I swivel on my heel and hightail it out of there, desperate to escape this awkwardness. The second I pass through her front door, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to reveal Mandi on the caller ID. I’m surprised she hasn’t called me sooner.
“Hey, Mandi! How’s it going? Have you heard from Olivia yet?”
“She texted that she was at the gas station a little bit ago, but that’s it. Has she made it to the house yet?”
“Yeah, I actually just helped bring her stuff in.”
“Aw, thank you! I tried calling her just now, but I guess she must be busy unpacking.” I opt not to tell Mandi that her precious daughter just sent her mom to voicemail without a second thought. “I appreciate you agreeing to let her stay over there. I wish she would’ve swallowed her pride to stay with Jack and me, but I guess this is the best I can get.”
“Ouch,” I tease as I jimmy my front door open and slip inside.
“Oh, you know what I mean! I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else. You know that.”
“I do. What big plans do you have for tonight when you see her?”
“Just dinner. We figure she’ll be tired from driving, but we broke out some of the good steaks for her.” She pauses and then excitedly blurts, “You’re still coming, right?”
“Only if you want me to. I don’t want to impose on your first family meal in two years.”
“No, you wouldn’t be imposing at all. You’re practically family, and I think you being there would help Olivia feel like there isn’t so much heat on her. She’s been closed off since the morning we spoke on the phone. I know I’ve been a bit much, but I can’t help that I worry so much.”
“There’s nothing wrong with caring about the people you love. Hold her tight while you have her.” I quickly clamp my mouth shut, wondering if I said too much.Will Mandi hear the soft hurt blanketing my words? Will she finally see the underbelly of all the secrets I’ve been trying to keep buried since coming to Roots?If she notices, she doesn’t say anything.
Quick to change the subject, I ask, “What time is dinner, and what can I bring?”
“Go ahead and come on over any time after six.”
“Can I bring dessert? It sounds like I have some time to kill while Olivia unpacks.”
“Oh, you should bring your chocolate lava cakes! Olivia will love them.” She shrieks with glee. “I see how you work, Rhett. Trying to wiggle your way into my daughter’s heart with food. I have to say, that’s probably your best bet. She won’t see you coming that way.”
“I, uh?—”
“I’m just teasing you, honey. But I want you to find some happiness too. I appreciate all you’ve done for Jack and me over the last two years. I know you keep yourself busy, but you can see where that landed Olivia.” Affection coats her voice as she adds, “Don’t fall into the same trap, please.”
“I won’t. I’ll see you tonight.”
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I pull out the ingredients for lava cakes. As my hands work on autopilot, my mind wanders to Olivia and the way she sent her mom to voicemail without so much as a look of regret.
I can’t believe the unconditional love Mandi has for her daughter. Even when Olivia has completely shut her parents out, refusing to come home to visit, Mandi still holds her in such high regard. It irks me that Olivia takes her parents’ love and support for granted the way she does. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that kind of love in one’s life. Some of us had that kind of love and lost it.
ChapterFive
Olivia
After swirlingmy dark brown locks into a claw clip, I glance at the clock on the nightstand. I still have a few minutes before Rhett is supposed to come pick me up for dinner. This is the calm before the storm.
I bound down the narrow staircase into the living room. The house is tiny and old, but it has everything I need if I’m only going to be here for a few months. The living room hosts a loveseat and a small green couch, facing a TV. I can already see myself plopped on the couch binge-watchingDextertill two am.
Glancing out the windows to the back porch, I note the lovely view of all the wildflowers I’ve already grown to love. There’s nothing but the gentle sound of the creek trickling past and the occasional song of a bird drifting through the air. It makes me feel oddly at peace in comparison to the constant sound of traffic and sirens I always hear from my apartment in San Francisco. Visions of me sitting on the peaceful porch editing content for my Instagram account silently dance in my head, triggering me to slide the door open and pull my phone from my back pocket. Idohave some time while I wait for Rhett.
The humidity instantly wraps me up in a warm, damp hug, squeezing perhaps a little too tight, but then a gentle breeze sweeps through the air, and it feels incredible.
I settle in on the patio furniture, scrolling through Instagram and checking the DMs on the account I made back in college. @Dog_Central_ started as just a fun way to get a little dopamine rush from seeing pictures and videos of animals, but editing media I collected from the people in my dorm turned into a full-blown account with nearly fifty-thousand followers. It’s not exactly stardom, but it’s something.
I’ve always had an interest in social media and marketing, but pairing it with another passion of mine took it to a whole new level. I’ve learned through lots of trial and error about how to capture people’s attention and sync audio satisfactorily in a video. It’s been a fun challenge outside of work, and has very little demand. During busy season, I’d make a couple of videos on Sunday evenings, save them as drafts, and post them throughout the week.
The sound of crunching gravel interrupts me mid-edit. I look up to find Rhett smirking at me as he hovers over my shoulder and asks, “What’re you working on?”
