“I’m fine. There’s just a lot on my mind.”
She sat down next to me on the swing. “It’s only been a few months since you and Ryan broke up. Go easy on yourself. These things take time to pass.”
I forced a smile. It might be easier to let her think I was upset about Ryan than to tell her what was really going on. That my heart wasn’t broken because my ex just got engaged, but because I’d fallen hard for his dad.
“It’s not really about Ryan. I’ve known for a long time he wasn’t the one.”
Mom tilted her head and gave the swing a gentle push with her foot. “Then what’s got you moping around like Santa just canceled Christmas?”
I sighed, wishing I had a friend to talk to instead of my mother. But Ryan got most of our friends in the breakup, even the women I thought would stand by my side in solidarity. “Actually, I met someone.”
“Honey, that’s great. Is it serious?”
My stomach churned. As much as I wished it could be, Cole and I would never be able to share more than the couple of nights we’d already had together. “No.”
“Well, why not?”
“It’s complicated.” I needed to watch what I said. Mom had a way of picking up on things, and I didn’t want tocome completely clean. “He’s not really in a place where it’s possible for him to have a relationship.”
“Is he married?” Her lips pinched with disapproval.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “No, he’s not married.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
My fingers curled into fists, and every muscle in my body tensed. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I also felt like I needed to. “We have a mutual, um, friend who would be mad if things went any further with us.”
My mother clucked her tongue. “Well, if this person is a true friend, I’d think they’d be happy for you in the long run. You’re doing yourself a huge disservice by letting someone else’s feelings keep you from something that could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you, honey.”
If only it were that easy. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll be okay.”
“I know you will. I’m always here for you if you want to talk about it.”
Talking wouldn’t do any good. Some lines should never be crossed and falling for my ex’s dad was one of them. Even though Ryan was a selfish asshole who didn’t deserve a dad like Cole, I’d never put Cole in a position where he had to choose between us.
“We’d better get going on those cookies.” I grabbed my mug from the porch railing in one hand and the blanket in the other. When I stood, something fell to the ground. Oh, crapola. I’d forgotten about the ornament.
Mom leaned down and picked it up. “What’s this, Winter?”
“It’s nothing.” I tried to grab it from her, but she’d already flipped it over.
“That’s Ryan’s dad, isn’t it? What’s his name again?”
I closed my eyes for a long blink and tried to slow down my pulse before my heart exploded out of my chest. “His name is Cole. We ran into each other at O’Hare, and he’s the one who helped me get home.”
She squinted at me, then looked back at the picture. “The two of you look pretty cozy together.”
“Can I have that back, please?” I bit down on my lip to keep myself from saying anything else. The less she knew, the better.
But Mom wasn’t about to let it go at that. “He’s the someone you met, isn’t he?”
“Why would you think that?” I tried to swallow past the huge lump in my throat, but my mouth had gone bone dry.
“Honey, he’s twice your age. He’s your ex boyfriend’s father.” Her hand shook as she passed the ornament back to me. “What do you think your dad is going to say about this?”
“Nothing. Because nothing is happening between me and Cole Calvin.” We stared at each other, both of us uncomfortable in our own way.
Then Mom led the way back into the house, apparently done grilling me, at least for the moment.
