Ma Mable’s gaze turned away from her.
“Do you know how long it’s been since you called me that? Ma. Just Ma. Not Ma Mable?”
“I was eight.” She frowned, remembering clearly the day her mother demanded she do so. “It’s what you told me to call you after Lahn came to live with us.And that’s that,” she said, mimicking her mother’s finality. No explanation, no discussion. In an instant Ma Mable had gone from being Lauren’s mother totheirmother.
“I left your father.”
Her chest tightened, head throbbed, and tears burned her eyes and threatened to fall. But she was no longer a helpless child forced to accept a reality she had no control of.
“Of course you did,” she said coldly. “Because it wasn’t enough to turn my world upside down once within a month, no, you always have to outdo yourself, huh Ma. Rip away whatever sense of peace I have.”
“I wasn’t the one who cheated on you Lauren. I didn’t betray you?—”
“But you did!” She took a deep breath. “You did. You chose her secrets over mefor weeks. We talked almost every day—about the wedding, about the move, about my...my fear, questioning if I was making the right decision.”
She leaned forward in her seat, tapping the table.
“And what did you say? What did you tell me, Ma?”
“I told you what you needed to hear, Lauren.”
“What did you tell me!”
Her mother looked away. “That you loved Derrick. I told you that when you love someone you love them through uncertainty, good times and bad.”
“Right, what you never said was that Lahn was pregnant with his child. What youneversaid, in that sanctimonious way you always do, is to leave his ass because he wasn’t good enough and didn’t deserve my love. That was the betrayal. That you would knowingly allow me to marry a man that would treat me that way.”
“Lahn just needed time and encouragement to tell you?—”
“What about what I needed! God dammit Ma!” Closing her eyes she took a breath so deep Santiago would be proud. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”
She stood and reached for her bag.
She wasn’t running anymore, but she was moving on from the need to defend herself. She wasn’t educating another person on how to love her; how to value her. She was done asking anyone to prioritize her; especially not the woman who birthed her into this world.
“I don’t know what’s happening between you and Daddy but that’s between y’all. I’m done being the emotional support dog for this family. Now if you want to stay at my place that’s fine because I won’t be there. There is a ghost but it’s her home.” She placed her house keys on the table. “If you choose to stay here at Lina’s before heading back to the Bay, just leave the keys with her. I’ll text you the code if you should need it. And please, drink plenty of Lina’s special tea. It’s divine.”
It was almost midnight when the call about a disturbance at the bed and breakfast came through. Cutter and Te Awa were in the station when Santiago stepped out of his office, locking it.
“I’ll handle it on the way home,” he told them. “Sonny, you need a lift there?”
“I’ll stay late if it’s all the same to you, League. Cutter’s gonna show me what the place is like after the witching hour.”
Santiago held his gaze then nodded.
Te Awa still couldn’t sleep at night. It wasn’t a surprise, the condition existed well before Sonny joined the military, buthe’d hope the man had found some peace after shifting back to civilian life.
“I’m off tomorrow, so unless there’s something you well-trained individuals can’t handle, or another body, please leave me alone.”
“Roger that, Sheriff.” Cutter laughed. “I’ll make sure day shift gets the message. Rest up. Night watch’s got this.”
“You know he just wants to eat cake all day without sharing,” Sonny muttered.
“It’smydamn cake,” Santiago stated. “Y’all be safe.”
Once he was in his cruiser, Santiago called his aunt. She was upset that one of her new residents had even called.
“The crisis has been averted,” she told Santi. “But could you still come by and help me move a couple of things?”
