The Magnolia Café

Chapter 28

Now that Halloween has finally passed and things are back to normal, well... as normal as it can be, Rita and Jorge want to start the renovations at their home. Today I'm having dinner at their place so that we can discuss the details and they can show me their ideas.

Rita shows me around the house. Is a beautiful two-story house, right in the middle of town, and it has the same familiar and warm aura as the ones I saw when I first arrived. Brick walls on the outside and this little cute porch on the back that leads to a small garden. The space I have to work with is not a lot, but working with small spaces can be a very interesting challenge, and Rita and Jorge have great taste and are open to new ideas.

We walk into the living room and there's a vitrine full of board games. I frown as we walk past it.

"It might not look like it, but Jorge is actually a nerd." Rita chuckles.

Rita's office is in the main the floor and bedrooms on the upper floor. Before going up, we go into her office, where she has some sketches and ideas of what they want for the bathroom and Hope's bedroom. The sketches are amazing, quite detailed and almost whimsical. I feel like I could find this in a children's illustrated book.

"Did you draw these?"

"I did. I'm an illustrator."

"I had no idea. These are great."

"Well, I don't blame you for not knowing. Truth be told, I have been neglecting my career as an illustrator because of Hope and the Magnolia. I don't regret a single thing, but I do miss spending more time working on new art."

I go through the drawing and photos. There is a sketch of a mural for Hope's room. It's a woodland fantasy landscape. So pretty and cute. There are cute animals and flowers scattered around the magical forest, bright wisps and butterflies.

"This is amazing."

"Thank you. I was hoping we could incorporate this into one of the walls of her room and do a whole woodland theme."

"Sure, we can do that. I think that your drawing would work amazingly well as wallpaper."

Rita keeps showing me the rest of the house. On the wall there are so many family pictures. They seem so happy and so close. It's so different from the atmosphere at my parent's house.

"Your parents?" I ask, pointing at the photo.

"Yes. My mum passed away four years ago. Cancer."

Right... I remember Ren mentioning it, but I never thought it was appropriate of me to say anything about it.

"At that time, they moved to the city to be closer to the hospital and after she passed, my dad decided to stay there. Sadly, we don't see him enough even though it's so close. We've been so busy with the Magnolia and Hope and life just gets in the way. I guess," Rita says with sadness. It turns out we all have our struggles.

"I'm so sorry Rita," I hug her. "I didn't mean to—"

"Don't worry about it," she tightens our hug. "I'm fine. I just miss them."

"You father doesn't consider moving back here?"

"We are trying to convince him. We are using the granddaughter card and it seems to be working. He's considering moving back so that he can see Hope grow up."

"Did Connor come back because of your mother?"

She nods. "When she was diagnosed, he was going back and forth a lot. But during the year, she died, when her condition became a lot worse, he came back full time."

I clench my lips and nod.

Connor comes up the stairs with Hope. "Someone needs a diaper change and Jorge needs help in the kitchen."

"Can you change her?"

"Sure." Rita goes down the stairs and Connor and I are left alone, taking care of Hope. "Do you want to help me?"

"No," I immediately answer with my eyes wide open. "I mean... I don't know a thing about babies."

Connor chuckles. "Just come with me. You don't need to do anything."

I follow him into Hope's room.

"What you asked Rita about me coming back. You want to know if it had anything to do with how my previous relationship ended, right?"

"What?" He glares at me. "Fine. Yes." He smirks. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Going back and forth so many times was becoming exhausting and expensive. So, I moved back. After my mum died, Heather asked me when I was planning on going back. I told her I didn't know. I wanted to stay longer for my family, and I was starting to question how I really felt about going back to my life in the city, to my job."

Heather... so that was her name.

Connor stops talking and starts changing Hope. He makes it look so effortless and easy. To me babies are just strange creatures with a lot of needs and wide eyes that also sleep and cry a lot. Not saying babies aren't cute. Some are. Hope falls into that category.

"After I told her that, she said she understood, but that meant that it was the end of the line for us. We wanted different things. She also wished me the best and that she would mail me my stuff."

I look at Connor with a shocked expression. How can someone end a relationship just like that? Well... I mean... A lot of people can, apparently.

"What hurt the most was that I had just lost my mother. I was in a very confusing time of my life, and I thought that at least one thing was steady."

"And then she pulled the rug under your feet." Connor nods.

"A year after, my mum passed away. I opened the Magnolia. Magnolias were her favourite flower."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you always saying sorry?"

"I'm sorry for not asking you sooner. I was so focused on my own struggles that I ignored yours. I was aware that you had gone through something, but it was selfish of me to assume that you were fine."

"You are not selfish. Don't even say that about yourself. Everyone has gone through stuff, and we should not compare what people have been through. Everyone's life experiences are their own. And my wounds aren't as deep or as fresh as yours." He pulls my arm and drags me closer to him. "Come here." He gives a quick hug and kiss before he has to turn his attention back to Hope.

I don't deserve him... He's too good to be true.

He picks up Hope, gives her a kiss on the cheek, and she laughs.

"Want to hold her?"

I shake my head. "That time before Halloween was enough for me."

"You don't need to look so terrified." He chuckles.

"I'm not. I'm just not good with babies."

"I have to disagree with you. Hope really seems to like you. Don't you have babies amongst your family or friends?"

"No. I don't get along that well with my family. And the sad truth is that I don't have many friends. And where I worked, people were more worried about Pilates classes, brunch and fancy dinners."

"She doesn't bite. And she isn't that breakable either."

"Fine," I sigh and roll my eyes. "But don't let go of her completely. Please."

Connor slowly gives me Hope, but he puts his arms around mine, supporting Hope. Hope smiles at me.

"See? It's not that hard."

"Maybe. I'm still questioning that."

Rita enters the room.

"You two look really sweet, but dinner is ready."

Surprised, I turned around quickly and give Hope to Connor.