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Lucas
My mother wanted a celebratory lunch before I moved. I’d gone to LA for three days over the weekend, to meet with some of the higher ups at the firm, scope out my new office, meet a client or two, then meet with the real estate agent the firm used. I’d spent all of Sunday looking at property.
Originally, we started out looking at apartments, which was what I had, a reminder of what I was leaving behind. So I said something with a yard and a view, and we’d kept looking. I found two places I liked and set up an offer sheet on the two of them. We’d submit one. If it didn’t go through, we’d go for option two. I’d headed to LAX and taken the red eye home.
She met me at the restaurant in a bright blue button-down shirt and dark gray slacks. She kissed my cheek as she found me in the bar where I was waiting for her, and we made our way to the table she’d reserved.
She kept smiling. “I’m proud of you, you know.”
I smiled, taking my menu. “I know.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I know that, too, but your definition of happy isn’t mine.”
“I just don’t like the idea of you alone, Lucas.”
“I’m not alone. I have you.”
The waiter interrupted then, and we placed our orders. She had a chicken parmesan; I ordered the steak. I was starving, so I even added a salad as a starter.
“How was Christmas with Abbie?”
I frowned, concentrating on refolding my napkin. “Curaçao was nice. Really great weather.”
“Oh, no. You didn’t mess things up with her, did you?”
“What do you mean, mess things up with her?”
“She’s the one female who’s stayed in your life, a constant. What did you do, and how do we make it up?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, Mom.”
“That doesn’t tell me how Abbie is.”
“Abbie’s fine, too.”
Her lips thinned. “I don’t buy it.”
She reached for her iced water the waiter had brought us with the menus when we’d been seated.
“Look, pick a different topic, any other topic right now.” I’d even settle for her to go down the girlfriend track, wanting to be a grandmother, anything other than this one.
She looked at me over her water glass then set it down untouched. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward. “I’m an adult, Lucas, and so are you. What happened?”
Her eyes were concerned as she looked at me.
I stared back at her, my shoulders tensing up as I tried to find an easy lie, an easy way out of this.
There wasn’t one.
“It blew up.” I leaned back in the chair.
“It can’t be unfixable.”
“Tell that to Abbie.”
“What did you do?”
