“Yeah, I heard. Are you doing okay?”
Mimi groaned. “Honestly? I don’t know. It’s weird. I thought breaking up with Russell was the answer to all my problems. But I think I made a mistake.”
Shannon remained quiet. She and Mimi had never been close. Why was Mimi calling her to talk about Russell?
“I heard you and Cole broke up, too,” Mimi continued.
“He’s dating someone else,” Shannon said.
“Ugh, that’s awful,” Mimi said. “I mean, I was sort of seeing someone, too. I didn’t cheat on Russell, but yeah. I met someone, and I broke up with Russell, and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Shannon wanted to know why this was her problem.
“Have you seen him? Russell?” Mimi asked.
“A bit,” Shannon lied.
“I keep trying to call him, but I think he blocked me or something.”
“I think he’s trying to move on,” Shannon said.
Mimi groaned louder this time. “I don’t want him to get over me.”
Shannon was quiet. She remembered the feeling of Russell’s lips on hers; she remembered the urgent need that had pulsated between them. She’d run away from him. Maybe, now, Russell was primed and ready to take Mimi back. Perhaps Russell would never talk to Shannon again.
Shannon’s heart felt heavy. “You should go to his place,” she said, hating herself.
“You really think he’ll talk to me?” Mimi asked.
“I think he’ll have to if you show up,” Shannon said.
Mimi was quiet. “You know, I always thought he had a crush on you.”
Shannon’s stomach twisted into knots. “Guess you were wrong about that.”
“I don’t think I was wrong,” Mimi said. “But people have crushes all the time, right? They don’t always mean anything.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” Shannon said. “Mimi, I gotta go. Talk to you soon.” She hung up and sprawled on the sand, staring at the blue sky above. She’d never felt more alone.
That night,Shannon cooked dinner for her mother. She thought maybe the chicken tacos, guacamole, and chips would butter her mother up and help her talk more about the blackmail and whatever it was that Shannon’s father had done.What are you protecting Dad from?Shannon wanted to ask.
Instead, Arietta wanted to talk about Shannon’s Alzheimer’s research and find ways to incorporate it into the new article she was writing. Shannon found that this was a wonderful middle ground for both of them. For more than two hours, Shannon spoke about her research while her mother furiously typed notes, their half-eaten tacos forgotten.
Arietta sighed and closed her laptop. “Where did you come from?” she asked. “You’re a genius.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “I’ve studied for thousands of hours. I better know some of that stuff.”
Arietta continued to smile. And then, her phone buzzed between them, showing the name JASPER HARRIS on the screen.
“Answer it!” Shannon urged.
Arietta seemed suddenly tentative. “I can’t see him every night,” she said. But she picked it up and answered it, her voice shaking and girlish. “Hi!”
Shannon couldn’t quite make out what Jasper said. But from the sound of her mother’s responses, he was inviting her out to a party.
“I don’t know,” Arietta said, her cheeks burning with what Shannon guessed was embarrassment. Her eyes flitted over Shannon. “I’m spending time with my daughter.”
“Mom, you should go!” Shannon urged.
