Page 46 of Backward Motion

His mom nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m not sure what comes next. Whether I want to head back to Austin or start somewhere new.” He stopped, pushing up against a kernel of shame. “What Georgia said—”

His mother gave him a pat on the knee. “We don’t need to get into that.”

“No. I want to. I know you’re sacrificing a lot by having me here. It certainly wasn’t your plan—or mine for that matter. But I promise I’ll sort myself out. I don’t want to be living off you guys forever.”

His mom shook her head adamantly. “It’s not a sacrifice—believe me, Sam. We just want you to get well. When we arrived at your apartment and saw you in that state...” She trailed off, and Sam was struck once again by what he’d put his parents through. “As long as we don’t go back there, I’m happy wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.”

Sam reached over to take her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“I just want you to know how much we love you. Georgia does too, even though she has a funny way of showing it.”

“Tell me about it,” Sam muttered.

“Are you two going to yap through the entire movie?” his father grumbled from his chair. “Some of us are watching here.”

“Oh, please, David,” his mother scoffed. “We’ve seen it a thousand times. You could quote it in your sleep.”

His father grunted, and they went back to watching Meg and Billy contemplate the viability of heterosexual friendship.

Connor’s mom rinsed the suds from a plate under the kitchen tap and placed it on the dish rack. Standing beside her at the sink, Connor picked up the plate and began drying it with a dishtowel. His dad was in the living room, watching football on TV.

“Things all right, Mom?” Connor asked, breaking the silence. He focused on the plate in his hands to avoid looking at her directly.

“Mm-hmm, just trucking along,” his mom said in her breezy voice, the one she used when she didn’t really want to get into it.

“That’s good.” Connor was hedging. He’d meant to talk to his parents about the business awards over dinner, but he’d lost his nerve. He thought maybe he’d have more success if he asked his mom in private. She had a knack for getting his father to agree to things he didn’t want to do—or at least drag him along against his will.

“How about you? All’s well?” his mother asked.

“Busy as usual.” Work and Sam—those two things filled up most of his time. And it wasn’t hard to guess which one occupied most of his thoughts.

“How’s Brian?”

“Brian and the kids are good. Matty’s going to be five in a couple months, so they’re gearing up for school.” Connor put the dry plate away in the cabinet and picked up another from the dish rack.

“Oh, it goes by so quickly,” his mom said wistfully. “I still remember when you started kindergarten. You hated it at first—wouldn’t let go of my leg at the classroom door. The next minute, you were telling me not to get out of the car.” She gave a little laugh and scrubbed harder at the serving bowl she was washing. Then she turned to him with a cautious smile. “So, anything new in town?”

She meantanyone. His mother had tacked the question on seamlessly, a subtle hint she’d been throwing his way for years. He didn’t talk about who he was dating, and he never brought girls home. But she knew he was careful around his father and didn’t like to volunteer information in case it was used against him. She probably thought ifshe kept it casual and asked him out of earshot, he’d open up. Connor almost laughed as he realized they were using the same tactic on each other.

“No one new, if that’s what you’re asking,” he parried expertly. His mother was probably racking her brain for news of a nice young girl who’d moved to town, maybe the daughter of a friend who’d returned from college. He scooped up a handful of wet silverware and dried each utensil, one by one, and slotted them back into the cutlery drawer. When he looked up, he saw his mom staring at him with a sad expression on her face.

“I know how hard this has been for you, Connor. Taking on so much responsibility. Believe me, I’m beyond grateful. But I don’t want you to miss out on the rest of life. The fun stuff.”

Connor felt a pang in his chest.Well, what I want and what’s possible are two entirely different things.“Don’t worry, Mom. I get around.” He winced inwardly at his cavalier tone. “I’m just not looking for anything serious right now.”Liar.

His mom dunked a dirty saucepan into the sink of soapy water. “Right. Of course.”

“Speaking of fun stuff,” Connor said, his voice a smidge too bright, “I’m a finalist in this year’s Oakdale business awards.”

His mother glanced up, her eyes wide with surprise. “What’s that?”

“Sam put me forward on the sly.” Connor gave an awkward shrug. “It’s not a big deal, but they’re having this ceremony at city hall next Saturday if you and Dad want to come.”

“Not a big deal?” His mother raised her yellow-gloved hands and pulled him into a hug. “Connor, how wonderful!” she gushed. “Of course we’ll be there.”

Connor freed himself with an embarrassed laugh. There was a damp patch on his back where her soapy gloves had soaked through his T-shirt. “Okay, that’s great. I’ll put aside tickets for you.”