As he’d self-appointed himself to the position of her minder since the passing of Jay and the scammer incident, she knew there was no point in ignoring his attempt to reach her. He would keep trying. She loved her son, loved that he cared, but his relentlessness was approaching the point of a character flaw.
She texted him.Can’t talk, at the hospital.Quickly she added,with a friend. I’m fine.
What? Oh. All right. Everything okay?
He had a small heart attack. Seems all right. What’s up?
He?
She rolled her eyes. Of course that’s what Evan would get stuck on.He’s the husband of a friend. Were you calling for a reason or just saying hi?
Just wanted to see how you were doing. Need anything? How are you settling into the place?
She hesitated, giving herself time to think. Lester dozed on. Evan was basically asking if she needed money and wondering if she was going to make it at the Colony. She knew he expected her to cry uncle and ask to move in with him and his wife.
Blaise was not doing that. Again, she loved her son, but it would be like a prison. Not that bad, not remotely, of course, but in a way, it would create hard boundaries in her life.
She’d be expected to eat with them. Go places with them. Live her life on their schedule. She’d be under Evan’s roof and, according to the way he thought, she’d be under his rules.
Just like he had been while living with her and Jay, except he’d been a child.
She was a grown woman. She did not want to turn her life over to her son. He’d probably put her on a budget, which she was already on out of necessity, but his would be stricter.
None of that appealed to her. Visiting him was fine but after four days maximum, not being in her own place made her itchy.
She’d much rather this tiny house that was all hers, than a single bedroom in her son’s home.
Did that make her a terrible mother? She didn’t think so. Just an honest one. Jay would have understood. Of course, if Jay was here, she wouldn’t be dealing with this.
She’d be in their home. Probably planning their next trip somewhere.
She sniffed, unexpectedly weepy. She missed him so much. She made herself smile, unwilling to break down at Lester’s bedside, of all places.
Evan was still waiting for an answer. She decided to bombard him with truth.
It’s great here. I’ve made a lot of new friends, amazing women from all walks of life. I made brownies for my neighbor yesterday. He’s a widower and a veteran. Grumpy old man but he was sweet to Beau. Might take up pickleball, if I can fit it in my schedule. How are you?
She hit Send. Okay, the pickleball part wasn’t truth, but the rest ought to give him plenty to mull over.
Three dots appeared as he prepared to answer.
That’s great, Mom. I’m glad to hear it. You okay for money?
Again, she rolled her eyes.More than okay. How’s Casey?
Three dots again, a longer hesitation this time. Then, finally,She’s good. Need to get back to work. Talk soon.
Was that the key to ending conversations with Evan? Ask about his wife? Interesting. Blaise tucked that bit of info away for later.
She slipped her phone into her bag. Maude was due soon.
She showed up a few minutes late, but Blaise didn’t judge. Her own need to be punctual didn’t mean others had to be. So long as she wasn’t too greatly inconvenienced, which she wasn’t.
“Hi,” Maude said softly. She was in multi-color harem pants featuring elephants, a white tank top, and a slouchy beige sweatshirt with the neck cut out. It hung off one shoulder. She gestured at Lester. “He’s still sleeping?”
Blaise nodded and picked up her bag, then whispered back, “We can talk in the hall.”
Maude stepped back outside with her. “Did you read to him?”
