“It was cute, but I think he should’ve ended up with the other girl.”
“Right? I get that Shawna was pretty, and she helped him through the death of his brother, but Ashley has been there for him since they were little. The movie could’ve been ten times better if they had gone with the friends-to-lovers trope.”
“I agree. We should make our own movie. We could do better than Hollywood.”
“Totally!” I burst into laughter, becoming aware of the fact that I’m actually having a good time. It’s already 9:30, and I know I should head home, but I don’t want to. It feels so nice to have a sense of normalcy with my mom again.
“I’ve missed this,” Mom says casually as she scoops her bowl of ice cream.
It hits me then how much it must’ve hurt my mom to keep her at a distance. All this time, I thought I was helping her, but maybe I don’t know what I’m doing. Maybe I don’t know what’s best for her, or even what’s best for me. Obviously, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, or I wouldn’t have ended up in Roots with my life in shambles. At least I still have the chance to make things better. Like Rhett said, I have people who love me no matter what. It’s clear to me that my mom has always been, and always will be, there for me. I owe it to her to try to be better.
“Mom, you were right—about Rhett earlier. I can’t help but feel like maybe there is alittlebit of a mutual attraction.”
“Iknewit!” She does a little dance before grabbing me by the hand and dragging me back to the couch. “Your dad should be out for another hour at the Long Neck with his buddies. Tell me everything.”
“I didn’t like him at first if I’m being honest. It bothered me how close he is with you, and it still bothers me how he won’t open up much about his life before he came to Roots. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Everyone is hiding something.”
“You’re serious?”
“Of course! You’ve kept your father and I at a distance for several years, but you’ve never said why. You’re hiding something. I never told my mother-in-law that it was me who broke her favorite vase at her sixty-fifth birthday party. I will take that secret to my grave. Now you will too!” She gives me a pointed look.
“That wasyou?Grandma was pissed about that.”
“To your grave, you hear me?”
I draw an x over my chest, my lips quirking. “Cross my heart.”
“My point is that everyone has something they’re not proud of. Rhett seems like a genuinely good guy, and if there is something he’s hiding, maybe it’s just because he isn’t proud of that version of himself. I suspect he came to Roots for a fresh start, and he’s done an excellent job at that. Don’t hold his potential secrets against him. You should go for it.”
“Are you just saying that because you think it will get me to stay in Roots?”
“Of course not. I just want to see you happy, and I adore Rhett. I’d like to see him happy too. Plus, he’d be a great son-in-law.”
“Okay, you’re moving a little too quickly there. All I said was I think he’s attractive.”
“Tell me about your interactions with him. Has he given you any signs he might be interested?”
“I don’t know. He started watchingDexterwith me in the evenings even though he called the show depraved when we first met. He sends me songs he thinks I’d like and sends me pictures of Maverick because he knows it makes me happy.” I shrug as I add, “I just don’t know what to make of him because every time I think I’m making progress with him, he closes down.”
“How about I tell you this, and that will be the last I say on the matter.”
“I doubt it.”
“Okay, maybe not the last thing ever, but the last thing for tonight. I have never seen Rhett enjoy the company of a woman like this. He’s always very polite to everyone in town and more than willing to help them out, just like a Roots native, but I’ve never seen him care for someone the way he seems to care for you. If he’s watching a show he wasn’t interested in and taking the time to send you things that he knows will make you happy, then I can’t help but think that makes you a very special person in his eyes. You just need to be patient, and I guarantee you things will happen between you two.”
“We already knew I was special,” I tease, trying to mask my embarrassment.
“You are. I know that. Your father knows that. It seems like Rhett knows that too.”
“We’ll see. It’s not worth digging into. I’m not here to fall in love. I’m here to spend some time with you guys so you know I’m okay, and then I’m headed back to California.”
Remorse washes over me as my mom’s soft smile fades. I want to take back what I said, but I can’t. It’s the truth. I’m not here to stay. That was never the plan. Just because I’m starting to build a good relationship with my mom again doesn’t mean I’m going to suddenly stay. And no hot, broody cowboy is going to change that either, even if he’s slowly creeping into my heart.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Olivia
