfully inherited.

"Okay, Mom. We'll see you later."

She gave Elisia and me one last smile before we headed out the door and took the short, fifteen-minute walk to her salon. Mindless chatter filled the space between us as we walked down the quiet street leading into town. One beautiful thing about living in Vermont was how close everything was. Nothing was more than a bike ride away, and walking was everyone's main form of transportation. Now that the summer heat had disappeared, it was even more calming to stroll down the bustling street.

We arrived in no time, and I was instantly greeted by the homey feeling of Elisia's nail salon. I'd been in here over a hundred times in the two years since she opened it, but each time felt just as exciting as the last.

Probably because I knew I could get my nails done for free instead of spending money I didn't really have.

Elisia flipped on the lights, illuminating the shop in soft, warm light. She patted one of the many chairs for me before taking her seat directly opposite.

I lifted one knee and balanced my foot on the chair, getting comfortable as I placed my hands on the table.

My friend rifled through the assortment of nail polishes in a massive drawer connected to the desk before settling on a bright red, knowing that would've been my top choice.

I sent her a soft smile and let my mind drift to tomorrow's task. At least it gave me something to do.

I couldn't wait to meet Uncle Christian.