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“Have you tried this stuff you’re talking about?”
Riley nearly spit out the water she’d just sipped. And here she’d thought she and her parents had a good thing going with the don’t-ask-don’t-tell routine.
She knew that her mother collected every issue out of loyalty to her middle daughter. Maybe even read an article from time to time. But to actually talk about it?
There were vicious stomach bugs that were more pleasant.
Not to mention, this really, really wasn’t good timing.
“Ma! Come on!”
“Don’t Ma me. My friends’ daughters talk with them about sex.”
Your friends’ daughters are probably actually having sex.
“Do you talk to Kate and Megan about it?” Riley asked, referring to her two sisters.
“Yes.”
“You do?” Riley nearly fell off the ancient bar stool. What sort of craziness was this? “Why am I never included in this girl tal
k?”
Her mother set the magazine aside and began grating some cheese. “Well, dear … you are a tiny bit of a prude.”
Riley’s jaw dropped. She pointed at the headline. “Did you read that? I talked about spanking.”
There. That should rile her mother.
But Erin merely lifted a slim shoulder and tucked a stray red hair back into her bun. “Yes, yes, the article was all very edgy, but it lacked passion. That tells me the story wasn’t personal for you.”
“This is not happening,” Riley muttered, glancing at the ceiling. “My mother is not telling me my spanking article lacked passion.”
And what was with her mother’s timing? Was the entire universe conspiring to help Riley get some?
“You never texted me back. How was your date with that boy? The one you met at that bank.”
“That boy was thirty-seven years old, and he was—”
“Oh dear.”
Riley threw her hands in the air at her mother’s doomsday tone. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“But you’re using past tense. Which means he won’t be coming over for tacos anytime soon.”
Lucky guy. “He was no good, Ma.”
Her mother was silent as the pile of grated cheese grew higher and higher.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Riley finally said, prodding. “Lecture me on how I’m too picky and I didn’t give him a chance?”
Her mother set the grater aside and moved to the fridge. “Oh, honey. When you know, you’ll know.”
Riley blinked in surprise.
What the heck is happening here? Where was the lecture? The reminder to be patient and kind and open-minded?
“Did Father Sellars give some sort of homily on being more accepting of your adult children or something?”
