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I close my eyes. “You know when.”
“Oh. When did you last see him?”
“I haven’t seen him in years.”
She’s next to me holding my hand. “Not to sound insensitive, but you need to get over him.”
“I am. In my head, I’m over him. Apparently, my body has a different idea.” My heart too.
“I see. Well, I think your new toys might be helpful in that regard.” I give her a look. “I’m not kidding. You need to break out of this slump. Just give it a try. I’m telling you it will help.”
“Let me get through studying for my Boards. Then I’ll think about it.” She’s not thrilled with that reply, but at least I’ve given her some hope. Even if I have none.
* * *
It’s Saturday afternoon.I’m about to arrive at Mom’s house. I never know what I’m going to get when I go there. Sometimes she’s a mess, and sometimes she’s okay. She’s never really more than just okay though. Reagan, Skylar, and I usually rotate coming to check on her at least twice a week. I know Aunt Cass comes by a few days a week as well. We also have a group dinner, along with Aunt Cass, every Sunday night. That’s become a bit of a fun tradition.
When I arrive, I see her outside doing gardening work. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do that before in my entire life. I pull up and she turns. She has a big smile. What? Wow, that’s great to see.
She waves at me as I get out of my car. “Hey, doll. I forgot that you were coming.” She hugs me. “So good to see you.” She looks down and notices that she got a little bit of dirt on me. “Shit. I’m sorry. You’re all dirty now.”
I honestly have tears welling in my eyes. This is the mostnormalI’ve seen her in a long time. “It’s fine, Mom. I didn’t know you were a gardener.”
She laughs. “I’m definitely not. Look at this mess. I’ve heard that it’s therapeutic, so I’m giving it a go.”
I smile at her new hobby. “It suits you. Soon you’ll be living off of the land like a farmer.”
She laughs again. Wow. It’s nice to see that big smile and hear her laugh. “I’m sure. Let’s go inside.”
She pours us two glasses of iced tea as we sit on the stools at her kitchen island. “How’s studying going?”
“It’s good. I’ve only just begun.”
“Don’t make yourself crazy. We both know you’ll breeze past your Boards.”
“I didn’t come this far to half-ass my way through the finish line.”
“I suppose. Just don’t work too hard. You’ll be fine.”
“I know. What have you been up to?”
“I spent some time in the office this week.” I’m shocked. She runs her own law firm, but she’s barely gone in since Dad passed. She wasn’t in full-time before he died, but she has left the office mostly in the hands of her associates since his death.
She must see the shock on my face. “What? Idoown a business. Iama professional.”
“Oh, I know. I just didn’t think you were going in very much. That’s great. I’m so thrilled to hear it.”
“Yep. Just keeping myself busy. Cassandra is trying to get me to go out more with her, Gennifer, and Alexandra. I did have drinks with them one night a few weeks ago.” What? I didn’t know this.
“That’s great, Mom. You should definitely go out and have fun with your friends.”
She scrunches her nose. “You think?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
“I don’t mind hanging out with my friends. It’s really fun, but Cassandra tries to get me to talk to men. A few men have approached me, but I sent them away. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that.” She bites her lip.
“I think it’s great that you’re going out. Maybe take baby steps on talking to men. Work your way up to it.” I smile at her. “Just so you know, Reagan, Skylar, and I are totally okay if you want to start dating. We want you to be happy.”
