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Hallie must’ve fallen right asleep, because the next thing she heard were her parents' voices coming from downstairs. No doubt they knew she’d come in the night before because her father always made his morning walk down the driveway to get the newspaper. He would’ve seen her car. Hallie rushed through her shower and dressed, then ran down the stairs, where she was met with big smiles and open arms.
“Good morning, Mom,” she said, as they hugged fiercely. Her mom’s wavy hair was pulled back with a clip, and she wore a floral apron her dad had given her one year for Christmas back when Hallie was still in high school. She smelled like pancakes and vanilla, everything Hallie associated with home and love.
“I’m so glad you came. I wish you would have woken me when you got here. We could’ve had one of our famous girl chats.”
Hallie mockingly groaned. She definitely wasn’t up for one of those last night.
“My turn,” her dad said, and her mom obligingly released her, as her dad embraced her into his big, strong arms. “I missed you, Baby Girl.”
“Me too, Dad. I love you both so much.” She squeezed his large, solid frame almost as tightly as he squeezed her. With everything they’d gone through as a family because of her glimpses, it took Hallie a long time to come to terms with their overbearing, overprotective nature. She didn’t always agree with their methods, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they loved her. And she absolutely loved them.
“Sit,” her mom ordered. “There’s plenty of pancakes and your dad just finished cutting up some fresh fruit to go with them.”
It all looked and smelled amazing. Hallie sat at the dining room table in her usual spot and piled three pancakes and several slices of strawberries, melon, and banana onto her plate. “This is way more than you usually make, Mom. What’s the occasion?”
Her mom looked at her like she’d just asked the silliest question. “My daughter is here. That is enough of an occasion for me. Now eat up. We’re hitting the mall as soon as you’re stuffed. I need new makeup, my jeans are getting too worn, and I think I want to see if I can find your dad some new dress shoes.”
Hallie smiled. It sounded like she was about to have the perfect day. Breakfast was amazing and after eating her last bite of pancake, she couldn’t imagine eating ever again, she was so stuffed. Afterwards, her mom drove them to the closest mall, which was nearly half an hour away, and they spent over four hours window shopping, getting their nails done, drinking blended coffees, and buying things that made them happy, even if they didn’t really need them.
Her dad had always supported her mom staying home because he made more than enough money to take care of their little family. He was a generous man and insisted he didn’t work hard so his wife could pinch pennies. Anything Hallie’s mom wanted, he found a way to give her, and if going to the mall and spending a little cash made her happy, then he was more than happy to give her that time, especially if Hallie went with her. ‘His girls’ was what her dad called them. Hallie smiled thinking of her dad. She’d give anything to find a man like him, to love her the way her dad loved her mom.
“What do you think of these?” Her mom asked, interrupting Hallie’s thoughts. She held up a pair of men’s black dress shoes that looked just like the last ones she’d shown her.
“They’re nice,” Hallie said.
“That’s what you said about the other four pairs I held up for you,” her mom said, a bit of frustration in her tone.
Just as Hallie was about to say something, the glimpse of the shattering glass flashed across her mind and she threw her hand out, grabbing a hold of one of the large metal racks to steady herself.
“Hallie? Are you okay?” Her mom asked.
The cool metal against her warm fingertips helped bring Hallie back to the present moment, and she shot her mom a reassuring smile, really not wanting her to pick up on what just happened. “Yeah, sorry, I think I’m just getting a little hungry. But honestly, the shoes look so much alike, I don’t even remember the first three pairs you showed me. I bet Dad won’t care which ones you get. They’re just shoes, Mom.”
“Well to your dad, yes, but to us girls, shoes are everything and we both know that. Besides, if I buy them without him and they don’t fit, I’ll have an excuse to come back and drag him along with me. He needs some downtime as much as you do.” Her mom planted a soft kiss on her cheek and finally decided to go with the last pair she held up.
Hallie loved clothes as much as the next woman, but she had little interest in men’s shoes. Maybe this mother daughter bonding session had lasted long enough. “Good choice,” Hallie said, trying to add a bit of enthusiasm into her tone. “Ready to go home?”
“Definitely,” her mom said. “My feet are killing me. I hope you don’t mind pizza for dinner. Maybe we can watch a movie tonight.”
Hallie loved movie and pizza nights with her parents. “Sounds great,” she said. “Can I pick the movie?”
Her mom laughed. “As long as it’s on one of the half a dozen streaming services we pay for.”
They drove home, singing along to the radio, and were surprised to walk into a kitchen that smelled like pot roast. “What’s going on here?” Her mom asked as her dad washed a dish in the sink.
“You two have been gone for a while, so I thought I’d throw something in the oven for dinner. Figured you’d be too tired to cook anything after being on your feet all day.”
Hallie put the bags she was carrying down and threw her arms around her father’s neck. “You made your famous pot roast! Thanks, Dad.”
After Hallie released her dad, her mom gave him a not so chaste kiss on the lips then turned to Hallie. “Let’s put everything upstairs. We can sort through it tomorrow.” They took the bags to the guest room and then both collapsed on her parents’ bed. “I’m exhausted, but happy. Did you have fun?”
“Do you even need to ask? Today was awesome. Just what I needed,” Hallie said. It was a nice break from her store and Caden. He was never far from her mind these days, but being out and about, outside of her own life and head was definitely a good change of pace.
Her mom got quiet and Hallie knew something was coming. She instinctively prepared for it. “Mom? What’s wrong?”
Her mom seemed to weigh her words before speaking. “Whatever happened to that guy you told me about? Caden something?”
Hallie closed her eyes. She couldn’t blame her mom for asking. She’d even expected it. But she wished he could’ve just stayed in Dallas where he belonged. “It didn’t work out.”
