AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I quickly text Mom that I’m on my way and leave the school, pushing my worry over Liam out of my head. He’ll be okay. He’s sensitive like me, but he’s strong, too. And I know he always has people to talk to, like Lily, Evie, his parents, and me.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet as I slide into the car. “Sorry for making you wait. I stopped by the gym to watch Liam practice. I guess I lost track of time,” I add with a nervous laugh as my cheeks grow warm.
“That’s okay.” She starts the car and pulls out of the lot. “I just need to make a quick stop at the grocery store to buy brown sugar for the cookies I want to bake.”
“Ooh, are you making Dad’s favorite?” I ask.
She chuckles and throws me a smile. “You know it.”
“Tell me the story of the famous chocolate chip cookies. I love hearing it.”
A loving smile passes over Mom’s face as she gets a faraway look in her eyes, like she’s reliving one of the best moments of her past. “It was your grandma’s recipe. After she died, I tried so hard to cling to whatever reminded me of her. Of whatever made me feel close to her. Which is why I worked so hard to perfect the cookie recipe and have it taste just like my mother’s.” She smiles wryly. “It’s the only thing I can bake.” At a red light, she leans forward to press a kiss on my forehead. “I’m so glad you inherited her baking talent. I see so much of her in you.”
Warmth spreads through me. I never met my mom’s mom because she died when Mom was thirteen, but Mom has told me and my siblings so much about her that I feel like I know her.
“But I can never make my cookies as good as yours,” I tell her.
That causes tears to prick her eyes. “Thanks, sweetie, but your cookies are just as amazing as mine.” The light turns green and she steps on the gas. “So when I asked your dad—thesuperamazing hottie quarterback at my high school—” She winks. “—for an interview for the paper, he came to my house and I served him cookies. He fell in love with them. And that—”
“And that was the start of a beautiful fake relationship that led to a beautiful real relationship.”
Mom smiles as she shakes her head. “To this day, I still wonder what the heck we were thinking. A fake relationship? When is that ever a good idea?”
“But it was the only way the two of you could have gotten together, right?” I say. “Because you hung out in different circles and would never be friends, let alone a couple.”
“I had a crush on him for years. I should have told him how I felt. It could have saved us a lot of heartache.” She glances at me for a second before focusing on the road. “I hope you’d be braver than me if you were ever in the same situation. If you like a boy, don’t be afraid to tell him how you feel. He might feel the same, and that could lead you on a wonderful, life-changing path.”
My cheeks heat up so fast I wonder if they’ll catch fire. “Or it could ruin things,” I mutter.
Mom glances at me. “What, sweetie?”
“Nothing.” I force a smile. “Don’t worry. There’s no guy I like.”
We stop off at the grocery store to buy the brown sugar. Mom reaches for Rylee’s favorite candy. I raise a brow at her. “I thought she’s still punished.”
“Yeah, but they’re on sale,” she says with a sigh. “And she’ll finish her sentence soon.”
I try to hide a smile. “You can’t handle punishing her for more than a week, can you?”
Mom sighs again. “I’m like the weakest mom in the entire Universe. I can’t help it. I see so much of your dad in her. In all you kids. It just makes me love you guys even more.”
“Dad was a troublemaker?” I ask.
“No. But she has his energy. His spark for life.”
I shake my head, still trying to hide a smile. “You cracked faster than the last time.”
She sighs for the third time. “Fine, I’ll try to be tougher. I’ll hide these in the top pantry so she won’t find them.”
We settle back in the car and drive home.
“So how’s the newspaper coming along?” Mom asks.
“It’s going well. The next issue will be out next week. I can’t wait for everyone to read my article, but I’m super nervous, too.”
“I know the feeling,” she says with a smile.
“Does it get easier? Will I ever not freak out when my article is out there for the whole world to read and tear apart?”
