AllFreeNovel
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“Hinting at issues and hoping I’ll catch on to whatever is bothering you is beneath you, Mother.” I stepped on the parking brake and killed the engine, picking up my phone to continue the conversation through the handset.
“Fine. I’ve noticed a lovely brunette in your social pictures over the last two months. Seems you’ve narrowed your focus to one woman.” I wasn’t sure how it was possible to blend both hope and disapproval into one tone, but Mom managed it.
I knew exactly who she was talking about.
“Her name is Daisy, and any pictures in August were while we had a business relationship, and anything after September was taken after we became romantically involved.” Three of the happiest weeks of my life had passed since Nicaragua. I missed having Daisy at the office, that was a fact, but having my evenings with her, my weekends, even some mornings after she spent the night at my place made up for the daytime hours I missed.
Plus, I had the added perk of getting to make love to her whenever I wanted. It was one hell of a perk.
“Oh? And what business relationship did you two have before you crossed that line?” Mom asked, her voice descending into that rare tone I couldn’t decipher, the tone that made me worry she’d be on the next plane to meet Daisy.
“She’s a novelist, and wanted to shadow me.” I got out of the car and closed the door behind me, hitting the button on my fob to lock the door as I headed across the parking lot to the local place.
“A novelist?” Mom questioned. “You’re letting yourself get distracted from the most meaningful project in your life by a novelist?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Please tell me she’s a Pulitzer Prize winner. National Book Award, maybe?”
“Nope, she writes romance,” I answered, stepping up onto the sidewalk and glancing through the parking lot. I didn’t see Harper’s car yet. “You’d like her, Mom. She’s smart as a whip, kinder than I’ll ever be, works just as hard as I do, and has a wicked sense of humor.” How could anyone not like Daisy?
“Romance,” she repeated, like she didn’t understand the word.
“Romance,” I said as Harper pulled in. “Now, not to change the subject, but just measure Ally’s head, and we’ll get something over to her in the next month.” Of course, I wanted my niece to have the best protection she could. That’s what expanding the line was all about, not just protecting the million-dollar heads of professional athletes, but the priceless ones of kids everywhere.
“Next month?” Mom’s voice rose. “No, no. Ash, she’s going skiing next week.”
My forehead furrowed. “Mom, who the hell goes skiing on the first of October? Where is she headed to? The Andes?”
“Exactly! It’s a trip with her class.”
I bit my tongue as Harper parked her car and took a deep breath. “Mom, are you seriously lecturing me about making my helmets more accessible too slowly while Ally’s exclusive private school goes on a trip to the Andes?”
“Well…yes.”
Harper waved as she walked toward me.
“Mom, Harper just walked in. I’m going to let you go so we can have lunch. Just text me the measurements. Okay? I love you.”
“Oh! Ask her if she’s thought about what we discussed last week! Love you!”
We hung up just as Harper reached me.
“Mom,” I said, shaking the phone before sliding it into my back pocket and opening the door for my sister.
“Ooh, is she pissed that you haven’t solved world hunger yet?” Harper asked, sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head as we walked inside.
“She’ll settle for accessible safety gear,” I responded as we moved into the line to order. “I’m supposed to ask you if you’ve given any thought to what she talked to you about last week.”
Harper sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, a move so like our mother that I bit back a laugh. “She wants me to work for a medical lab. She thinks I should be using all of my education to find a cure for cancer.”
My eyebrows rose. “Did you tell her that you have doctorates in physics and organic chemistry? Or does she think the PhD should just transfer over to MD?”
Harper laughed. “I don’t even know. Sometimes I think I could cure the common cold or something and she’d say that I only removed an annoyance and should have focused on more meaningful work.”
“I feel that.” And I did. Hard. Mom loved us, but whatever we did was never enough. We could be more, do more for the world.
I filled her in on the helmet situation while we moved forward in line. Then we ordered our burgers and carried our food to a table by the window.
“I keep waiting for you to buy this place,” Harper said before taking a ginormous bite.
