Only Through Love: A Cane River Romance Novella by Mary Jane Hathaway

guess.”
                Alice
seemed like she was going to ask another question but instead she walked
forward and placed sleeping Aurora in Charlie’s arms. “Babies should be
classified as antidepressants. Sit down. Hold her for a while. Try not to think
about anything.” She pressed a kiss to Aurora’s forehead and the baby let out a
sigh in her sleep. “When I feel overwhelmed, I focus on one thing, like her
little ear. It’s miraculous, when you really spend the time to look at it. So
perfectly formed, every little bit. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.” She waved a
hand. “Go. Sit.”
                She
started to say that sitting with Aurora wasn’t going to change anything, but
she realized how weary she felt. Having a quiet break sounded pretty nice,
actually. Alice walked to the back of the store where they kept the coffee
maker and Charlie headed for the old red armchair by the front window.
Carefully settling in, she adjusted the blanket so Aurora’s little socks were
covered. The baby felt warm and substantial in her arms. After a few minutes, the
smell of fresh coffee wafted toward her. The rain had slowed but the sidewalk
was still clear of pedestrian and further past the grass covered banks, she
could see Cane River flowing by. The ache in her chest started to ease. It
suddenly occurred to Charlie how long it had been since she’d hugged anyone. Or
even touched anyone. She tightened her arms around Aurora. The bookstore was
silent except for the soft sound of the rain outside and Alice’s footsteps near
the back of store.
                Charlie
let her gaze wander along the wooden benches, dark with rain. Her heart rate
slowed. She still didn’t have enough money for gas or anything in her fridge,
but Alice was right. Babies made everything better. She leaned down and inhaled
deeply. Strawberries.  Her stomach let out a growl and she remembered
the package of PopTarts in her sweatshirt pocket. She was too relaxed to move
but eventually the gnawing hunger convinced her to wiggle out of the comfortable
red chair, cross to where her sweatshirt hung, and retrieve the silver packet
single-handedly.
                As
she lowered herself back in the chair, Aurora let out a sigh and Charlie froze.
If it was a question of eating lunch or waking the baby, she’d just go hungry,
but after a while the little girl settled back into a deep sleep. It took a few
minutes and a bit of contorting but she eventually opened the foil package. She
had eaten PopTarts a few times in her life, mostly while traveling with
friends. It wasn’t the kind of food she craved. At the store, it seemed the two
cheapest choices were salty junk food or sweet junk food. Maybe apples and
pears would cost less in the summer. She didn’t know. She’d never bothered to
notice. Her whole life she’d walked into a grocery store and bought whatever
she wanted, not really looking at the final tally.
                The
first sweet pastry went fast and although it was dense, her stomach still felt hollow.
She nibbled the next. Dinner was hours away. An image of the gas gauge popped
into her mind. It was a newer car but even with good mileage she probably only
had a few trips home and back left in the tank. If only she’d rented an
apartment closer to bookstore, but the Cane River Riverwalk area was premium
real estate. Austin must have a nice salary to pay for the spacious rooms above
By the Book. The apartments anywhere within walking distance were out of her
budget. Actually, her current apartment was out of her budget, even across the
river near the industrial area and as dingy as it was.
                She
stared down at the half-eaten pastry. The chemical smell of the cherry filling
made her stomach turn.
                “Oh, sha , that’s the look I get on my face when I eat junk food, too.” Ruby
was standing a few feet away, her eyes twinkling with laughter. “It