The One Who Waited novel · Chapter 23 of 24
Chapter 23: One Slice
I unlocked the door at seven exactly.
The bell over it rang. The painter had found one that sounded like the bridal shop's.
The cold came in, and the smell of the river, and the noise of a hundred people.
Derek's mother didn't move.
She stood on the step in her good wool coat with her purse in both hands.
She looked smaller than she had in the diner. She looked smaller than she had in court two weeks ago.
The whole line went quiet behind her.
"Mrs. Lockwood," I said.
"Meredith."
Her voice was dry.
She looked past me at the moon counter, at the cakes on their glass stands, at the gold DEAL over the kitchen pass.
"It's very nice," she said.
"Thank you."
She took a breath.
"I came to say something. I'd like to say it out here. I said the other thing in front of people, so."
Behind her, my old head chef took his hat off.
"I called you an old maid," she said. "In a diner, in front of the whole town. I said you should be grateful."
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of The One Who Waited are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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