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“Clothes don’t have feelings, dear.” Lillian’s voice softened. “Let me buy it for you as a gift, you don’t let me treat you very often. You’re my daughter, I’m allowed to buy you things once in a while.”
Brooke chewed her bottom lip. Behind her, the assistant was wrapping the dress up in a thick plastic hanging bag, zipping it carefully to avoid snagging the fabric. She slid her mom’s store card through the reader and handed the printed receipt to Lilian. It all made her feel about five years old.
“Thank you.” Pulling her sweater over her head, and sliding her feet into the brown leather mules which had seen better days, Brooke grabbed her bag and walked out of the changing room. “And I definitely owe you some lunch now.”
Her mom opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.
“No, we’re not going to McDonalds.” Brooke answered her unasked question. “I’ve booked us a table at Gerard’s.”
Half an hour later, they were eating lunch – a caesar salad for her mom, with anchovies removed, and a club sandwich for Brooke, with every thing included. It almost felt normal. Like any other girl spending time with her mom on a Saturday. Brooke tried to remember the last time they’d done something like this – had a girly day of trying on clothes and spending time together – but she couldn’t remember.
Had they ever done something like this?
“This is nice,” she said, putting her half-eaten sandwich down on the plate. “I’m glad you asked me to come.”
The fork her mom was holding froze in mid air, not quite making it to her mouth. “It is?” She didn’t bother trying to hide the surprise in her voice. “You really like it?”
“Is it so hard to believe? Yeah, it’s good to spend some time with you. We should do it more often.”
“I’ve tried,” Lilian said pointedly. “But you’re always busy.”
And there was the guilt again, made extra spicy because there was truth in her mom’s words. All those time she’d asked Brooke to come with her to the salon, or the Beach Club, or even out for coffee, and she’d refused, not wanting to feel the pressure of parental expectation weighing down on her any heavier than it already did.
“I’ve got a lot going on,” Brooke said quietly. It sounded pathetic out loud.
“I know you do, dear. And I don’t want to add to your burden, I only want to see you once in a while. And Nick, too. Daddy was so happy to get to spend some time with him on the golf course today. He loves you so much, but being surrounded by us girls and not having a son has been tough on him. He always feels outnumbered.” Lillian lifted her water glass to her lips, taking the smallest of sips.
“You don’t add to my burden,” Brooke said. Her throat felt scratchy, making her voice hoarse. “I’m grateful to you both. You gave Nick and me somewhere to live when you didn’t have to. And you make sure he wants for nothing.”
“We’re his grandparents. It’s our job. We want you all to be happy. But sometimes it feels like we’re battling you all the way. Look at Maggie Richardson. She’s always taking her daughters shopping, and they’ve joined our little book club, too. I wish we could do more together.”
Okay, that might be taking it a bit too far. “Well we’re here now,” Brooke pointed out. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Lillian smiled. “Yes, it is. I’m very pleased we are. So why don’t we talk about you? How are things going with school?”
“It’s okay. There’s lots going on at the moment. It’s only a few months until graduation and there are so many assignments to finish.”
“You work so hard. You’ll do it, I know you will.”
Brooke blinked a couple of times. Where had this cheerleader mom been all her life?
“I hope so. And then there’s Nick’s extracurricular activities, and the shelter. I keep telling myself it will all be easier once I graduate. I’ll only have one job to manage then, plus Nick.”
“And you’ve been over to the Silver Sands Resort, too, haven’t you?” Lillian pushed her half-finished salad away, clearly done with it. “Sally Mayweather said you were there. Fred told her.”
Any appetite Brooke had dissolved with her mother’s question. She should have known the word would spread in a little over a millisecond – this was Angel Sands, after all, not some metropolis. Funny how she used to love knowing everybody when she was a kid. But now the town was up in her business, and it felt as though the walls were closing in on her.
“What else did she say?” Brooke asked. Did her mom have any idea that Aiden was back?
The server came to clear away their plates. The two women waited silently as he stacked the half-eaten entrees in his arms, nodding when he asked them if they wanted the dessert menu.
“Not very much,” Lilian said as soon as he’d left, balancing the dishes precariously as he walked. “Something about a stray dog. I have to admit I tuned out after that.” Lillian laughed. “You know about me and animals.”
“Did she tell you about Aiden?” Brooke blurted out. As soon as the words escaped she wanted to cover her mouth with her hand. What was she thinking?
“Aiden who?” It still hadn’t sunk in. Her mother waved at a couple in the corner, a smile arching her painted lips. Lifting her hand into a strange impression of a telephone – thumb and little finger stretched out, she mouthed something about calling them next week.
Brooke considered changing the subject. Her mom was too preoccupied by whoever was in the corner to pay her any attention. She should take advantage of her distraction and end this before it started. Talk about Nick or her father, or even tonight’s dinner, anything to get away from the one subject dominating Brooke’s thoughts.
