AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I liked Aunt Roberta. Having dinner there will be great. Where will we stay?”
“My father has a big empty house. I’ll ask if we can stay there, but he won’t care.”
“Well, let’s solidify that we actually have a place to go before you commit to the tickets. On the count of three, call,” she said. “One, two, three.”
Laughing, they both made the calls. Wendy’s mother was ecstatic; they could absolutely stay with her for the day leading up to and for Christmas Eve, and Charlie was thrilled and would have the housekeeper get Oliver’s room ready for them.
“Pop, two rooms, please,” he said in a soft voice.
“What? You want her to have her own room?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind. Jeesh! We’re not there yet.”
“Boy, times sure have changed,” Charlie said.
“Thanks. I’ll see you on Christmas Day. Will you let Aunt Roberta know, two more for dinner?”
“She’ll be so glad. Yes, I’ll call her right now.”
They made small talk before hanging up. Charlie had one last word. “Love you, son. I’m so proud of you.”
He ended the call without responding. Why did Charlie say that? What was there to be proud of? Looking at the phone in the palm of his hand, Oliver thought about his father. He’d taken him for granted, like kids were apt to do. That made him think of Joanne. He’d taken it for granted that she knew what he wanted out of his life. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again.
Still chatting with her mother, Wendy’s voice sounded like it was underwater, lilting and girlish. Sitting on the end of the couch, he watched her pacing, gesturing with her hands, unself-conscious and animated, and he knew he loved her. But the nagging need to wait and see, not rush things prevailed. He was going through the worst time in his young life, the disappointment was suffocating, and she hadn’t hesitated to take it on.
“Okay, we’re all set for the Vegas leg of our journey. We can stay there as long as we want.”
“And the same with San Diego. You have to work the next four days, so we’d better get you packed up. What can I do to help?”
“Just walk me home,” she said, smiling. “I’m psyched!”
***
Sadie did great on the flight and was excited to see Wendy and Oliver when her carrier rounded the bend on the conveyor belt.
“Aw, what a relief!”
They petted her and made over her. Oliver went to the car rental kiosk and signed the papers for their rental. The shuttle was waiting at the curb, and when they stepped out of the automatic door, they were greeted by a warm sunny morning.
“Oh my God,” Wendy said. “This coat is unnecessary.”
“And my Uggs,” Oliver said, looking down at his feet, laughing. “What was I thinking?”
“It was freezing on the plane.”
They got the car and she keyed her mother’s address into the GPS.
“You know, let’s stop for lunch,” Oliver said. “I’m not ready to meet the family quite yet. And I don’t want her to feel like she needs to feed us.”
“You never have to worry about Helen,” Wendy said. “You’ll be lucky to get a glass of water.”
“Ha! Lunch is a good idea, then.”
After a quick meal, they got back on the road.
“So tell me about your mother. That’s the first time I heard you use her name.”
“Oh, Helen is a trip. She’s a housekeeper at Circus Circus.”
