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“Not as far as I know.” His voice cracked the way only a twelve-year-old boy whose voice was changing could.
Luckily for her, she hadn’t been born yesterday. Cameron had Zeke’s dark hair and dark eyes, but while Zeke’s complexion was more olive toned, compliments of his half-Cuban heritage, Cameron had inherited Mimi’s pale skin and freckles. He’d also inherited Mimi’s inability to tell a lie. At least, not a good one.
Mimi made her way toward Claire’s bedroom, making sure to make as much noise as possible. The house wasn’t large. It was an eighteen hundred square foot one-story ranch with four smallish bedrooms. Claire’s room was the first one off the hallway from the kitchen.
Her bedroom door was closed.
Mimi knocked once, then tried for the door knob. “Claire? Can you unlock the door please?”
“Just a minute!” Claire yelled. After what seemed like a very long minute, she opened the door to her room. “Hey, Mom!” Guilty teenager was written over every square inch of Claire’s flushed cheeks.
“How’s the homework going?”
“All done. I’m just going through my email.”
Mimi discreetly eyed the bedroom. Bed still made: check. Closet door open: check. Window to Claire’s bedroom secured: uncheck.
Which of course, didn’t mean anything. The weather was mild enough to have the windows open, but Mimi still had the niggling suspicion that someone had been in the room just seconds prior to Claire opening the door. It wasn’t that Mimi was against Claire having a boyfriend, but she was definitely against any said boyfriend spending alone time in Claire’s room with no adult supervision in the house.
If you would asked Mimi a couple of years ago whether or not she trusted her daughter, the answer would have been an emphatic yes. But last year Claire had betrayed their trust by lying to them and sneaking out to a party. Then, she’d lied to them again and taken off after a football game. They’d found Claire with a boy named Adam making out in a parked car along the side of the Bay Bridge. Not so unusual for a couple of teenagers, but despite the fact she and Zeke had been willing to let her date Adam, Claire hadn’t been the same since. She’d been sulky and secretive and the more Mimi tried to befriend her, the worse it seemed to get.
Mimi hated checking up on every little thing, but she felt like she had no choice.
“Have you heard from any of the colleges yet?”
“Nope.” Claire was a good student but not a great standardized test taker. Mimi was confident she’d get into some of the schools she’d applied to, but Claire’s heart was set on Florida State, and the entrance requirements seemed to get harder every year. Of course, Momma was set on Claire going to Duke, the Powers family alma mater, but Claire had never shown any interest.
She went back to looking at her computer. “Can you shut the door on your way out?”
“I need to speak to you and your brother tonight after dinner. We’re getting pizza from Tiny’s,” Mimi said, as if pizza could make up for the conversation they’d be having.
The original plan was that she and Zeke would tell the kids together, which seemed l
ike a much better idea than her going it alone. She should call Zeke and have him come over so they could get it over with. But the idea of seeing him again so soon after today’s city council meeting made her…nervous. Which was silly. Still, why should she be the sole bearer of bad news?
“Is this about you and Daddy separating? Because if it is, I already figured that out.”
Mimi wanted to knock herself on the head. She was an idiot! Of course Claire knew what was going on. She knew Mimi and Zeke were in counseling. And although Zeke’s job kept him away from home a lot, it wouldn’t have taken much for Claire to figure out he hadn’t slept in his bed for the past four nights.
She had been so caught up with today’s first city council meeting that she hadn’t thought about the kids’ reaction to Zeke’s absence.
Just a few seconds ago, Mimi had had the upper hand in this relationship. Now, Claire looked at her with accusation in her eyes. As if the separation was all her fault.
When Claire was a little girl, Mimi had dreamed of a Gilmore Girls type relationship between them. One where they were more like best friends than mother and daughter. But their relationship was more Emily and Lorelei, than Lorelei and Rory.
How had Mimi turned into her own mother?
“It’s not that simple, hon. And it’s not a separation. It’s more like a…time out.”
“Right.” There was no eye roll, but it wasn’t necessary. With that one simple word Claire managed to convey a thousand years’ worth of teenage disdain.
Mimi sighed. “I’ll call you when the pizza gets here.”
“No onions, please,” Claire said. “And don’t forget to close the door.”
Mimi was about to dial Tiny’s to place their order when her phone rang. She checked her caller ID and cringed. Great. She was right on schedule. “Hi, Momma.”
“Mary, are you and Zeke separated? And why did I have to hear it from Denise Holbert? You know that woman loves to rub all my faults in my face.”
