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9
Drake droppedme off after some winks and nudges from Sanchez, making us feel like lighthearted silly lovers up all night. But the warmth and humor of his jest wore off with every turn of the wheels of Drake’s Ford Fiesta. The closer I go to home, the more I dreaded seeing Dixie Lewis.
I could see her already, in the kitchen with some sort of breakfast getting cold. I told her I’d be home late last night, not early this morning. And now she was Malibu’s Jamie Oliver, she’d be up with eggs Benedict or some elaborate concoction for us to share in the morning. My stomach curdled thinking of her, sitting there across from an uneaten portion and an empty chair. All the guilt came rushing back. I’d focused on keeping her recovery on track and I worried this could derail her.
I should have called her. I was in my late twenties. I was a self-funded and full-blown adult. We’d made a deal a long time ago, even before my dad had passed, that I didn’t have to call home to text if I wasn’t coming back. But just because I hadn’t had to hadn’t stopped me from doing it. But last night, I’d been so caught up in my own emotions, my own elation at getting back this precious thing I’d thought I’d lost, that I’d totally forgotten.
God, I hoped she wasn’t still that fragile. She didn’t seem that fragile.
“You okay?” Drake glanced at me for a moment then back at the road.
“Just wishing I’d taken the time to text my mom. I know I’m an adult and all, and she doesn’t really keep tabs on me. Hasn’t for a really long time, but I just…”
“You don’t want to give her anything to worry about,” Drake finished my sentence.
“Yeah.”
We pulled up in front of the house.
Drake turned off the car. “You want me to come in with you? It would save you having to explain everything. Rip off the bandage on one go?”
Even though he joked, and probably wasn’t taking it too personally, I felt badly that Drake had to deal with my mom. He didn’t deserve not to be liked. She was lucky I’d ended up with a guy like him.
Only a couple of days ago she’d reassured me it was okay. That “Mama’s back.” But I didn’t want to make her feel unsupported and ditched.
I clarified this point for my man. “Babe, just so you know, she told me she wouldn’t self-destruct if we were back together.”
Drake appeared to bounce the comment around in his head. “For Dixie, that’s practically giving us her blessing.”
“I hope so. I don’t want you dealing with any of that negative vibe anymore. It’s undeserved.”
He put his hand on my thigh and rubbed it up and down. His touch sent instant calm through my bones. “I can handle Dixie. We’ll sort it out. I’m more hoping she doesn’t ground you for breaking curfew.”
“I’m just thankful that I need to get in and out. Sure you’re okay to wait? I might be like forty-five minutes? I’m happy to take a cab.”
“I’ll take a walk. I need some fresh air before heading back to Seattle where I’m likely to be breathing nothing but paint fumes for a few days.”
I leaned over and offered a close-mouthed but heartwarming kiss. “I know I’ve said it, but I’ll say it again. I love you, Drake Jackson.”
Sure enough,when I stepped through the door, I smelled toasted bread and sautéed onion, no doubt intended for my breakfast.
“Maeve?” my mom called from the kitchen, probably hearing the front door open.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for a conversation of falling icicles.
But that wasn’t at all what I got.
When I entered the kitchen, my mom came over and gave me a hug.
“Eat first, then shower. It won’t taste nice if it’s cold. It’s called spicy eggs and has fennel in it. Go figure, right?”
Huh? No “Where were you?” No “You couldn’t have texted me, I was scared out of my mind and thought you were dead in a ditch?” Or “kidnapped and being held for ransom?”
I sat on a stool at the breakfast bar at a plate she’d set out and took a sip of some fresh-squeezed orange juice. I didn’t have much time but I sure as hell planned on devouring this plate lest I erase these good graces.
My mom started washing up a pan. “Sorry, I already ate. I woke up absolutely famished.” She was chirpy.
Had I passed through some wormhole into a parallel dimension?
