“I don’t know about being a hotshot, but I work in DC as a lobbyist for the LGBTQ+ community. And worse than that, I’m an attorney.” Thankfully, Mr. Langer laughed.
“Boys, come inside and have some lemonade. It’s pretty warm out here. Jeri, I’ll get a thermos of lemonade for you to take down to John and Cody in a minute. I need to talk to you about somethin’.” Gayle’s beaming smile told me Jeri might not like what she was going to say.
We followed her and Kenny inside, and I grabbed glasses from the cabinet as Gayle retrieved the lemonade from the fridge. Kenny sat at the head of the table where Jeri usually sat. The quick snarl from my guy confirmed my suspicions about what had made him jealous earlier.
After Gayle poured the lemonade, I handed out the glasses. “I’ll just get my stuff from the truck.” I was trying to give them some privacy to have a difficult discussion.
“No, Sean, honey. Take a seat. This affects you, too.” Gayle pointed to the chair I usually sat in and smiled at me.
I sat down and braced myself. I reached under the table and took Jeri’s hand, hoping I could soften the blow of what was coming.
“Jeri, after you called to tell me you were bringing Sean home with you for the summer, I thought maybe it was a good idea for me to swap my bedroom with yours. When Kenny was helpin’ me take my bed apart, he told me about the complex where he lives. It’s that new assisted living community on the other side of town, Shady Acres. Anyway, he took me over to look at it, and it’s just gorgeous.
“They have games and book clubs. Oh, and we’re going to a picnic there next week for the Fourth of July. They have twoswimming pools, a putting green, and all sorts of things to do. I, uh—”
“Are you moving in with Kenny?” Jeri asked. The disappointment in his voice was palpable.
Gayle giggled. “Heavens no. They’re small apartments, and neither one of us wants to get married again, son. I filled out an application, and they called yesterday to tell me I’ve been approved. I can move in as soon as I want. I’d like to move there, and then you and Sean can have the house to yourselves.”
Kenny jumped in with the hard sell. “It’s really a nice place. There are activities all the time, and once a month, there’s a bus to take us to the local casinos and the horse races. John used to bitch that I spent too much time on his job sites, but now I don’t have time to go supervise. I think Gayle would really enjoy herself there.”
Jeri turned to me, but I just smiled. It was the home he’d grown up in, where he’d lived his whole life, aside from when he was in the Army. It was probably a lot to accept.
“Jer, I’m not askin’ your permission. I love you, son, but I know that a young couple doesn’t need to start their life together with a mother-in-law lookin’ over their shoulders. Besides, I’ve got a lot of life left, and I want to stay active. You don’t like me to do much around here because you’re worried I’ll get hurt since I fell off Trixie and broke my wrist. I’m not delicate, Jer, but if somethin’ was to happen, I couldn’t be in a better place than the assisted-living facility.”
“That’s right. We have a health clinic at the complex. If anything were to happen, they’d be able to get Gayle the attention she needed or get her to the hospital immediately. That’s been a worry for John about me and my blood pressure. It’s actually down because I’m takin’ my pills every day like I should because the nurse brings them around for me twice aday.” Kenny reached over and patted Gayle’s hands that were folded on the tabletop.
I could see Gayle and Jeri needed to chat alone, so I stood. “Kenny, care to help me take some lemonade down to the barn?”
He grinned. “Sounds like a nice idea. We’ll be back.”
I hoped they figured everything out. I didn’t want there to be hurt feelings on Jeri’s part, and I didn’t want Gayle to feel like we were pushing her out. If anyone should leave, it was me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jericho
I sat staring at Mom after Kenny Langer and Sean went to the barn. My head was spinning over the idea that she wanted to move. It was her home. Always had been. If anyone was interfering in anyone’s life, it would be me in hers. She was right. I didn’t really let her do anything because I was afraid she’d fall and seriously hurt herself like she did when she fell off Trixie.
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t happy here, Mom?” I was crushed that she was unhappy in her own home. I hadn’t noticed it because I’d been too damn self-absorbed, but things flashed through my mind that probably should have been a clue.
There were times when she just sat on the porch and looked off into the distance. I thought she was just missing Dad, but I didn’t ask, thinking she needed time to grieve. Obviously, I was an idiot.
I felt the sting behind my eyes as those thoughts raced through my mind, so I crossed my arms and put my head down. I’d been a burden to her, making her worry about whether I’d fall back into the bottle or if I’d need another surgery because my foot was rubbing the wrong way. The idea of her giving up any idea of being happy so she could take care of me made me sick.
Warm arms touched my shoulders and a kiss was delivered to the back of my head. “You stop that right now, Jericho. I’ve been happy here for as long as I can remember, and now I want you and Sean to be happy here. This is where you grew up, and this house is full of enough memories for you to tell Sean about for years to come. It’s time I made some new memories of my own, honey.”
I turned in the chair and held my mother around the waist, tears soaking the front of her top. I was consumed with guilt about leaving her to deal with Dad because I was too fucking selfish after my discharge and decided I was the only one who had lost everything. What kind of son was I that I didn’t put my own shit aside and try to see what Mom was going through?
“I’m so sorry I let you down, Mom. I was too dependent on you to help me after Dad died. I should have made sure you were okay.”
She gently slapped my shoulder. “No, Jer, you did what you needed to do, son. I’m sorry for what you went through, and I wish you’da made different choices instead of just holin’ up in that drafty old cabin by yourself and drinkin’, but that’s all over now. You need to make your own life too, son. Sean is a good man, and I know the two of you will be happy. We just have a few adjustments to make so we’re all happy, and now is the time. Now, go wash your face and take a few deep breaths. I think we’ll order pizza tonight, you, Sean and me. I’d like to start movin’ tomorrow.”
And that was it. Mom had made her decision, and I wouldn’t stand in her way. All of us being happy was what she wanted, and I couldn’t argue with her.
The next morning, Sean and I went to the U-Haul office in town to pick up boxes, packing tape, and rent a small trailer. Mom decided to leave most of the furniture for us. Her new one-bedroom apartment was furnished with a living room set and a dining set, so the kitchen table was mine to keep, which was fine. Growing up, I’d had a lot of important conversations—one of which was when I decided to enlist right out of high school—with my parents at that table. I was looking forward to having important conversations with Sean at that same table.
I decided to donate Mom and Dad’s old bedroom furniture and buy a new set for Sean and me. We could sleep in my old beduntil we were able to shop, and we could store Sean’s things in the empty primary bedroom for now.
