Page 69 of Carson

Cole

Ilisten to my mom and Carson talk on the phone.

She has her phone on speaker, and her back to me.

I even coughed to let her know Carver and I were behind her, but she didn’t hear us.

“Oh, honey, you did the right thing.”

“I’m hoping one of the women will recognize what she’s going through and maybe talk to her.”

Carver pretends to be interested in the wind chimes Billie Rose makes for the shop. He flicks one with his finger and then looks toward my mom to see if it’s gotten her attention. I think the topic of conversation she’s having with my brother makes him uncomfortable.

She still doesn’t turn around. She’s focused on Carson, but I can’t fault her for that. My mother has a way of making you feel like you’re the only person in the room, especially when you need her.

“Don’t force it, sweetheart. The people who might help her will find her exactly when she needs them. Just stand by her side and let her hold onto you. She needs something solid right now.”

I clear my throat again, shrugging at Carver. He looks like he’s as ready to get the fuck out of here as I am.

He sighs. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am.”

Carson laughs lightly.

“Intimacy will come when she’s ready. Her body remembers, and it may take some time before it feels as safe with you as her mind does.”

Carver spins on his heel to retreat from their conversation, knocking one of the chimes to the floor.

“Oh,” my mother gasps, turning around herself.

All three of us freeze.

“You okay, Mom?” Carson asks.

Mom looks at me, clearly flustered. “Yeah, honey, I just had a customer come in. You’ll message me as soon as the two of you land.”

“Yeah, we board here in a few. I just wanted to call you before we took off.”

“I’m glad you did. I’ll see you both when you return. Love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

They share a quick goodbye and then she sets the phone down on the counter, her eyes bouncing between Carver and me.

“I’m sorry, boys. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Carver bows his head to her. “No apologies, ma’am. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop. We just came over here to give you a hand.”

There’s no way we could avoid eavesdropping. She had the phone turned up at full volume on speakerphone.

“Oh, gosh, yes. I’ve got a few deliveries to make.” She waves us into the back room. “Jackson and Brody were going to take care of them, but they’re tied up with some club business.”

She mumbles something about Jackson helping out less and less as his duties with the club increase. And his little one takes up a lot of his time.

“I don’t know, maybe I should think about retiring,” she says more to herself than to us. She grows quiet, staring at the dresser in front of her, lost in thought for a moment, but then she snaps back out of it. “Anyway, here’s the address. The buyer said they’d be home all day.”

She hands Carver the piece of paper with the location on it.