We were halfway through when Mom broke the silence. “I’ve never been able to read you, Mel,” Mom said without warning.
My grip on the sponge tightened. “Is that a new observation?”
“The head coach of a first-division hockey team?” She sounded bemused.
She was processing this out loud, still recovering from her plan to spring Vince and being blindsided by my own punch move.
I forced a light tone. “Yep. He’s good at what he does.”
Mom blinked, then narrowed her gaze. “How old is he, anyway? A coach of that level can’t be young. People dye their hair all the time.”
Sam dropped the trash bag she was tying and cackled. “Really? Are we seriously playing ‘Guess the Grays’?”
“Stay out of this, Samantha. You have no life experience to add here,” Mom said.
Sam held up her hands. “Copy that. But for the record, I can spot a good distraction when I see one.”
I caught my reflection in the kitchen window. This wasn’t how I imagined things would go. Bringing Sean here was to close the chapter with Vince and put an end to Mom’s scheming.
But this was retaliation in a new form.
I might have won a small battle (Vince), but the war (Mom) rolled on. Her questions weren’t about concern; they were control dressed as curiosity, and that was a no.
“We have bigger fish to fry,” I said, turning to her. “Like your future. Dad’s working on things, following up leads, but we still haven’t heard what you want to do.”
Her mouth pressed into a line. She didn’t respond, and went back to scrubbing the counter, slower this time. The air thickened, but at least there were no more Sean-poking commentaries. My pulse had room to slow, no longer jittering at whatever might come next from Mom.
Later, I finally relaxed on the swing chair on the back porch, afternoon sun warming my skin, tired from a full day of cleaning. The house was quiet, birds chattering overhead, muscles softening into the cushions as the breeze drifted in. For five glorious minutes, no one was asking about my relationship or reproductive status.
My phone lit up.
Sean:“Hey, can we talk?”
My heart jumped.
I hitcall, the porch fading around me as his voice came through.
Chapter fifteen
Sean
“Hey,” I answered Mel’s call.
“Hello, Mystery Guest.”
I chuckled as the gazebo chair creaked beneath me. “After last night, I’m not much of a mystery.”
“Not to my mom. She’s still starstruck, and not in the best way.”
“Accidental star, I’ll take it. I hear birds; are you outside?”
“Yes, by the fence.” She paused. “Is everything okay?”
“All good. Hoping to bring home a win this weekend.”
“You will.”
“You’ve got a lot of faith in me.”
