Mom’s face went soft. “Tommyisa good kid. Not a lot of people can see that under…everything else.”
I took a sip of coffee, feeling a little less deer-in-the-headlights. “I told Sam how you were there for the worst of it, Mom.”
She smiled, sadness in her eyes. “It was rough. But we made it through.Youmade it through. And look at you now!” She swept her hands around. “This place is looking amazing. And look at all these gorgeous houseplants!”
I smiled, because of course Mom would notice the plants.
Sam cleared his throat. “Henry, uh, took a bite out of that fern, earlier. I’m sorry.”
“He what?” I asked.
Sam told us about this morning, looking chagrinned.
“He escapes on me too,” I said, explaining I thought there was something wrong with the latch but hadn’t gotten around to fixing it since it worked most of the time.
“Well, you’ve got enough plants to spare,” Mom said. “I’m very impressed. Where did you get them all?”
“Do you remember Sarah’s sister Kit? The landscaper? She supplied them all.”
“Of course! She came to the flower farm with you years ago. Remember that awful boyfriend she had?” Mom laughed.
I grimaced. “They’re still together.”
Mom gaped. “He picked my peonies!”
“Oh my God, I forgot about that.”
I told Sam how Kit and Chip had visited my mom’s farm with me once.
“For some reason that ding-dong thought it was some kind of U-pick place,” Mom said.
She was mostly mad about it because he hadn’t even picked them for Kit. “He said he was going to try to resell them at the beach later!”
I chanced a glance at Sam as Mom went on.
He laughed at what she was saying, but as he did, his eyes caught mine. Then he winked, turning my insides liquid. Flashes of last night popped into my mind.
“Honey?”
Mom had finished the story.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Still picturing Chip’s face when you yelled at him.”
Mom laughed. But when Sam got up to plate the food, Mom whispered, “He’s wonderful, Ellie. So sweet to you, so good with Henry. And he’s handsome, too. Those eyes!” She fanned herself.
“Mom, stop!” I hissed, feeling like a teenager.
She buttoned her mouth, but wiggled her eyebrows.
I should have laughed at her, but suddenly I was struck with this sick feeling, like all of this was too good to be true. He was good. He was amazing. But what Sam and I had was supposed to be temporary. No hearts involved.
But it was getting harder to remember why.
She must have seen the concern on my face, because her eyebrows slanted. She squeezed my hand as Sam came back into the room with my food.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice slightly choked as he set the plate in front of me.
What would he have done if Mom wasn’t here? Checked in with me? Asked how I was doing? Kissed me?
