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The waitress drops my soda as I ask, “He was a crossdresser?”
“Apparently. And while I truly believe, to each his own, I really didn’t see myself sharing my clothes with a prospective mate.”
“It’s a miracle you ever met a wonderful guy like Chris.” My dating prospects feel more hopeless than ever.
“It’s not a miracle. It just wasn’t our time until the day he walked into my open house looking to buy his first bachelor pad. And your guy is out there too.” She sounds so certain.
“If I have to date a liar, thief, and crossdresser first, I’m giving up right here and now,” I declare defeatedly.
“You’ve had your own heartaches, Missy. You’ve more than paid your dues. Trust me, Mr. Right is going to walk into your life any day now, and you’re not going to see him coming.”
“I want to believe you, Anna, but I’m currently having a hard time thinking anything good is coming my way.”
Reality hits me like the wake from a speedboat. I’m nowhere near living the life I thought I’d be. If that isn’t bad enough, I can no longer imagine a future that doesn’t include my mother making all my decisions. With a pathetically long sigh, I realize that if I don’t take some drastic measures soon, it really may be too late for me.
CHAPTERTWO
JAMIE
“Sammy, where are you?” I call up the stairs. The movers just finished loading the last of the boxes into the truck, leaving me standing alone in a room nearly identical to how it was eight years ago when we bought the place. A lot of living has happened inside these walls, so it’s quite an eerie sensation.
“Samantha Jane Riordan …” I take the steps two at a time. “Let’s go!” When my daughter doesn’t answer, I proceed down the long hallway to her room. The door is closed so I knock lightly before walking in. What I see causes my heart to clench painfully in my chest. My little warrior is sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chin. Her arms are wrapped around them like she’s trying to keep her insides from falling out.
“Hey, honey.” My tone is soft and, hopefully, comforting. “Are you okay?”
She shrugs her rounded shoulders. “I guess.”
“You sad about leaving?”
“Not really.” She unhooks her hands from around her legs and pushes herself up. “I’m sadder about why we’re leaving than actually going.”
“I get that.” Samantha has spent the last year being bullied by a group of girls she used to call friends. We’re not quite sure why they turned on her, but once they did, they went to extreme lengths to make sure Sammy never felt like she belonged. They didn’t stop there, either. They spread rumors about my sweet daughter to ensure that none of her other classmates welcomed her friendship. It’s been agonizing for both of us.
After inhaling a shaky breath, Sammy confesses, “I’m afraid the kids in my new school won’t like me.”
Putting my arm around her, I pull her to my side and hold on tightly. “You’re a very likable girl, Sam. Just because some girls lost their minds doesn’t mean everyone is as stupid.”
“I liked my old friends. I was happy here. You know, until …” She doesn’t finish her sentence. She doesn’t need to.
Betrayal is not an easy thing to experience at any age, but to have to endure it so young positively breaks my heart. “You have a whole town of new people waiting to meet you, honey. I promise you’re going to find friends.”
Her head bobs up and down slowly. “If you say so.” Looking around her room for the last time, she says, “I liked living here. It was a great place to call home.”
Not for the first time, a fiery burst of anger shoots through me, causing my entire central nervous system to feel like it’s about to ignite. Sammy and I did have a good life here—a life that should have continued. And it would have, had it not been for mean girls allowed to run amok. We discussed the possibility of staying in Chicago and having Sammy switch schools, but she didn’t want to. She felt like that would have been the final defeat. Conversely, people moved all the time, so there was no shame in that.
In a bid to lighten the mood, I say, “This was a great home, but our house in Elk Lake is going to be even better. I promise.”
“Okay.” She sounds less than thrilled as her feet start to slowly creep toward the door.
“Grandma and Grandpa promise to visit as soon as we find a place.” My parents live about fifty minutes away in Barrington. They are none too happy that we chose to move to Wisconsin instead of heading out to the northwest suburbs, but I don’t want to walk back into my past. I want to start fresh with my daughter in a place that’s new to both of us. There’s something so enticing about a clean slate.
“I’m going to miss them.”
“We’ll be nearly the same distance from them in Wisconsin that we are here. Just in the other direction,” I tell her.
“A different state though.”
“Same planet,” I tease while ruffling her red hair. It’s starting to turn more auburn than carroty, which I’m guessing has something to do with her hormones.
