“Why’s that?”
“Because most people in this town know you and know better than to be assholes to you.”
“And the ones that don’t?”
She smiles. “Oh, they’ll learn.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I thought you were going to come over here, yell at me, and tell me how stupid I was being.”
“I don’t think you’ll need me to do that. I think you’re already hard enough on yourself. I don’t need to pile on.”
“Thank you, Mom. For everything.”
She smiles again. “You’re welcome. And for the record, no matter how many crazy things you have done, I am so stinkin’ proud of you, Jo.”
“Mom…you called me Jo. Not Joanna.”
“You’ve been begging everyone to call you Jo since you were old enough to talk. I think it’s about time we do it your way. I’m giving you a whole bar. Maybe it’s about time I start treating you like an adult.”
I lean over to give her a hug. “Thanks, Mom. Maybe sometimes you can still call me Joanna, okay?”
“Okay, sweetheart. Whatever you say,” she chuckles.
“Well, I guess I have the job thing figured out now. I just need to find a better living situation.”
She gets a sly smile across her lips. “I think I have an answer for that too.”
Chapter fifty-three
That's My Girl
Beau
Aknock on the door startles me, but doesn’t even faze Mia. She continues lying on the couch on her back with all four feet in the air.
Looking at her, I say, “Really? You are the worst guard dog ever.”
She looks at me and then looks away as though purposely ignoring me.
When I open the door, I see Jo standing there. This is the first time I’ve seen her since she showed up to the shop, wanting to leave town. It’s been three days since then, and we have had zero contact. My voicemails and texts went unanswered, so I stopped trying.
She looks beautiful as she stares up at me, but I’m not about to let her know that.
She says, “Before you slam the door in my face, will you just give me five minutes?”
I pretend to think about it, knowing damn well I’m going to let her in. Not only do I want to hear what she has to say, but I also know this woman is my kryptonite. I’m not good at telling her no.
“Five minutes,” I agree, and step out of the way to let her inside.
The moment I shut the door behind me, she blurts, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? For getting upset when I wouldn’t skip town with you, fuck you in the bathroom at work, or for ignoring me for three days?”
She winces. “All of the above.”
I don’t say anything. I just wait for her to continue. After my talk with my mom, I took her words to heart. I knew that I would have to take Jo the way that she is, but I also need her to meet me half way. Her running away makes it impossible to make this thing really work.
“Okay,” she begins. “First of all, I know I have been awful to you. I have pushed you away at every turn and ran away when things got to be too much. I know I shouldn’t do that.” She walks over and has a seat on the couch. “Beau, for the past decade, I have had some pretty shitty relationships. Things have happened to me that I have never said out loud. I try to make light of it and joke, but the truth is that I think all of it fucked meup a lot more than I realized. And I know that isn’t an excuse for me to treat you like crap. I think I’m finally just becoming a little more self-aware.”
