“He went upstairs to take a call?”
I nodded. “He was probably relieved. We’d been together all day.”
Babs arched a brow. “I can’t imagine the amusement park was your idea.”
“It wasn’t. But he’s just a genuinely nice guy, you know? Besides, I’m still pretty raw from a breakup.” But was I? “And…I don’t think his mom likes me.”
That last part slipped out before I could stop it.
“Hmm. I wouldn’t be so sure,” Babs said, her voice dropping. “She can come off a bit prickly, but I think that has more to do with everything she’s been through this year.” She gave me a knowing glance. “You know about that, right?”
Right. Noah’s divorce. And the fact that his mom was having a harder time moving on than he was.
“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit.”
Babs nodded. “Christine and I talked about it too, while we were in the vapor caves—quietly, of course. She doesn’t want people feeling sorry for her.” She gave a small shake of her head. “At least she has Noah. Even when someone comes out the other side, cancer wreaks havoc on the mind and body. I imagine it was hard on him, too—watching her go through all that.”
I blinked, my brain coming to a screeching halt. “Her—” I cleared my throat, lowering my voice. “Cancer?”
Babs froze. “I—didn’t you say he told you already?”
“I thought you were talking about the divorce.”
“Well, that, too.”
I buried my head in my hands. Here I was complaining about a woman who’d spent the last year fighting for her life. “He didn’t say anything…”
Babs kind of winced. “I just assumed, since you two went off together, that he’d told you. She’s in remission now, but she doesn’t want everyone to know, so…”
“I’ll keep it to myself,” I promised.
“She’s still recovering.” Babs was unusually sober now. “And then dealing with her son’s divorce on top of everything else? That’s a lot for anyone.”
Something inside me twisted. I thought of the way Noah sometimes seemed to hover over his mom. How he’d touched her hand on more than one occasion, how he’d held her arm when they’d walked through the snow.
He’d mentioned she’d had a rough year.
“He didn’t say anything,” I admitted. “I had no idea.”
“We never really know what someone’s going through. We think we do, we make our little judgments, but half the time, we’re missing the real story.”
I swallowed, looking away. That felt…personal.
And suddenly, my mom’s face came to mind.
Two years since she’d lost my dad. Then this injury.
And the constant animosity between us. Her constantly judging me.
Me judging her?
But I was already operating on overload. I had zero bandwidth to examine my relationship with my mom.
And yet instead of basking in the fun I’d had with Noah, I suddenly found myself wondering—really wondering—if I was missing something where she was concerned.
“Anyway.” Babs leaned in. “Did he kiss you yet?”
“Babs!”
