"Yes, but Jacks will still be with her mother then."
"Lovely. Then we'll expect the two of you for lunch next Sunday."
I knew better than to argue. "Of course."
"So did you have a fun weekend? Sierra came to lunch and mentioned that you left on Friday and she hadn't seen you since."
"Bye, Mom. Love you."
I intended to hang up the phone without an ounce of remorse. My mother always said I could talk to her about anything but I had to draw the line somewhere.
"Love you, too, hon. See you next week. Be sure to remind Brody that we'll be expecting him."
"I won't forget again, Mom. I promise."
"I remember how that first rush of passion is, sweetie. I'm surprised you came up for air today."
"I'm hanging up for real now," I said.
I heard her laugh as I disconnected the call. Oh, my God. I knew my parents had sex. And they were always matter-of-fact about, well, the facts of life.
But that didn't mean I wanted to share a dish session with my mother. Or listen to her reminisce about how she boned my dad when they first hooked up. Which is exactly where that phone call was heading.
I shuddered as I thought about it, then, I grinned. The next time J.J. was driving me crazy, I was going to bring up this conversation.
Hee hee.
I dumped the last of my clothes in the washer and closed the lid. The dryer was already rumbling as my sheets dried.
I'd been surprised when I arrived home. Sierra had kept the house nearly pristine, which was unlike her. I'd have to make sure she didn't feel like she had to be a perfect guest. I didn't want to stress her out while she was here.
As I looked around my house, I realized that for the first time in a long time, I had nothing to do. The house was clean. My laundry would have to run for at least another hour before it was done.
And I was alone.
Before Brody had come back to town, I'd lived for days like this. Times when I could just sit around and do nothing. They'd been few and far between. Now, between Sierra's help, the new assistant manager we'd hired, and Brody, my entire life had changed in just a few short weeks.
I had time to myself and I finally understood.
I'd been lonely.
I hadn't noticed because I was always so busy, but I'd been living my life one day at a time, alone. I needed affection. Conversation. Company. I didn't just need or want a boyfriend. I needed friends. People I enjoyed spending time with in general that weren't related to me by blood.
I wouldn't be able to go back to the frantic existence I'd had before. I'd been so hyper-focused on my big dreams that I hadn't noticed the rest of my life was empty.
In this moment, in my quiet house, it was obvious that I needed to change my priorities. No matter what happened with Brody, I couldn't close myself off again.
It was my time to live.
