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“Understandable. I know they were just happy to have you there,” I tell her.
Mom nods and glances around. “He found a good one. Ellie is such a kind woman and a wonderful mother. She’s going to make a delightful wife to Thomas.”
“That she will,” I agree.
“They’re so perfect for each other.” She glances around. “Speaking of wife, and I use that term loosely, is Shay here?” A look of hesitation passes through her eyes.
“No, she’s off today. Hair and manicure day in Hudson,” I state with an eye roll.
“Oh, good,” Mom replies, relaxing where she stands. “I don’t have to pretend to like her right now or worry about running into her at my appointment.”
A bark of laughter slides from my mouth. “You never have to pretend to like her.”
“I try to keep the peace, for your sake. I know she likes to push your buttons, so if I can be polite when I see her, then she’s less likely to cause you problems.”
I appreciate her reasoning, but I’m not sure that really helps. If Shay wants to be a pain in the ass, she will, despite who was nice to her. “Well, don’t feel required to do that for my sake. I can handle Shay.”
She snorts in reply, shaking her head. “I’m not sure anyone can handle that woman.”
I flash her a knowing grin.
“Anyway, the other reason I stopped by, I wanted to see if you were busy tonight. I thought we could swing by the diner after you get off and have dinner.”
“I’d like that,” I reply instantly, knowing I don’t have anything to do after work. “Think Gram would want to join us?”
She smiles widely. “I will call her as soon as my hair appointment is finished. I’m sure she’d be thrilled.”
Me too. I adore my gram and try to visit or take her to dinner at least once every couple of weeks. “It’s a date. Want me to pick her up?”
Mom shakes her head and chuckles. “You’re confident she’ll join us. Maybe she has bingo at the church tonight.”
“That’s on Thursdays, and I’m confident because it’s me. I’m her favorite grandchild.”
She barks out a laugh at my comment. “You’re her only grandchild.”
“Semantics.”
“All right, I better get going. Meet you there at five fifteen?”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll grab Bernice. There’s no reason for you to go out of your way,” she replies, walking around the counter. I throw out my arms, knowing what’s coming. Mom has always been a hugger, which is fine with me.
“Fine. See you later.”
“Love you,” she hollers as she moves toward the exit.
“Love you too,” I reply with a wave, which she readily returns before exiting the building.
A bubble of warmth washes through my chest as I reach for the packing slips and prepare to get back to work. I’ve always been close to my family. We may not be very big, but we’re incredibly tight. I grew up with family meals at my grandparents’ house and spent a lot of time with my grandpa at their cabin.
When he unexpectedly passed when I was twenty-one, I inherited that small piece of land and what was on it. The two-bedroom cabin sits along the lake in Bluff Preserve National Park and is my hideaway when I need a bit of quiet. After he passed, I went there a lot, even prior to discovering he left it to me in his will. It was my connection to him, to the things we enjoyed doing together. Fishing, camping, spending time in nature.
I told my gram I didn’t want the property. It was too much. It should have stayed with her, or went to the next in line, my dad. But my gramps was very clear: he wanted me to have it because he knew I would appreciate what I had.
Shortly after he passed, someone convinced me to use the cabin as a rental. That lasted a few years, but I ended up terminating the contract with the rental company that oversaw the reservations. The main reason was I was tired of people trashing my family’s property. You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve had to repair or replace during that time. And it didn’t matter how much we increased the security deposit. People would still tear your stuff up and not give a crap about it in the end, relinquishing whatever deposit they gave at the start of the rental agreement.
The other reason was I simply wanted the place when I wanted it. I didn’t like having to check in with someone before utilizing my own cabin. If I had a bad day, I wanted to go fish or sit around the fire at my own leisure, not at someone else’s because the cabin was rented. Sure, the extra cash the rental brought was nice, but it’s not necessary. My house is small, my truck is paid for, and my divorce is long final and in the rearview mirror. I may not have a lot of disposable cash, but I’m happy and content.
