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She’d been awfully cute when she’d explained her conversation with Herve.Sexywas a better word.
Damn it. He’d just had this conversation with his friends and decided that he shouldn’t pursue the woman, and here he was thinking of her again.
His cell buzzed, and he slid it out of his pocket, accepting the call before looking at the screen. “This is Havery.”
“Quaid, it’s your mom.”
His mother never understood that he recognized her voice. “Hello, Mother. What can I do for you?”
“You can stop being so stubborn and come home to be with your family,” his mother said. “This is ridiculous, Quaid.”
“I’ve got some work to do tonight. I’m going to stay here in town for a couple of days and give you and Paul a chance to catch up.” It was best not to tell his mother that until her precious baby boy left town, he would stay right where he was. He knew damn well that Paul wouldn’t show up at his office. His brother was allergic to actual work, so he would keep far away.
His mother sighed over the line. “I don’t know why you have to be so jealous of Paul, honey.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You’ve always been jealous, and I don’t understand it. I know that I spent more time with him, but that was becauseyou were your father’s obvious favorite,” his mother explained needlessly. He’d heard this before. “It had an effect on him. It’s why he has so much trouble with authority. Your daddy didn’t pay much attention to him because he was so different.”
Because whenever his father had tried to spend time with Paul, Paul acted the fool. Every summer when they were in high school, they worked at the law firm for a few hours a day. Paul had spent that time flirting with every female in sight and stealing money from the petty cash fund. He’d also stolen a key to the office and snuck a bunch of his friends in for a party that had almost killed his father’s career. Still, there was no way to convince his mother that Paul’s problems had always been caused by Paul. He was her baby, and she would protect him even if it meant rewriting history. “It’s because he’s so attractive. I didn’t get his looks so I’m jealous. It’s best I stay away so I don’t get depressed having to face my own flaws.”
“Don’t be sarcastic, Quaid. I want my sons to get along. Do you know how long it’s been since I had the two of you under one roof? I don’t understand why you can’t allow us all to have a nice visit.”
“Is it a visit? When is Paul planning on leaving?”
“Well, he’s not sure. He’s taking some time off, and he wants to spend it with his family.”
“Taking time off from what?”
His mother sighed. “I know his job isn’t like yours, but when he works it’s days and days on set.”
“Momma, what movies has Paul been in? What TV shows? Why haven’t we actually seen this work he says he’s doing?”
“He can’t help what the movie studios and networks air. He’s had some bad luck.”
“Yes, it’s unlucky that the play he was in shut down theday before we were supposed to go out and see it.” He stood in front of the window, watching the rain. Was this how the rest of his life would go? Would he spend it either working or dealing with his mother? In some ways, she was like the town. He’d picked up where his father had left off. He’d taken over his father’s never-ending responsibilities to the town, and he’d become the person his mother relied on without thinking about what it cost him.
He was in a rut, and he worried if he didn’t get out of it soon, he never would. He might be stuck right here for the rest of his life. Not in his physical location. He loved the town, loved having friends he’d known his whole life. But he couldn’t get stuck in this place where he was always on the outer edge of every circle. How had he ended up here? He certainly hadn’t meant to.
“You are just like your father. You have to question everything and see fault in everyone,” his mother said, and he could practically see her shaking her head.
He wanted to go to bed. Maybe in the morning he would have a couple of hours to write before he had to start planning his answer to the suit Jayna would absolutely file against Geraldine’s new nudist resort.
There it was. There was the spark of excitement he’d felt the first moment he’d seen the woman. It was the light that illuminated the gloominess that was taking over his life.
“Mom, I’m going to hang up. It’s getting late and I have to work in the morning. I’ll come by for dinner tomorrow night, but I think it’s best if Paul and I don’t spend a lot of time together right now.”
His mom got quiet for a moment. “Is this about that Cardet girl?”
Now his every instinct flared to life because his mother could win a gold medal in meddling. “What does that mean?”
“It means people are already talking. Paul went out with some of his friends and they were all saying that you’re sniffing around that woman.”
What a way to put it. “She’s a colleague.”
“She’s a scandal waiting to happen. Quaid, I understand that you’re lonely and it’s time for you to settle down. It’s past time, honestly. You are not getting any younger, but you have to think seriously about who you associate yourself and this family with. The Cardets are not our kind.”
His mother could also be a snob. “What kind are they? You know the poor aren’t actually a different species, Mother.”
