“On the bed, on the way to the window,” I explained. “I was so exhausted when I came in last night that I crashed with the window wide open.”
Grace made a face, scrunching up her nose. “No offense, Mom, but you stink.”
Shit.It was at that exact moment when I remembered we’d gone to Santa’s Pub before going to the speakeasy. But I couldn't tell Grace that I had been out with Cash. She would ask a lot of questions, and she’d certainly make it into some bigthing.
Wait… Is this a thing?I shook my head in an attempt to shake the thought from my mind.
“Oh yeah,” I said with a wave of my hand, feeling like a teenager who had just been caught redhanded with a boy in her bedroom. “My Uber driver basically chain-smoked the entire ride here.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Why didn’t you just take a shower?” Her gaze shifted to the floor where my dress was piled in a heap.Does it smell like sex in here?I prayed that the scent of Santa’s ashtray overpowered any additional smells that may be lingering.
“I was so exhausted. It was like something came over me the second I walked through the door.”Well, that’s partially true. Something did come, or more accurately, someone. Multiple times.“How was Lexi?”
“She’s good.” Grace bent to grab the pile of peach chiffon and hung it in place of my robe. “She just got a job at Molly Green Boutique for the summer.”
I took a sip of the coffee, willing it to give me the energy of someone who slept more than three hours. “How’s her mom doing?”
“Uh, she’s fine. You know, same ole same ole.” Grace fluffed the dress on the hanger, attempting to smooth the wrinkled fabric. She turned back to me with narrowed eyes, and I held my breath. “I’m going to go take a shower before we leave to see Grandma. Your bagel is waiting for you on the counter.”
“Right.” I nodded so hard I shook my entire body, causing droplets of hot coffee to jump from my coffee cup.
Grace cocked her head and crossed her arms. “Why are you being weird?’
“I’m not being weird,” I said defensively.
“You’re awfully jumpy for someone who’s not being weird.”
“I think I still have a little emotional hangover from yesterday,” I said.And a real one.My head and heart pounded.
Grace’s face softened. “Everything’s going to be okay, Mom.”Except that I just slept with your boss. And I liked it so much that I’d like to do it again.
“It’s not too late for you to change your mind on England,” I teased. “You can spend the summer with your poor, lonely mother. Who needs to go to England? Stodgy bunch of blokes.”
“Mom.” She laughed at my pitiful attempt at a British accent.
“You know it rains there like all the time, and they don’t even have air conditioning.”
“Come on.” She rolled her eyes and started toward the door. “We’ve got to get ready to go.”
“When we get home, we can watchGossip Girlreruns while I help you finish packing.” She paused in the doorway allowing me to pull her into a hug. “I’m going to miss you so damn much, kid.”
“Mom?” she said, leaning her head against mine.
“Yeah, sweetie?” I asked.
She pulled back so that she could look me in the eyes. “You really,reallystink.”
* * *
By the timewe arrived at Richland Place Nursing Facility to visit my mom, Betty, it was nearly lunchtime. We brought her a vegetable plate from Arnold’s Country Kitchen and a vase of fresh daisies. Grace and I busied ourselves by cleaning up around her room a little, breaking in between to remind her about the plate of food in front of her.
Some days were good days—ones where she remembered who we were, where she’d ask questions and even remember little details we’d told her during some of her lucid moments.
This wasn’t one of those days.
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and discreetly checked to see if I had any messages from Cash, but there was only a text from Liv letting me know they were on the way to pick up the kids. I replied to her with several shooting stars and heart-eye emojis before stuffing the device back in my pocket.Focus, Ella.
“James should be here to pick me up any minute now,” Mom said nervously, looking at the large digital clock on the wall. “He’s never late. I’m so sorry to keep you two here.” My chest tightened. James was my dad, and punctual as he may have been, he wasn’t coming. Because he’d been dead for nearly eight years.
