Her mother’s expression softened. “I understand. And I’m by no means saying you should enter into a relationship where the power dynamics are unequal. I did that for the entirety of my marriage to your father.”
“How do you know it’ll be different with David?” Mauve asked. “What if you’re moving into his house only to have the same thing happen again?”
“It won’t. Not this time. We know what it’s like to be without each other. We’re willing to work through whatever comes up. Communicate. He’s wonderful that way. He’s said more to me in the months we’ve been together than your father probably said in a decade.”
“I never thought I’d hear you talking about power dynamics,” Mauve said with a rueful smile. “Are you really sure about this guy?”
“I’m sure.”
Mauve took another long look at her mother. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“We can stay for Christmas, if you’d like us to. David booked the inn through Christmas.”
“But don’t you want to get started with your new life? Your new home?”
“It can wait. I’d rather spend time with you.”
“That’s really nice, Mom.”
“One thing to tell you—before you meet him. His full name’s David Davidson.”
Mauve laughed. “For real?”
“His parents were eccentric.”
“Doctor David Davidson. That’s a mouthful.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Cynthia’s eyes turned a light shade of dreamy blue. “He used to get teased about it in school, but he never cared. He’s always known who he is without needing any outside reassurance. I loved that about him when we were young. Still do.”
“Will you have dinner with us tomorrow night?” Cynthia asked. “David really wants to meet you.”
“I want to meet him too. We can meet at The Moose. Local fare. Local crowd. You’ll get a sense of what it’s like here.”
“Maybe bring Jason with you?” Her mother smiled innocently. “If you’d like to?”
“I’ll ask him.”
“Great. Now, I should get going. Does seven work for dinner?” Cynthia asked.
“Yes, I’ll be there.” Suddenly, a need for a hug overwhelmed Mauve. She held out her arms and her mother came to her, wrapping her into an embrace just like she had when Mauve was small and frightened. She told herself, everything’s going to be all right. Her mom was here.
13
JASON
Jason was in the passenger seat of Roan’s truck, his stomach doing flip-flops that had nothing to do with his brother’s driving. They were headed out of Burlington where Jason had picked out a diamond ring. His mother had always said, once he made up his mind to do something, he went all in. She was right.
After the ring, they met with an architect. It was too quick of a turnaround to have a full floor plan for the house he wanted to build, but he wanted something he could wrap up to put under her tree. He and Roan had walked the property that morning, and they’d picked out a perfect spot for a house.
But all of that had to be put aside for now. Mauve had texted last night to ask him to join her and her mother and her mother’s fiancé for dinner. She’d asked if he’d come over beforehand so she could fill him in on everything, but had left it at that. He hadn’t pushed, feeling instinctively that she needed some time to give it some thought. Her mother showing up without warning had clearly thrown her. He couldn’t help but speculate, though. Why now? Where was Mauve’s father? Who was this fiancé? So many questions. He hoped she would be willing to tell him about it, but he felt uneasy. After blurting out that she should run awaywith him to Prague, she’d been a little distant, not responding to texts right away like she usually did.
He hoped it wasn’t too late to change her mind.
He arrived a little after six that evening. Snow had fallen earlier, but the roads had been plowed. When he got to her house, he could see her standing in the front window. He bolted from the car and practically ran to the front door. Seeing her was like a balm to the relentless ache he’d felt since she’d come to California.
She opened the door before he could knock, pulling him inside by the lapels of his jacket and surprising him with a kiss.
“It’s good to see you,” she said, resting her head against his chest for a moment. “I feel like it’s been weeks instead of a day.”
