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“Are you mad at me, Mom?”
I park the car outside our door and turn to face her. “No, honey. Not at all.”
“Oh.”
I take a deep breath. “Sometimes, it’s just hard for me to be with Colin. He hurt my feelings before, and I haven’t entirely forgiven him.”
“Because he left before I was born?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I don’t want to move to his condo. I want to stay here.”
My shoulders relax. “Me too.”
“We could still get a dog, though. I bet Mr. and Mrs. Thomas would be okay with it. They always smile and pet dogs when they pass them on the street. It could be the mascot for the barbershop!”
I unlatch my seatbelt and open the door. “We’ll see, kiddo.”
“That’s what Des calls me.”
An ice pick lodges itself in my chest. I wince, and it comes out like a huff. “Yeah. I must have picked him up from him.”
“When is he coming back? Do you think he’ll want to come watch my next basketball game?”
Oh, it was definitely a mistake to get involved with Des. It was selfish and stupid and shortsighted of me. Now my daughter is caught between two men who don’t care about her nearly as much as she deserves.
“I’m not sure when he’s coming back,” I admit. “He didn’t tell me.”
“Oh.” Bailey follows me to the front door. “Okay.”
When I open the door she runs inside, and I knock my head on the doorjamb, cursing myself…until the sound of a big engine draws my attention. A huge RV looms at the mouth of the alleyway and starts honking cheerily. My mother pokes her head out of the passenger’s side window. “YOOHOO! We’re HEREEEE!”
35
MIA
My mother Ireneis an avid reader, a crossword whiz, and a social butterfly. Twelve hours after she and my father arrive in Heart’s Cove, she’s already integrated herself into the community better than I ever have.
“And we saw a California condor flying above the Grand Canyon, didn’t we, Earl?” She leans toward Dorothy, one of the elderly ladies who owns the Heart’s Cove Hotel, and doesn’t wait for my father’s answer. “They were declared extinct in 1987, but we met some birdwatchers who told us all about the conservation efforts that had been successful at reintroducing them into the wild. Absolutely fascinating!”
“Isn’t that something!” Dorothy sips coffee from her cup, her leopard-print kaftan fluttering around her like feathers of her own. “You know, I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. Marge, any interest in selling the hotel and buying an RV?”
Margaret, her twin sister, just gives her a flat look. “No.”
Dorothy laughs. “Well, a week away at least. We can find a nice, comfortable hotel with a full-size shower.”
Her twin laughs. “That’s more my style.”
I pick at the croissant crumbs on my plate, grateful that the attention is off me, for once. My parents only stayed for a few minutes last night, but it was long enough for an intense inquisition into my career, love life, and goals.
“Here,” my father says, pushing his plate over. There’s half a bagel with chive-flavored cream cheese smeared on it. “Have the rest of that. You look rail-thin, Mia.”
I glance down at all my pudge and frown. “You’re delusional, Dad.”
He laughs and pats my hand. “Eat, kiddo.”
The pet name makes me stiffen. I glance at my silent phone, cursing Des for his silence—and cursing myself for my cowardice. I asked him for space, and I know it’s my responsibility to reach out. But what if he rejects me? What if he tells me he’d rather stay in Colorado? What if I pushed him away so well that he never comes back?
