Chapter 20
Matt
Things were tense betweenJake and me far after Renee had bailed from the house. Her smell still lingers in the living room, that sweet, sensual smell of hers that seems to follow me wherever I go. It was pretty clear that I was not the only one that felt this way, but I knew that from the beginning. I guessed the thing we had to do next was figure out which one of us she liked and wanted to be with.
After all, I hadn’t even given it a try yet. Renee didn’t know what she was in for.
Besides, wasn’t she still dating that dorky kid, Jason Something?
A new text message came through my phone, and I swiped the screen to check it. It was my mom.
Hi, honey, do you want to have dinner today?
I was excited to hear from her, mostly because my mom is one of my favorite people in the world. If anyone could cheer me up, it was her, and since Jake was still stomping around the house and fuming over my cock block, I texted my mom back and asked if she wanted to meet at the Mexican Restaurant near campus for a light dinner. It didn’t take her long to respond, and when she did, she told me she was on her way and to meet her there. I pulled my jacket back on and went to my car, slamming the door behind me. I was still super pissed—-angry that Jake had Renee over on our couch with a strong drink of whiskey. These are things the three of us are supposed to tell each other. Nothing is a secret, not in this trio, and it makes me wonder exactly how much Jake, and even Aaron, are hiding not only from me but from each other.
I get to the restaurant a few minutes before my mom, so I get us a table and order her a diet coke, her favorite, and an appetizer of Mexican Pinwheels, her other favorite. The pretty, dark-haired waitress kept eying me over the front counter, but I was not interested. Honestly, I haven’t been interested in anybody since Renee Lyon.
Mom gets there just a few minutes later, coming through the door, breathless but smiling. I get to my feet as the tension and aggravation of the day melts away. My mom has always affected me, even as a child and even more so as an adult.
“Hi, baby,” Mom said, embracing me. I hugged her back, noticing at once that she was even thinner than she had been the last time I saw her, less than two weeks ago. I worried if I hugged her too tight, I’d crack some ribs, and when I held her out in front of me and looked into her face, the taut skin on her cheeks was prominent, and her once silky dark hair was lackluster and delicate.
“Sit down, Mom.” I took the heavy winter coat she shrugged off and hung it on the rack near the door just as the server dropped off the appetizer and our drinks. I make my way back to the table and slide into the booth, taking the frail hands my mom offers me on top of the table. “How are you feeling?” I asked. “Are you extra tired? How’s the nausea? Has the doctor given you any more information since we saw him last?”
“Oh, Matty,” Mom said, and her eyes still sparkled the way they used to before cancer caught up to her. “I miss having you around the house. But believe me, I am okay. Just getting by day-to-day, okay?”
“I miss being there, too, Mom, but living on campus is fun.”
Mom nodded, reaching for a pinwheel. She took a small bite and put it back down but took a sip of her soda. I know the chemo really hurts her appetite.
“Tell me everything,” she said, holding one of my hands between hers. Her skin was cold, not like it should be, and I resisted the urge to flinch. “Everything and anything.”
“We’re only two weeks in,” I told her, sipping my ice water. “But things aren’t bad. Stupid classes, mildly interesting people. Work keeps me busy in my downtime. You know how it is.”
Mom laughed, shaking her head. “Always the cynic you are, Matthew James Nelson.”
“I know. You’ve been telling me that my entire life.” I meet Mom’s smile just as the waitress comes over again to take our order. She couldn't stop staring at me, this waitress, and for some reason, I was annoyed. At any other time, with any other person, I’d be flattered. But not here, with my mom ...
And especially not now since Renee Lyon is in the picture.
