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She cried a lot.
Nora Brooks probably made a significant dent in California’s current drought with all the tears that streamed off her waxed and peeled face.
Pink-lipstick kisses showered onto the cheeks of Sully and his father, and even as tears continued to drip off Nora’s chin, she commanded her son and husband to stand together in the center of the kitchen so she could take pictures and show off her two “amazing boys.”
“Oh my God, I’ve got to send these pictures to Brenda,” she sobbed, forcing the men to stand stock still for a panoramic pic of the full kitchen. “Sure, she has five grandchildren, which she will NEVER let me forget about, but would her husband and kids do something like this for her? Ha! Dale doesn’t even take out the trash. Can you believe that? And, you know when she got her colonoscopy last year? None of her kids would pick her up. Not one of them. She had to order one of them Ubers for God’s sake!”
After Nora was given ample time to “re-do her face” and then spent another hour rearranging all the dishes and silverware Sully and his father had just put away, the three of them went out to dinner at his mom’s favorite Italian restaurant.
Sully’s mother made sure to show the pictures of her new kitchen to their hostess, waiter, and even the guy who refilled their water glasses.
John surprised Sully by mentioning Sheba during the wait for appetizers.
“I have a grand cat?” his mom practically hollered. “It’s not the same thing as grandchildren, mind you, but show me pictures. I wanna see.”
Sully was all too happy to oblige, especially because it moved the conversation away from Uncle Neil’s prostate exam and the parole hearing for Brenda’s third son.
His dad kept sneaking glances at his phone to follow the score of a basketball game, but he also dipped into the conversation long enough to mention Sully’s Ugly Duckling house over the meal, which precipitated another round of pictures and compliments and an insistence from his mother that he send her the pictures so she could post them on Facebook. Apparently, her church friends had all been asking about him.
Sully made sure to tell the waiter about his mother’s birthday, and she pretended to object to the free dessert with a candle sticking out of the top. “Oh, I hate being the center of attention,” she protested. “Sullivan, you know that.”
Finally, after Sully wrestled the bill from his dad and paid for the meal, the three left the restaurant together. His mother wrapped Sully in a hug that nearly crushed his lungs. “Let me know when you’re coming to do the backsplash,” she said as she rocked him back and forth.
Backsplash? That hadn’t been in the plan.
“I love you so much my precious Sullivan,” she continued. “And I’ll send you a link to my backsplash Pinterest board.”
“Sure, Mom,” Sully squeaked as she finally released her death grip.
His dad offered up a firm handshake. “You’ve done good work, Son,” he said.
It might as well have been the compliment of the century. Sully nodded even as his heart swelled with pride. For half an hour on his drive back to Yucca Hills, his father’s words settled on him like a toasty blanket.
But, eventually, the misery he’d been keeping at bay over the long weekend of work bubbled up in his brain.Alanna. He’d been able to mostly push her to the back of his mind when he’d needed to put his entire focus into measuring cabinets and not dropping huge slabs of quartz on his foot.
Now, though, as the road slipped beneath the wheels of his Mazda, his mind wouldn’t allow him to think of anything but her. Had she already left town? Was it too late to mend things with her? Should he even try?
As if in response to his mood, the skies opened, sending a light shower across the windshield. Sully turned on the wipers and sighed.
Wasn’t it better to just let Alanna go? After all, building a new PR firm was her passion. Her purpose was clear, and Sully knew nothing would stop her from achieving it. He, on the other hand, still hadn’t found his purpose. Fixing up old houses was fun and profitable, but once he owned a few properties with tenants, he wouldn’t need additional income.
What then?
What was the point of financial independence if you didn’t do anything valuable with your free time? And if you didn’t have anyone to share it with?
The rain came down harder, pinging against his windshield. Sully switched his wipers to the second setting.Damn,he thought,the roof of Junkyard Dogs is going to leak again. And the front door would swell so much it wouldn’t close all the way.
Holy nuclear blast of obviousness, Batman!An idea hit him so hard, Sully nearly swerved off the road. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of it before?
His purpose had been right at his fingertips the entire time. Sully smiled to himself as he pressed on the gas and sped toward Yucca Hills, toward his home and his destiny.
Ch. 49 Alanna
Alannatwistedthewheeland whipped Stella into a parking space in front of The Rose and Thorn Winery. Turning off the car’s engine, she pulled in a deep breath and straightened the collar of the scarlet blazer she’d purchased yesterday at Target. She felt a fleeting twinge of regret over giving away her tweed Chanel dress in the same color.
Stop,she told herself. Alanna Sandoval could rock a pantsuit from Target just as well as a Chanel tweed dress. Fierceness comes from within. Also, she hadn’t quite given away everything to Goodwill. Opening the car door, she stepped onto the gravel parking lot in glossy black Louboutin stilettos.
As she walked to the front door of the winery, Alanna kept her back ramrod straight.You got this,she told herself. Adrenaline pulsed through her blood like fire. She was a lioness on the savannah, a great white in the water, a hawk circling in the sky.
