He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry to bother you both while you’re working.”
“Aw, hon, we’re rarely actually working,” Dixie said with a chuckle. Realizing he was serious, she cleared her throat. “I’m just going to do a little work in the storage room. Call me if you need me, Julie.”
She made herself scarce as Julie pointed for Christian to sit down at one of the little tables in the cafe area. “What’s going on? Is the baby okay?”
“Vivi’s fine. It’s Meg I’m worried about.”
“Meg? What’s the matter?”
He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t really know.” His thick French accent was still taking Julie time to get used to, but she understood most of what he said.
Julie was growing concerned. “What’s going on, Christian?”
“I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but I’m getting worried. She seems sad a lot of the time.”
“Maybe she’s just overwhelmed with being a new mother?”
“That’s what I thought at first, but I don’t think that’s it. She’s sleeping a lot, but then she stays up all night. She doesn’t seem interested in things anymore either.”
Julie’s stomach clenched. “Do you think she might hurt herself or the baby?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so, but this isn’t the woman I know. I’ve tried talking to her, but she cries, and I hate when she cries.”
Julie reached over and squeezed his hand. She felt sorry for him, being in a new country, trying to work a new job and bond with his new baby. He looked haggard, as her grandmother would’ve said.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been around to help more. I didn’t want to intrude, but it sounds like you need backup?”
He smiled slightly. “Yes, please.”
“How about if I come by after work and bring some dinner? I’ll see if Meg will talk to me. Sound good?”
He let out a breath. “Sounds great, actually. I think Meg really needs you right now, even if she doesn’t realize it.”
Christian stood up, and Julie hugged him. She’d really grown to like him since having the chance to get to know him the last few months. He seemed to be a good father, and she hoped he would make a good husband to her daughter one day. She didn’t ask about their plans for getting married, not wanting to cause a rift in her relationship with Meg.
As she watched Christian walk down the sidewalk, Dixie reappeared from the stock room. “Everything okay?”
Julie sighed and sat back down. “Not really. Christian said Meg is struggling.”
Dixie sat down across from her. “Oh, I surely remember those days.”
“You do?”
She chuckled. “I’m not a hundred years old, my dear. I can still remember things, even what I had for breakfast this morning.”
Julie smiled. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised to hear that you struggled.”
“Oh my, yes. After I had William, I thought I was losing my sanity. Back in those days, there was no room for women to talk about such things, though. There were times I cried all day for no reason. I was horrible to Johnny too. When I told my doctor, he called me a ‘hysterical woman’ and told me take a tranquilizer pill. Of course, I never did, but it took me months to feel almost normal again.”
“Wow, I guess I was blessed. I never had any issues after having my girls.”
“It’s a crapshoot, I suppose. Some women do fine and others struggle. They call it…”
“Postpartum depression.”
“Yes, that’s right. I watched a news report about it years ago. Maybe Meg is struggling with that?”
“I think you’re probably right. Listen, do you mind if I leave a little early? I promised Christian I would make dinner for them and bring it over. I need to go to the store and then go home and cook…”
“Of course, darlin’. You take all the time you need.”
Julie walked behind the counter and picked up her purse. “Oh, wait. Don’t you have a date this evening? I don’t want to mess up your plans.”
Dixie smiled. “Sugar, what’s happening with Meg is more important than a silly date. We’ll just go to dinner a little later. No big whoop.”
Julie laughed at Dixie’s sayings. Some of them she’d never heard before, and others made her feel right at home. “Thanks. See ya tomorrow!”
As Julie made her way out to her car, she felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach. Was she qualified to help her daughter through this, or were things worse than she feared?
Chapter Two
Janine sat at the table, tapping her fingers on the metal surface, as she watched people in the square. William was never late, and her stomach was growling like an angry lion. Teaching yoga classes burned calories like nobody’s business, and she’d taught three already that day. The pack of trail mix she’d scarfed down at ten o’clock was long gone.
“Sorry I’m late,” William said as he jogged up and kissed her on top of her head. She loved when he did that. It just felt so intimate and reassuring.
“No problem. I was about to start eating this menu, though,” she said, holding it up. “Let me get the server’s attention.” She held up her hand and smiled as she waved at Denitra, their favorite server at the sandwich shop.
“Hey, y’all,” Denitra said. “What’ll ya have today?”
William told Janine to go first as he quickly looked at the menu. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what was on it. They ate here practically every day. Yet, he always looked at the menu again, as if something had changed from the day before.
“I’ll have a chicken salad pita with chips and a fruit cup,” Janine said. “Oh, and sweet tea, of course.”
Denitra smiled. “Of course. Is it even a meal without sweet tea?”
“I think not,” Janine said, handing her the menu.
“I’ll just take…” William started to say.
“A Cuban sandwich with extra pickles, barbecue chips and a sweet tea with extra lemon,” Denitra and Janine said in unison, laughing.
“Am I that predictable?”
Janine smiled and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “Maybe just a smidge.”
Denitra took Wiliam’s menu and headed inside to place their orders. “What can I say? They have the best Cuban sandwich on the planet.”
“You know, I love the predictability of our relationship.”
“Oh yeah?”
She leaned over the table and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “I do. Most of my life was spent traveling around, not having real roots. I like knowing where we’re eating lunch, what you’re ordering, what TV show we’re going to binge watch this weekend. It’s nice. It’s comfortable.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “Is that what you want? Nice and comfortable?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but it’s great right now. We have our whole lives to be adventurous. I’m just enjoying the monotony for a change.”
“Monotony?”