“Mom, sit down already.” Auggie rolled her eyes. “I told you I’d help set everything out. Come on. Take a load off.”
“You, hush. I’m nearly done.”
Xavier would have been helping, but he’d been banned from messing up her kitchen the last time he’d been over.
Their mother lived in a lovely home in Queen Anne, a two story colonial full of family memories and comfort. The house they’d grown up in, with the same large tree swing and creaky wooden floors covered by patterned runners, always felt like home, but only because their mother had made it that way.
With short, stylish, auburn hair, a trim build thanks to daily yoga and her morning walks, and a fun-loving attitude, Cynthia Hanover could always make him smile. Though she hadn’t lived like a monk since his father had passed, she seemed to take more comfort in friends, work, and hobbies than dating.
Noel not included.
He frowned, saw his sister frown, and knew they were thinking the same thing. Noel had always insisted on sittingright next to their mother at the table. But tonight, Xavier and Auggie sat across from each other, right next to their mother. Just the three of them.
He swallowed a sigh, not wanting to see his mom dating some douche again. Heck, he never seemed to like her boyfriends, though Noel had been more irritating and lasted longer than most. But he also acknowledged she might be lonely, especially because she kept spending so much time meddling with her twins’ social lives.
Thus he and Auggie had come up with a semi-decent list of good men to distract their mother. Time to make good use of it.
His sister kicked him under the table.
“Wait,” he whispered and glared when she nodded to their mother, who’d left her seat again, having forgotten the rolls.
After she sat and they started to eat, he decided to ease into the conversation. “Mom, this salad is delicious. And the tenderloin is fantastic. So much better than leftover pizza.” Not that he’d had that much left over after Auggie had polished off more than half of it.
“Leftover pizza? Xavier. You know how to cook. I taught you better than that.”
“Yeah, Xavier.” Auggie shook her head. “He’s just lazy, Ma.”
“And you.” Cynthia tried to frown but ended up grinning at her daughter. “Do you want me to believe you’re at home, cooking up a storm? The last time I visited, you had so many frozen dinners you could barely close your freezer door.”
“It’s a meal plan, and they’re all nutritious.”
Xavier frowned. “You’re still getting your food from that food delivery service? Gross. Everything’s all natural and frozen.”
“Naturalis not a four-letter word, Xav. Neither isfrozen. I also shop daily for fresh fruits and veggies, you know.”
“It’s no wonder you have no life. All your time is spent bulking up at the gym or buying supplies to bulk you up at thegrocery store.” He grinned at the flush stealing up her cheeks. Auggie was so easy to rile.
“Ihave no life?” Auggie shot him a superior look. A warning.
Damn. Shouldn’t have teased her.
“I’m not the one who nearly had a fight with my ex’s brother. And please. Even Mom hated Christine. Why did it take you so long to break up with her?”
“Auggie,” Cynthia snapped. “I didn’t hate Christine.” Cynthia turned to Xavier. “Afight?”
He sighed and quickly explained what had happened.
“Oh, Xavier. Whydidyou take so long to break up with her? We all know you were miserable the past few months. What have I told you about being too nice?”
He glared at his sister, who easily ignored him, enthralled with the tomatoes she’d isolated on her plate.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to be nice,” his mom continued. “I just get scared you’ll end up with the wrong girl because you’re afraid to tell her the truth when you don’t want to commit.”
“Like Noel?” he ventured, thinking it the perfect time to change the subject. “Because we all know you cared for him. A lot. I know it hurt you to break things off with him. But Mom, you were too nice dealing with his drama and narcissism when you should have ended things a while ago.”
She sighed. “Pot calling kettle, I know.”
“Exactly,” Auggie muttered but didn’t meet their mom’s gaze.
