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I stood up straighter at the sound of Mom’s voice coming from down the hall.
“I know, baby. Yes, I’ll let the girls know.” She laughed. “I think they’ll be able to handle us going away since we never really got a honeymoon. Yes, we’ll do it after Ryder leaves. God, do you not know me at all?” Her laugh deepened. “Fine, fine. Meadow isn’t coming in today. The little one had a rough night, so she’s tired.”
I left the office, finding Mom leaning against the wall.
Her head snapped up, her gaze landing on me. She smiled. “Gigi’s here. Yes, I will. Okay, love you too.” She said her goodbyes and shoved her cell in her back pocket. “How are you doing?”
“Good.” I gave her a hug, reveling in the feel of being in my mom’s arms. That single moment relieved some of the stress of not knowing what the hell was going on between Vince and me.
“Your dad said that Vince was at your place the other morning.”
My stomach flipped. “Uh…yeah. He came over to make sure I was okay.”
Mom leaned back, searching my face. “Your father may believe your lies but I’m not stupid, Gigi. You’re more like me than your sister and brother.”
I pulled away and tugged at the end of my t-shirt. “It was nothing. I went to Luna’s, had a little too much wine and Vince picked me up and drove me home.”
“And?”
I sighed, hating at the moment how well Mom knew me. “He spent the night, but nothing happened.”
She gave me a small smile. “You don’t have to justify your actions to me, sweetheart. It’s not like Vince is some random guy.”
“I know.” I looked down at my feet. “It’s just…it’s complicated.”
“I get that.” Mom hooked an arm around my shoulders, kissing the side of my head. “But that boy loves you. You can tell me I’m wrong all you want but I see it. Your dad sees it. Your brother isn’t around much and even he sees it.”
“Do you guys talk about it or something?” As much as I wanted to be pissed that they discussed my love life or lack thereof, I couldn’t. “Do you have any advice?”
She gave me a small smile. “Let the walls down. Rip the Band-Aid off and get to talking, girl. If I had done that sooner with your dad, we would have had a much easier road. But I’m thankful every day that he loved me enough to keep pushing and to not give up on us. Give the kid a break, don’t make him have to fight as hard…but don’t make it too easy either.” She winked.
I laughed. “Thank you.”
“Of course. I know it’s been hard since your accident. You had other plans for your life, but I know that Vince has always been in those plans as well. Hasn’t he?”
I thought a moment, mulling over her words. “He has,” I finally said.
Mom smiled and placed a kiss on my head. “I figured. But enough of this.” She pulled away, gave me a wide smile, and started listing off things she needed me to work on.
I committed them to memory and went to get started when I remembered the conversation she was having with Dad. “When you and Dad go away, you should choose somewhere warm.”
Mom’s smile grew. “We were discussing Mexico. I just want to leave the country and go somewhere we’ve never been. We’ll let you know of course.”
“I’m glad.” I gave her a quick hug. “Thank you.”
“Don’t need to thank me. I’m your mom. It’s what I do. It’s kind of my thing.”
I laughed, released her, and started backing up. “Well whenever I become a mom, I hope I get at least half of your mom traits.”
“You will.” She winked. Her phone suddenly rang. Pulling it from her back pocket, she sighed and placed it at her ear. “You know, I love you with every inch of me but you’re driving me crazy. Yes, Angel, I just told Gigi. I know you’re excited.” She shook her head, gave me a wave, and went into the office. “I’m doing everything I can to get things set up so we can leave,” she said, shutting the door behind her.
I laughed.
Making my way to the storage closet, I grabbed a ladder to start changing out the lightbulbs in the hall. Our moms wanted the bulbs changed out to eco-friendly ones, to save money. Even though the center was receiving funding from the government and people were constantly donating to help, they still wanted to do everything they could to save money and to help the environment.
Setting up the ladder, I quickly checked my phone to see if I had gotten any new text messages. Truth was, I had hoped Vince was still around. My body burned, remembering the way he had used me the other night. Although, I had used him just the same. He had felt so damn good. Almost too good if you asked me.
When my phone came up empty, I sighed and shoved it back in my pocket.
