I was thinking we should hit up a surf camp or something? Get out of the city. Do something different.
Wes
That sounds amazing. Breck and Talia are having people over again, but we could blow that off.
As much fun as I had that night by the bonfire, I can’t shake the feeling that Talia had ulterior motives for bringing up Wes’s ex. And with the weird vibes I picked up with Drew and her, I don’t know if I want to be around her all that much at the moment.
Wes
Let’s go somewhere.
Did he know I was hesitating? Probably, and I love that entirely too much.
Me
Ok, I’ll look for some options and send them your way.
Wes
Cool cool cool.
My apartment is lonely without you next door. And I have to order dinner for onewhich just seems sad.
Me
Tell me about it. Eating pizza alone in this hotel room is not nearly as fun as eating it at your place with a movie.
Wes
When are you back again?
Me
Thursday evening. You think you could take Friday off?
Wes
I’ll check the schedule and make sure I don’t have a flight, but I think I can swing it.
The next two days are a blur of airplanes and hotel rooms, and by the time we set up for landing, I’m ready to be home. A kaleidoscope of pinks and purples melt into the Pacific, greeting us on our descent, and the puffy white clouds we drift through shift from yellow to deeper orange. There is no better view in the world.
I’ve called this city home for nearly twelve years, and there’s not another place I’d rather be.
The second the plane touches down, I reach for my phone. This morning I sent Wes my plan for the surf trip and I’ve been giddy to hear what he thinks. I can already see it in my mind’s eye. Packing up the car before the sun rises, then driving north and spending afew carefree days relaxing, surfing, and enjoying the company of my new favorite person.
Instead of Wes’s name being the first thing I see, it’s a message from an unknown number, and my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. My pulse spikes as I stare at the words on the screen. My stomach roils like it’s full of snakes and my nausea has nothing to do with the gusty landing we just made.
I’d love nothing more than to turn my phone back off and not deal with this. Stick my head in the sand and pretend I never got this message, but from experience, I know that won’t lead to me getting what I want.
How does she even have my number? I’ve changed it since the last time we saw each other, needing as much distance as I could put between us. I hear her voice in my head:I’m your mother, Joss, you can’t hide from me. Words that were once a joke when I was a kid playing hide and seek. She was always good at finding me, even in my best hiding places.
Unknown number
Darling! I’ll be in Sydney this weekend, need to see you! Please make time for your mother, it’s been too long.
No shit, Mom. It’s been seven years.
And still that somehow doesn’t feel like long enough. My gulping breaths attempt to fill my lungs. Seven years since we’ve seen each other, seven years since we’ve spoken, and yet now she wants to see me? What am I supposed to do with this? For all she knows I could be working this weekend. Not that she’d care; she’d expect me to make time for her regardless.
