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But I actually had walked dogs for a while, and I could never in a million years afford this place.
A light turned on in a second-story window, shaking me out of the reverie, and I combed my fingers through my hair, trying unsuccessfully to tame what the humidity did to it. After digging into my large knit bag to pull out a skirt, I glanced around to make sure the coast was clear then stripped off my shorts to pull on the skirt. By the time I hoofed it up the long driveway, sweat dotted my upper lip in the few seconds it took to reach the door, and it flung open before I had a chance to knock.
“Gemma Rose Turney, where have you been?” My mother stood with her hands on the waist of her yellow cocktail dress, a diamond solitaire necklace winking at me. With her glossy chestnut hair and wrinkle-free face, no one—sometimes not even me—believed she was forty-five years old.
I wiped my brow. “Nice to see you too, Mom.”
“We’ve been waiting for you. What were you doing?”
“I was—”
Mom dragged me inside by the wrist. “Nevermind.” She inspected me, picking at the neon-green tank top with a big peace sign in the middle. “What are you wearing? You could have at least worn a bra.”
“No one is in for a nip slip, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
She scoffed but gentled her tone as she pressed her hands to my cheeks, kissing my forehead. “And put your hair up. Your bangs are always covering your beautiful face.”
I followed her orders, tying my long hair up in a messy bun, but just when I thought she’d let me off the hook, my mom wrinkled her nose. “What is that smell?”
I sniffed myself. “What smell?”
“You smell…like outside.”
“Outside? How does someone smell of outside?”
She batted at the air. “It smells like dry air or something.”
“That’s the smell of nature, Mom.”
“Well, I don’t like it.”
I held back a protest as I found tinted lip balm and my cruelty-free vanilla body spray in my bag. I hastily swiped on both and spun around to face my reflection in the mirror, next to my mom. “There. Satisfied?”
With the same brown eyes, cheekbones, and nose, we were practically twins. We were even the same height, barely scraping 5’3”, but she always wore heels to make up the difference.
“I love you, honey,” Mom said, smiling. Her shoulders rose and fell with a contented breath. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
I couldn’t help how my eyebrow ticked up suspiciously at the emotion in her voice, but before I could ask about it, she tucked my hand in hers to wind through the house. We stopped at a sitting room with uncomfortable-looking wingback chairs and a grand piano. A dozen people filled the space, laughing and drinking.
“I didn’t know this was a party.” A tiny whine escaped the back of my throat as I recognized how underdressed I was now.
“I thought I told you,” my mom said absently, while waving to Frank, who was making drinks at a small bar in the corner.
I shook my head. She hadn’t told me. I wasn’t the only flighty one in our family of two.
Frank made his way over to us and slung his arm around my shoulders, offering me a light-colored drink. “Gemma, how are you?”
“Good.” I accepted the glass tumbler before circling my finger in the air. “Nice digs you got here.”
He kissed my cheeks and ruffled my hair. “Took you long enough to come visit.”
Frank, with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick middle, wore his age, unlike my mother’s usual choice in men. I’d taken an immediate liking to him when we met this past New Year’s Day. We had been at a little Thai place and when my mom couldn’t decide what she wanted, he ordered one of almost everything and made sure it wasn’t spicy. “Your mother can’t handle spice,” Frank had told me as if I didn’t know, and then added with a grin, “Except for me.” I’d gotten a good laugh and understood why my mom had fallen for him. With his kind brown eyes and semi-permanent jovial smile, there wasn’t much to dislike.
I took a swig of the drink, sucking in a quick breath through my teeth. It was fruity but really strong. “What is this?”
“Pitorro, it’s like our version of moonshine. I learned to make it from myabuelo.”
I ventured another sip.
