It was late morning, so I assumed my mom would be here since she typically worked the lunch rush, and sure enough, as soon as the bells chimed as I walked into the Patio, I heard my name being called across the cafe.
“Ellie, honey!”
My mom rushed up to me, pulling me into a hug that was tight enough for me to feel how thin she was getting. I frowned but quickly replaced my expression with a tight smile when she released me and pulled back, staring down at my face.
“Hi, Mom,” I said as she began fussing with my bangs.
My mom and I had always looked alike. She had a slight frame with a fair complexion and dark but graying hair. The only thing I didn’t have was her eyes, which were more of a hazelly green. Today, they popped against the harsh black of her mascara, and she had on one of those sporty skirts that women wore to play tennis or golf, along with her red and white Patio shirt tucked into it. It was another picture of familiarity, and warmth filled my insides.
“Do you have a minute before the lunch rush hits?” I asked. “Maybe we can grab a lemonade.”
“Absolutely. Let me just go tell Carrie,” my mom answered and then rushed off. I was pretty sure Carrie was one of her lead servers, but it was hard for me to remember all the rotating names since most of the staff were seasonal. I’d also spent a few summers working here in high school alongside my mom before I decided that the movie theater was likely more my speed.
I loved movies.
And making out with my boyfriend, who worked in the back rooms.
My mom appeared a minute or two later, dragging me outside to the massive deck covered with red-striped umbrellas. She led me to a sunny table located along the water’s edge—the Pontoon Patio was the most popular restaurant on the sparkling lake outside Rosewood—and I appreciated the lily pads that grew along the shore, in all the same places as usual. My mom instructed me to sit while she rushed off to get us drinks, and I sank into the available plastic chair.
“So, you’re back,” my mom said when she returned with lemonade, dropping her designer sunglasses over her eyes as she cut to the chase.
I nodded and busied myself with taking a long, glorious sip of my lemonade so I could think of what to say.
Ihadthought about this ahead of time, but that didn’t mean I had a script or anything to follow to get through this sticky, vague conversation.
“I’m back,” I said. “It’s good to be home.”
I forced a smile.Goodwas perhaps an oversimplification of the truth, but it wasn’t entirely false, either.
“California wasn’t cutting it for you anymore?” Mom asked, and I shrugged.
“The opportunity to go fully remote presented itself, and I took it. Thought it would be a good chance to come back to my roots.”
“Your roots,” my mom repeated, clearly unconvinced by my lie. Partial truth. Whatever. “Are you sure you weren’t coming back to your blond-haired, blue-eyed hunk of an ex-boyfriend?”
“Mother,” I chastised, avoiding her eyes.
“What?” She threw her hands up like she didn’t understand what was so wrong with the question. “I certainly wouldn’t blame you. That man worships the ground you walk on, and believe me, honey, that’s awfully hard to come by. I wouldn’t blame you if you found that out the hard way and decided to come back to him.”
“I—it’s—” Man, I had not been expecting my mom to go on the offense about Sully. I’d expected it from Anne, but not so much from my own mother. “It’s complicated, Mom.”
“Okay.” She blew a breath out. “I’m just saying, I would have given anything for your dad to treat me the way he treated you.”
I was momentarily stunned. My momneverbrought up my father.
“Mom—”
“That’s all I’ll say.” She waved me off, clearly not wanting to continue down this roadshe’dpresented. “I’m done now, and I won’t pry.”
In other words, I shouldn’t, either.
I took a long sip of my lemonade before deciding to say, “Sully and I are working through a few things. That’s all.”
“Alright, then.” My mom tapped her red nails on the glass patio table. She sat back in her chair, crossing one toned leg over the other. “And you’re settling in across the street?”
“I am,” I said. “Anne seems relieved to have someone in the house again. You should come over for dinner next week, maybe? Once I’m unpacked and everything.”
“That sounds nice, honey.”
