Maybe now I can have five quiet minutes for my coffee to take effect.Grabbing my mug, I head out the back door to the deck.
It’s a little chilly, but the cool air on my skin wakes me up and sharpens my senses.I love this time of day, everything smells fresh and full of promise, and this view is nothing to sneeze at.It’s one of the things that sold me on this house.It’s a much bigger place than we had in Spokane, and for less money, which is always a bonus.This is a quiet neighborhood on the edge of town, with mostly unspoiled nature at our back.I loved the idea of my boys having all this space with direct access to the outdoors.Heck, I’d even hoped it might spark some interest in Remi, who has been struggling to find his niche, but so far he’s persisted in his displeasure to have been forced to move here.
I hate to label him as such, but Remi is my worry child.He seems so rudderless, compared to his older brother, who has always been so clear in his purpose.Linc is a typical jock, with a focus on athletic performance first, girls a close second, and last, but not least, his grades.Despite some of the family shit that went on in his younger years, before I divorced his father, he seems to skate his way through life.
It has to be tough for Remi to grow up in the shadow of his older brother, and I’ve tried to help him find his own light to shine in, but still my baby struggles.
“Ma!”
I tilt my head back to see my youngest poking his head out of his bedroom window.
“I need a ride.”
“Why can’t you go with Linc?”
Lincoln worked part-time jobs since he turned fifteen with the sole purpose of saving money to buy his own car.He is now the proud owner of an older Jeep Wrangler, rather beaten up, but running in good order.
“He’s picking up Naomi.”
Aha.These past few years, my eldest is never without female companionship for long, and once school started last month, it didn’t take more than a week for me to start hearing the name Naomi pop up.
Linc has picked her up for school a few times before, and I guess he told his brother to get in the back seat, so Naomi could sit in front beside him.Remi doesn’t like to be a third wheel.I can see both their points, but I don’t have the energy to try and negotiate a compromise this morning.I have a ton of work waiting for me back at the station and can’t afford to be late.
Luckily the high school is just a few blocks from the office.
“You’d better hustle, because I’m leaving in—” I quickly check my watch.“Three minutes.”
Once we are on our way into town, I look over at Remi, who is slumped in the passenger seat beside me, his head turned to the side window in a clear attempt to avoid any and all conversation.I’m his mom, so fat chance of that.
“Bud, happy as I am you’re spending more time in the bathroom, you’ve gotta leave time for your brother to get ready.”
A snort is my only answer.
“Hey,” I voice a little sharper.“Don’t give me attitude, when I’m doing you a favor by dropping you off at school.All I’m asking is for you to be considerate, that’s all.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I clench my jaw, resisting the urge to react to his disengaged response.I swear I can feel another gray hair sprouting every damn time we have one of these interactions.
Pushing him is only going to ramp up the tension in my vehicle, so I opt to let it go.Raising teenagers is like walking a minefield on a day-to-day basis.
I feel a little guilty at the relieved breath escaping me a few minutes later, when he darts out the passenger side door without a word, the moment I stop in front of his school.
Despite the coffee I had at home, I already feel like I need a damn nap.It’s been another restless night, constant worry about Remi keeping me awake, so the moment I walk into the station, I make a beeline for the dark sludge passing for coffee in the kitchen.It doesn’t taste great, but it sure packs the kind of punch I need this morning.
Brenda, the sheriff department’s office manager, is just coming out.
“Mornin’,” she returns my mumbled greeting as she cocks her thumb over her shoulder.“Fresh pot in there.”
“Bless your heart.”
I slip past her and inhale the fumes as I grab one of the department mugs off the shelf and fill it.I take my first sip before I turn around to find Brenda leaning against the doorway, her head tilted to one side as she scrutinizes me.
“Tough morning?”
Instantly my hand goes to my hair, which is already escaping the messy knot I turned it into after my shower.
“Is it that obvious?”
