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“You got this.” Jasmine comes to stand next to me, giving me a little nudge toward the door. I take a breath and go open it.
“Gwendolyn, sweetie. I’m so sorry to barge in on you. We were looking for Caleb, and he’s not at home. Would he happen to be here?” Joyce asks. Meanwhile, the woman by her side, her slender, silver-haired friend in an elegant mauve blouse with pearl buttons and tailored black slacks, is clearly looking down at her shoes to stop from openly laughing at Joyce’s excuse.
“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Thorne. I believe Caleb is out on a call, but you’re welcome to come in and wait if you like. I’m warming up some cookies and scones to have with our coffee if you’d like to join us,” I tell her.
Chloe joins me at the door. “Hey, Momma S, fancy seeing you here,” she says to the woman next to Joyce. Chloe turns to me. “This is Damian’s mother, my awesome mother-in-law and Joyce’s best friend, Sandra Locke.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Locke. Please come in.” I move back to make room for the ladies to come through, but Chloe throws herself at her mother-in-law to embrace her sweetly, then does the same with Caleb’s mother before coming in.
Joyce steps inside, and when she sees Jasmine and Sabrina, she bursts out laughing. “I guess I’m not as sly as I think I am.”
“I feel like Ethel to your Lucy,” Damian’s mother says with a chuckle. “How did you honestly believe that Chloe wouldn’t catch on that your ‘need to know’ personality would lead you here?”
“I thought I was being very subtle,” Joyce says with a grin. She takes my hand. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable. It’s just that I would like so much for Caleb to find the same love that his brothers have.”
“I thought he was an only child.”
“Oh, he is. But Damian, Alex, and Zeke are his brothers. Those four are thick as thieves.”
“Well, I don’t mind your visit. Gives us a chance to chat. But I promised cookies and scones. Maybe you want to help me in the kitchen?” I suggest. I prefer to have Caleb’s mom’s first chat with me to be a little more private. She links her arm in mine, and we set off toward the cookies.
“Would you prefer tea?” I ask as I take a tray from the cupboard.
“Put me to work,” Joyce says with a smile. I tell her where to find everything and turn on the oven. “You know, my son is a very private man. He’s going to be very teed off that I came to see you.” She lets out a sigh.
“You didn’t.” Joyce furrows her brow at my reply. “You came to see him, and I happened to be outside and invited you in for tea,” I correct. She sees that I’m giving her an out, a way to save face with Caleb.
“That’s sweet, and I appreciate it. But I won’t let you take that on. I made the decision to come, and I’ll take the heat.”
I decide that she needs my honesty as well. “At first when I found out you were coming by, I panicked. I want you to like me. I changed outfits three times, and I was a nervous wreck. I really like Caleb. He’s smart, and kind.”
“Don’t forget handsome. He’s just like his father.”
“Caleb is very handsome,” I agree with a shy smile.
“He likes you. A lot,” Joyce says.
“I hope so.”
“I know so. A mother knows.” I tilt my head to one side and wait for her to continue. “David and I wanted lots of children. It wasn’t long after we were married when I found out it would be difficult for me to conceive and probably more dangerous if I decided to go through with a pregnancy to term. I didn’t care. I wanted a baby.”
“Oh no.”
Joyce takes a seat on the stool at the small island, and I sit with her. “When I found out I was pregnant, David was beside himself with worry. He was afraid for me and the baby. I don’t think he slept for any of those nine months. I was sick every day. I was hospitalized for the last three weeks. It was a very tough time, but I wanted our baby even at the cost of my own life.” She gives my hand a squeeze. “They decided to do a cesarean delivery, and thank God, it all went well. Caleb was a healthy eight-pound, two-ounce miracle baby, and, with a few minor blips, I was fine too. David was a mess. I’ve never seen him so distraught as he was through the entire process. He made me promise that now that we had a child, we wouldn’t take any more chances. I tried to convince him otherwise, but after seeing how deeply this was affecting him, I gave in.” She folds her hands in her lap. “You see, neither David nor I had big families, and when our parents passed, we adopted Sandra and Kevin as our family, as well as Alex’s parents. These boys became so tight that it seemed like we had three boys of our own.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“It was, and it is. But all these boys are men now, and they’ve all found love. Even our newest member, Zeke, has met his Jasmine. I want that for my son. I want a house filled with babies and laughter.” Joyce sighs.
“That’s a lovely thought. My mother died giving birth to my sister, Zaira. You would have liked my mom,” I say quietly.
Joyce looks stunned and horrified. “I-I didn’t know—”
“No. No. I’m fine. It was a long time ago. Dad and I looked after Zaira. She was a great kid. She was full of light and love and brought joy to my father and me.”
“Are you close?”
“We were. Zaira was born with a heart defect, and in the end, there was nothing they could do,” I tell her. “My father passed in an accident a year before. It was really hard on me. I’m glad that your husband didn’t have to go through any of that.”
