Sweet Tea & Honey Bees by Rachel Hanna

Author:Rachel Hanna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rachel Hanna

Cooper walked outside and down toward the dock. He knew he would probably find Evie there. It was one of her favorite places, aside from the tree that she liked to sit in. He could see her silhouette standing at the edge of the water, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. It was still quite cold outside, and he was looking forward to spring.

“You know, when I was a kid, I almost drowned in this lake.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Me and my buddies packed into a canoe and the thing toppled over. I was about twelve years old, and I wasn’t a great swimmer. Actually, I’m still not the best swimmer.”

“That must’ve been really scary.”

“It was terrifying. There was just this feeling of paddling and paddling and never making any headway. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t seem to get my head above water. The only way I made it to shore was that my friend’s dad jumped in and lifted me up.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked, still staring straight ahead.

“Because the adults in your life are supposed to lift you up, and what we did back there at the dinner table certainly wasn’t that. I just wanted to apologize for my part.”

She looked at him and nodded. “Thanks.”

Cooper walked over and pulled the two Adirondack chairs closer to the edge before taking a seat. Evie waited a few moments and then sat down as well.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She blew out a breath. “You know, it’s not like I don’t know what my dad has done. I know better than anyone. I cried so many times missing him, wondering what I’d done wrong to deserve for my own father to leave me behind. But, I’m trying to give him a second chance. I don’t know if he really deserves it, but I’d like to know that I tried.”

“Understandable. I think that’s a very mature way of looking at it.”

“I thought my mother wanted me to do this. I thought she understood, and aunt Mia too. But everybody is just attacking him, and it’s going to ruin any chance that I have of creating a new relationship with him.”

“Everybody felt terrible when you left the table. We’re all going to try harder, Evie.”

“OK. I hope so. I’m mad at him. But I also love him.”

“He’s your father. It’s totally normal that you love him, even though he hasn’t always made the best decisions.”

She looked over at Cooper and smiled. “You know, sometimes I wish that you had been my father.”

For a moment, Cooper felt like he might actually start crying. No one had ever said anything so nice to him. “Really?”

“Yeah. We get along well, and you treat my mother great. But, he’s still my dad. And I feel like I have to try.”

Cooper leaned forward and held one of her hands. “I’m here no matter what. And you have your mother, your aunt and your grandfather. Plenty of people love you and support you, so you do what you think is right.

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