Page 76 of The Fake Out

“No one ever plays it cool in this family,” Chris muttered. “Prepare yourself, Mae.”

I faltered. “For what?”

“The Sterns.”

Margot Sterns was a pretty woman with dark hair and an infectious smile. A bit shorter than me, she was curvy with twinkly dark eyes. Like Aggie, she didn’t even wait for an introduction before drawing me into a hug.

“When Chris told me about meeting you, I just knew you were special.” She pressed a hand to her heart. “I could tell from his voice my boy was in love. I’m so excited you’re here.”

“Oh, thank you?” My eyes darted to Chris, who seemed to be finding his phone very interesting.

“When you know, you know. The first time I met his daddy, I knew. Of course, it took that man a whole lot longer to clue in. But thirty-three years married this summer.” With a bright smile, she pulled a chair out at the little round kitchen table and gestured for me to sit. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Oh! I have some strawberry lemonade, too.”

“Water sounds good.”

“Of course.” She shooed Chris to the side on her trek to the refrigerator. “I have some leftover cheesecake. Now, I don’t want to ruin your dinner, but a little cheesecake doesn’t count, am I right?”

This was logic I could not argue with.

“Hi, Mom.” Chris spread his arms wide. “Your baby boy is home.”

Margot patted his cheek on the way back to the table. She set a glass of water and an enormous piece of cheesecake in front of me. “Yes, yes. I love you. Why don’t you go find Millie and say hello? Go with him, Aggie.”

“But I wanted some lemonade and cheesecake,” Aggie whined.

Margot looked her dead in the eye and said, “No.”

Chris’s eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to get rid of us?”

“Why would I do that?” She sat across from me and beamed a smile at him. “Now, go away.”

Chris turned slowly, a little bewildered, and headed out of the kitchen. He paused next to me and dropped a kiss on my cheek. I gave him one last desperate look before he was gone.

And I was alone.

With his mother.

HOW WAS THIS MY LIFE?

I rubbed my damp palms on my shirt and searched my brain for something to say. “I love your kitchen.”

That was a low-stakes conversation starter, and I wasn’t even lying. It was lovely, airy and bright with lots of windows and white cabinets that stretched to the ceiling. The walls were a sunny yellow, the curtains red gingham, and the floor slightly scuffed wood. There were a few dishes in the sink and photos dangling from magnets on the fridge. A loaf of bread on the counter. A bag of chips left out. It wasn’t a magazine kitchen; it was a family kitchen, and something about that put me at ease more than anything Margot could say.

“Don’t look too closely at it. I’ve been on Luke to fix some things around here but, you know how it is. He spends all day fixing things for other people; he doesn’t want to do it when he gets home. I keep saying what will the neighbors think when I have to hire a handyman and my husband is a contractor.” She pushed the cheesecake toward me, and I took a bite. “I’m sorry. I’m talking a million miles a minute. I do that when I’m excited. Tell me about your family.” Margot placed her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm, her warm brown eyes giving me all her attention.

I took a sip of water to stall. “It’s just my mom and sister and me.”

Her eyes turned sympathetic. “Chris told me about your mom’s stroke. I can’t imagine how difficult that’s been for your family.”

“We’re doing fine.” Because that’s what I always said.

She reached out and patted my hand. “Oh, honey. I’m sure it hasn’t been at all fine. You know, when I was ten, my mother was hit by a car crossing the street. She passed away that evening and my father was left to raise my brother and me. It was a hard time. We all had to pitch in to help any way we could, and we only had each other. I guess what I’m saying is that I know it can’t have been easy for you. Sometimes we need to not be okay. Do you ever get to do that?”

“Um…” Very smooth, Mae. I stuffed an enormous forkful of cheesecake in my mouth.

Margot smiled sweetly. “I hope this weekend you can have a bit of rest and relaxation. Don’t think you need to impress me by offering to help or being on your best behavior. You’re a part of the family now, and we take everyone just the way they come.”

The backs of my eyes began to prick, my nose stung. In horror, I realized I was half a second from crying. How had I gotten here? All I’d said was she had a lovely kitchen.