Does Nicholas Sparks ever tell stories about women who don’t need a man any damn way? If not, he should.
Grace and I had managed all these years without me having a man around, even if that wasn’t part of our plan. We had each other, and we had Liv. It was always us against the world. I didn’tneeda man. But I wanted Cash.
My breath caught in my throat as I dabbed some concealer on my face in an effort to hide my emotions. I realized that was a lot to ask of a bottle of Maybelline. I swiped on a sheer lip gloss.Maybe she’s not having a total emotional breakdown. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
I sighed as I tossed my makeup bag back in my purse and prepared myself to go inside the coffee shop.
I wanted to know where Cash was going, but more importantly I wanted to knowwhy.
* * *
“Mom,”Grace’s voice pulled me from my thoughts early that evening.
“Yeah, sweetie?” I popped my head out of the fridge where I was deep in organizing mode. After I got home, I cleaned the baseboards, scrubbed the bathrooms, vacuumed, dusted, and even gave Bradley Cooper a bath. I had to do something, anything to keep my mind busy, because the second I slowed down, the floodgates threatened to open again. “Are you guys hungry?”
“No,” she said, eyeing me suspiciously. “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” I answered, not meeting her eyes as I grabbed myself a bottle of water and twisted the cap off, letting the refrigerator door close. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Bradley Cooper stood nearby, hoping I would retrieve something from the fridge for him as well.
Grace surveyed the room with pursed lips before turning her eyes back on me. “Because you’re cleaning.”
“So?” I asked, taking a swig of my water.
She raised her brow. “So… you never clean.”
“I do too.”
She snorted. “Only when you’re stressed, upset, or pissed off.”
She knew me too well. “It’s been a stressful week. Besides, Bradley Cooper has never seen the house super clean before.”
“You’re cleaning for the dog?”
I gasped, feigning offense. “Don’t talk about your little brother that way. He’s sensitive.”
She leaned down to where Bradley Cooper stood and scratched his head. “Our mom is crazy.”
I propped my hand on my hip. “Grace Eloise Claiborne, can I get you something?”
She laughed. “No, I was just wondering if you’d talked to Cash today. I sent him a text to see if he was coming for dinner since he had to go home last night.”
And there it was. I turned away, busying myself with wiping down the countertops. “Yeah, he called while you were laying down earlier. He had to, uh, go out of town real quick.”So quick that he didn’t bother to tell us about it.
“Out of town? Where?” she asked.
Shit.I kept my back to her as I scrubbed the sink. “Um, some sort of work thing.”Double shit. Ella, you idiot. You know she literally works with him.
“A work thing?” she repeated. “I should text him and see if there’s anything I can help with.”
“No ma’am,” I said a little too quickly as I spun around to face her. “I mean, you’re supposed to be recovering. You and Sam both need to be resting.” The last thing I needed was her contacting Cash before I’d even figured out how to break the news to her.
“Fine,” she said with a sigh.
I tried to keep my tone casual. “Besides, you should enjoy this time with Sam before you go back to school.”
She shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”
