“I see you were able to find the sewing machine.”
Felicity glanced at the machine on the dining room table.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to leave it out.It was late when I finished.”She got to her feet.“I’ll move it now.”
“Oh, no.Leave it where it is.I’m not planning on using the table any time soon.”Her mother moved to the kitchen to make coffee.“I heard from Justin’s mother that he’s been helping you.”
And so it begins…
Felicity suppressed a sigh.“Don’t get any ideas.We’re not getting back together.”
Her mother waved off her worries.“I have no intention of matchmaking.”
“You don’t have to.Merry and Connie have been doing their best to throw us together.”
Her mother smiled.“Merry does fancy herself a matchmaker.”
Wanting to change the subject, she asked, “Are you sure you don’t need room on the table for your baking?”
“I don’t have time for that this year.I’ve been doing a lot of overtime at the hospital.”
Felicity remembered how her mother used to love to do holiday baking at this time of the year.She would fill the freezers, and when the holidays arrived, she would create cookie trays to hand out to friends.It didn’t appear she did that anymore.Sadness welled up in Felicity’s heart.In fact, there weren’t any holiday decorations in the entire apartment.
“Can I make you some pancakes?”
A smile lifted the corners of Felicity’s mouth.She remembered how her father used to make them for her on the weekends.He’d take blueberries and make smiley faces.Her heart ached by how much she missed him.
When her mother sent her an expectant look, Felicity said, “I’d like that.”
Her mother turned to the fridge to get out the butter, milk, and eggs.While her father made pancakes from a box mix, her mother always made hers from scratch.
While Sunny climbed onto the couch with her purple bunny in her mouth, Felicity took a seat at the kitchen island.“Mom, can I ask you something?”
Her mother glanced up from adding flour to the mixing bowl.“Sure.You know you can ask me anything?”
It hadn’t always been that way.When she was a teenager, they argued more than they’d talked.And then after her father died, it felt as though a chasm had opened up between them.
Even now, she struggled to find the right words.“Why did you put everything from home in the storage unit?”
Her mother kept her gaze on the batter she was mixing.“Well, I didn’t have room for all of it here.”
Felicity paused as she tried again.“But you didn’t even use the furniture.”
“It was, uh, time for something new.”
And yet she kept the old couch and chairs.Her mother wasn’t telling her something—a lot of things.Why wouldn’t she talk to her?
Buzz.
Felicity knew it was her phone, but she didn’t make any motion to answer it.This conversation was far from over.
“You should get that,” her mother said.“It might be important.”
Felicity got off the stool and headed to the coffee table.She checked the caller ID.“It’s Connie.I wonder what she wants.”
“Well, answer the phone and find out.”
Felicity pressed the phone to her ear.“Hello…”
The conversation was short and to the point.When Felicity disconnected the call, she turned to her mother.Her gaze moved to the pancake batter.
