Another bark.
“Deal,” Evie said, then started up the walkway toward the front door. The landscapers paused and nodded as she approached.
“Good evening,” Evie said. “It looks great out here.”
Both men beamed in a way that told Evie it was the first time they’d received praise for their work in a long time. Thattracked. Her father felt that a paycheck was the only praise a person deserved.
She punched the temporary code into the keypad. Her parents were not the type to give unfettered access to their home, even to their grown children. Although Evie wouldn’t be surprised if her brother, Marshall, had weaseled the permanent code out of their father.
She entered the house and was instantly hit with the scent of lemon verbena. It had been her mother’s favorite for as long as Evie could remember. Based on the sheen that covered the marble floors and the fresh flowers in the vase that sat in the center of the entryway table, the cleaners had come through earlier today.
Evie grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen, noting there was only one place setting at the smaller table in the informal dining room where her parents normally took their meals. Guess Dad had to fend for himself tonight. Not that it surprised her.
She walked back across the foyer and formal dining room to her mother’s office.
Constance Williams, MD, sat behind her desk wearing the reading glasses she hated to admit she needed. At sixty-five, she was still incredibly active, working full-time as the head of cardiology for the largest hospital system in South Louisiana. She served on the board of directors of several local nonprofits, and as Evie learned just last month, spent what little downtime she had kicking ass and taking names as the top pickleball player at the country club she and her father belonged to—which, ironically, wasn’t the one in their backyard.
Evie wasn’t surprised that her mother excelled at hernewest hobby. As the first Black woman to run a cardiology department in the region, Dr. Williams had a long-standing reputation for kicking ass and taking names. As much as they butted heads, Evie had always been intensely proud of her mother’s accomplishments. Now, if only her mother could reciprocate that pride when it came to Evie’s career accomplishments, maybe then their relationship could resemble that of a normal mother and daughter.
Stop asking for the impossible.
Constance tolerated her daughter’s career choice, but she would never forgive Evie for not following in her footsteps.
Her mother had two laptops open, her head volleying back and forth between the screens as if she were watching a tennis match.
“You know, if you get one with a bigger screen, you can have two windows open on the same computer,” Evie offered.
“I don’t want a bigger computer,” her mother answered.
She took the glasses off and placed them on the desk. Once she finally focused on Evie, the tiny lines in her forehead deepened with her frown.
“You’re not in scrubs. I thought your practice didn’t close until six. How did you have time to change clothes?”
Seriously? That’s the first thing she noticed?
“It’s good to see you too, Mother,” Evie said.
“It’s good to—Evelina, what is that?” Constance pointed at Waffles.
“Took you long enough to notice your new grandpup,” Evie said. “Constance, meet Waffles. Waffles, say hello to your grandmother, Dr. Williams, but you can call her Grandma Connie.”
“Really, Evelina? A dog?”
“I’m a veterinarian. Why are you surprised that I have a dog?”
“Because you’ve been a veterinarian for years and this is the first dog you’ve had since that scraggly little thing you left here when you went to college.”
“I’m sure Sparks would be touched that you remember her as that scraggly little thing,” Evie said.
Constance pointed. “You know how I feel about dogs in the house. Take him to the sunporch.”
“Told you your grandma would send you to the porch,” Evie said as she tugged Waffles’s leash.
“And stop referring to me as that dog’s grandma,” her mother called.
It was probably best that she comply. The last thing she wanted to do was trigger the “All our friends are becoming grandparents, when will we get our turn?” discussion again. Funny how Marshall was the oldest, but he was never accosted with that question.
Of course, if her mother did bring up the idea of grandchildren, it would be the perfect way to break the news of her split with Cameron.
