AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Damn it. I shift my stance. I gotta get rid of this half-chub.
She hands me the key as we leave the apartment, and I lock it up then signal for her to go down the stairs first. She unlocks her SUV with the key fob. Once we’re inside, I’m surprised to hear her listening to “Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company.
“That surprises me,” I say, putting on my seat belt.
She points at the seat belt. “That makes two of us.”
“Safety first? So, you’re a classic rock fan?” I thought I’d be tortured by some pop music diva the whole way to the grocery store.
“Thank my dad. Although I do like other types of music as well.”
I turn it up. “Interesting.”
She drives cautiously to the grocery store, making complete stops at every stop sign, looking both ways at the intersections. I’ve never felt so safe.
“I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders comes on and she sings softly, knowing every word by heart. The SUV feels like a cocoon, warm and cozy, with her voice ringing through it. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know she’s singing, and I look out the window so I don’t give away that I’m listening to her. I’m sure she’d stop if she knew I noticed.
The lyrics to the song bring out a feeling I wasn’t expecting—loneliness. It’s been years since I haven’t felt alone in this world. Hell, isn’t that why my commander made me take a leave of absence before I re-up into the service again? He thinks I need a life outside of the Coast Guard, but he’s wrong. The Coast Guard is my life.
She pulls into the brightly lit parking lot of the grocery store and doesn’t bother going up and down the rows to find the closest parking spot. Instead, she parks in the first spot she finds. We file out of her SUV and walk toward the entrance, but she stops suddenly.
“Shoot,” she mumbles.
“Brin?” A woman who looks like an older version of Brinley rushes over with a cart full of groceries.
Brinley glances at me and back at the woman with a resigned look on her face. “Hey, Mom.”
Five
Brinley
My mom’s gaze doesn’t stray from Van. She looks him up and down, popping a grape from the bag into her mouth.
“Mom,” I say to remind her that I’m here too.
She blinks and smirks, turning her attention to me. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Van.” I motion to him with my hand out as if she hasn’t already been ogling him.
He approaches her, dodging the shopping cart. “Hello, Mrs. Kelly. I’m Van Adler.”
“Van Adler, huh? Are you the man my husband mentioned?”
Van side-eyes me and I inhale a deep breath. “We’re just getting groceries,” I say to change the subject.
“Oh.” She puts another grape in her mouth. “So, are you two dating?”
I feel as though I’m thirteen again at my first boy-and-girl dance and my mom just walked in and separated me from Jeremy Schmidt, putting a pillow between us.
“Mom…” I warn, but she smiles, clearly thinking this is funny. I should’ve driven us to Greywall to get groceries so we’d be away from everyone.
“I’m just wondering. You told your dad that you were just showing Van to Lucky’s and now I find you two in the parking lot of the grocery store.” Her perfect eyebrows rise and my shoulders slump.
Although it’s the weekend, she’s dressed as if she came from the office. She probably did. Since my dad isn’t with her, I know he’s probably working, and she hates being home by herself.
“Funny thing.” I glance at Van to make sure he’s up for this, but he has no way to prepare. He clearly doesn’t come from a big family, based on the comments he’s made, and he has no one here to ridicule him for his decision to move in with me. “Van answered my roommate ad.”
A grape falls from my mom’s fingers to the ground. Her eyes shift between Van, his tattooed arms, and me. “Oh.”
