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She’d been determined to create a warm, comfortable home and to be the attentive loving mother she’d dreamed of having herself, but what she’d done was create the equivalent of a five-star hotel with room service.
She was a one-woman concierge. A fixer.
And the worst part was, they didn’t even notice. They were so used to having everything done for them it never even entered their heads to do it themselves. They complained about the service. If this had been a paid position, Caitlin probably would have fired her.
She felt a moment of something close to panic. She’d been so sure—smug—that she was a much better parent than her own mother. But she’d left home able to look after herself, because she’d been doing it since she was young. It never would have crossed her mind to demand that her mother drive to fetch something she’d forgotten. She either wouldn’t have forgotten it, or she would have figured out a way to get it herself.
She’d failed her children. A parent was supposed to raise a child to be independent. Respectful of another person’s time. And what had she done? She’d raised them to yell for their mother when there was no pizza in the freezer or when a strap top had gone missing from the laundry.
How were they going to cope when they left home?
And how was she going to cope right now?
She felt as if her head was exploding. There was a crushing weight on her chest and breathing felt difficult.
The long-awaited summer stretched ahead, but it was going to be more of the same.
She would soothe and smooth until all the lives of the various members of her family were wrinkle-free. It was what she did.
“Can we order pizza tonight?” Alice pushed her sports bag into the laundry room. “As a celebration?”
“How about ordering from that amazing Thai restaurant?” Caitlin ate a yogurt from the fridge and left the empty container on the countertop. “Or maybe Indian.”
What would you like, Mum? Let’s let Mum choose.
Enough!
Ignoring the empty yogurt container, Liza walked out of the kitchen and was halfway up the stairs by the time Caitlin caught up with her.
“Mum? We’ve decided on pizza. What toppings do you want?”
Liza headed for the bedroom. “No takeaway. You and Alice can make something from the fridge.”
“What? Why?” Alarmed, Caitlin followed her into the bedroom, watching as Liza pulled out an overnight bag and started throwing in some clothes. “What are you doing? Where are you going?”
“Away.” Liza swept her toiletries out of the bathroom and into the bag without bothering to filter them.
Alice appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on?”
“Mum’s going away.”
“Right now? You never said anything. Is Dad going too?”
“No.” Liza stuffed a pair of shoes into her bag. “Dad is at a work event. And someone has to stay with you.”
“But where are you going? You never go away without Dad.”
Another thing that had to change.
Liza grabbed her keys and money. “I’m driving to Oakwood tonight.”
“Why?” Alice frowned. “Granny isn’t even there.”
“I know. Granny is probably drinking cocktails on a rooftop bar in Chicago, because she’s sensible and knows how to enjoy life.” I’m a novice at that, Liza thought, but I’m going to learn. “I’m going to check on Popeye and have some time for myself.”
She could see the girls looking at each other, trying to figure out how serious this was. For once their mother seemed to be following her own agenda, and that was so alien to them they had no idea how to handle it.
“Does Dad know you’re going?”
