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Almost without thinking about what she was doing, she stopped at the sporting goods store and bought two baseball gloves and a dozen baseballs. When she arrived at her mom’s house, she brought the bag in with her.
Her mother was wiping the counter with a rag in an attempt to herd wandering crumbs into the sink. Cleaning the kitchen meant she was having a good day. Olivia’s announcement would likely change that. Still, her words came tumbling out, how she didn’t want to leave, but Carson had asked her to move, and she had to go. She wanted to be with him.
Her mother’s brows creased in worry. “You’re leaving your job here? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“No, but I think it’s worth the risk. I thinkhe’sworth the risk.”
Her mother made slow circles on the counter with her rag. “He might be. He’s treated you well so far.”
“He has.”
Her mother looked at her silently for a moment, her lips pressed together. “If you have to go, I understand. But tell him that if he hurts you, I will come after him personally.”
The thought of her middle-aged mother taking on Carson made Olivia laugh. Or maybe it wasn’t the visual image. Maybe Olivia laughed out of relief. Her mother’s first reaction wasn’t to feel sorry for herself or try to persuade her not to go. She was worried about Olivia. That made leaving more bearable. She hugged her mom and had to remind herself she was coming back for her things and would see her then. Otherwise, she might not have been able to let go.
“Where’s Matt?” Olivia asked.
“In the garage working on his truck.”
Olivia took the bag of baseball stuff and headed that way.
When she walked into the garage, Matt glanced up from the hood of his truck. He was tall, with dark hair like Olivia’s. He wore it too long so he always had to push his bangs out of his face. Stubble colored his cheeks, although this was more from laziness than a fashion statement.
“I caught the game,” he said with a smile. “Tell Carson his moves earned me two hundred dollars in the betting pool.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You bet on the game?”
Matt shrugged and wiped his hands on a rag lying near the engine. “I had to bet on the Broncos. My almost-brother-in-law plays for the team.”
She trudged over to her brother. “You shouldn’t gamble when you’re in debt. And Carson’s not…well, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
Mattpshawed.“Didn’t you watch the post-game interview?”
“Yes, but I don’t want you to say things around town to cause gossip and raise everyone’s expectations.”
“Okay.” He went back to fiddling with the engine. “Why did you come by—besides your weekly nagging quota, that is.”
“To tell you I’m moving to Denver.”
Matt snorted. “Thatwon’t raise anyone’s expectations.”
He was right, but she didn’t want to get into that. “Since I won’t be here, you’re going to have to step up and be the one to look after Mom. You’ll have to help around the house and do anything she needs.”
“Okay,” he said in the same nonplussed tone he’d used before.
Olivia planted a hand on her hip. “I mean it.”
He lifted his head. “What do you think I’m doing now? I just finished changing her oil, and now I’m changing mine. I do stuff for her all of the time. That’s the deal because I’m not paying rent.”
Oh. Good to know. She vaguely remembered her mother telling her about that arrangement, but Olivia hadn’t supposed Matt would do much to honor it. Maybe she’d been wrong. “I’m glad to hear that. Make sure Mom goes to the doctor and takes her prescriptions.”
“Okay.” Still the same tone.
“And when she’s having a bad day, you have to talk to her and help her through it.”
He shut the hood of his truck. “They have phone service in Denver, right? You can still call and talk to her.”
“I will, but tell me if she’s feeling low.”
