Andrew knew a hint when he heard one. “I’ll stop by and take a look.”
“Oh, good. You’re such a respectable man. Thank you.”
Andrew managed to get away from Mrs. Fulton before she asked him to cut her grass, butnotbefore she asked him to install the new kitchen blinds she’d recently purchased from the hardware store.
He hurried inside his mother’s house. “Whoa, Mama. You’ve been busy.”
Andrew’s mother had mentioned hiring a contractor to do some home improvements, but he didn’t expect the sleek, modern look that greeted him when he walked in. The old mint green walls were now gray. New leather furniture had replaced the worn brown couches he’d jump on with his brothers when his mom wasn’t around. New cabinets and a granite countertop had been installed in the kitchen.
“You weren’t playing around when you said you were ready for a refresh.” He took a seat at the brand-new kitchen table. “Looks good in here.”
“I’m in love with my new kitchen.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water. She joined him at the table. “Oh, and I retired yesterday. My last day is Friday.”
He blinked. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Connie took a long gulp of water and shrugged. “I’m telling you now. They offered a buyout and I took it.”
Andrew chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Once again, you never cease to amaze me.”
His mother had sacrificed everything for him and his brothers. She was strong, determined, and genuine. She’d always walked with her head held high, even after his father had left her for one of the other workers at the automobile plant where they both worked. For years, his mother had to work alongside the man who had broken her heart and treated her like crap. But she’d never let anyone see her cry, never let his dad believe he’d gotten the best of her. And she’d instilled that same drive, that same determination in all of her sons.
Connie giggled. “I’m just me.”
“You always say that.” It was her favorite line when they were growing up. It was her excuse for everything from wearing huge pink rollers when she picked them up from school to doing silly dances in front of him and his friends at his birthday parties.
“It’s true.”
“Are you happy with your decision?”
Connie nodded. “Maybe. Kind of.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. I’m just ready for something more. I’ve worked and now I’m ready to rest.”
There was something about his mother’s tone that didn’t sit right with him. “And you’re sure you’re okay? I noticed that limp when you were walking.”
“I’m fine. I broke my toe last week.”
His mother was entirely too secretive for his liking. She seemed to make sport of hiding shit from him and his brothers. “And you just thought you’d keep that to yourself?”
“I told Connor,” she explained. “And you better not try and lecture me like he did. I’m still your mother.”
Connor was the oldest and self-proclaimed boss of everyone. She’d had his brother young, right out of high school. Andrew suspected his brother’s arrival had influenced her decision to marry their father.
“And I’m not Connor,” he tossed back. “No lectures from me, but I need you to understand how important it is to communicate with us. Since you insist on staying in Michigan, I need to know what’s going on.”
“I haven’t reported my daily activities to any man since your father, and I’m not going to start today.” She snickered. “You’re going to be waiting a long time on thiscommunicationyou’re talking about.” She grumbled a curse. “I need you and your brothers to mind your own business.”
He held out his hands in surrender. “Okay, Mom. I’m done.”
“All three of you are too busy living your best life and not giving me any grandbabies,” she muttered. “My friends keep showing me cute little grandbaby pics and stuff.”
“Mama, come on now.”
“I’m serious.” She drummed her fingernails on the tabletop. “According to Connor, he’s never getting married again. And Damon? He claims he’s too busy for a wife and kids.”
Andrew laughed. His younger brother had never denied he wasn’t husband material. The financial analyst had moved to New York right after college, and had been singularly focused on work—and parties.
“You know you’re not getting any younger,” she said. “You’re already in your forties. Don’t mess around and have kids that you can’t play with because you’re too old to keep up with them.”
Still cracking up, he said, “You’re on a roll today.”
