By the time Lake and I were settled in the office to continue work on the novel, I felt…happier than I remembered being. More settled.
Lake looked at me a couple of times, a smile playing on his lips.
“What?” I snarked as I booted up my laptop.
“Love looks good on you.”
“Oh.” I smiled, feeling oddly shy for a moment. “You, too.”
He chuckled and reached for his coffee mug.
Once I had the computer set up to my liking, I asked Lake, “Did you look at anything Maria sent us yet?”
He shook his head vehemently. “Nuh-uh.”
I laughed. “It’s not bad, Lake. It’s actually really good. She and the publisher’s rep made comments, and you need to read them before we start working.”
His expression morphed into that of a kid’s who was about to stomp his foot. “Do I have to?”
“Yes. Now read while I go call my mother.”
He sighed and clicked open the document while I slid out of my seat and went out of the office.
I wandered through the house and went to sit on the back stairs.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Good morning, honey. Are you having a break already?” she asked brightly.
“No, we’re just starting but Lake needs to read something first, so I thought I’d take a moment to give you a call.”
“Well that’s always appreciated.” Her tone was warm, but it got more serious. “Did you figure out what we talked about last?”
I tugged at my hair. I’d had it cut because it had been too shaggy, and I knew River liked it a lot. I pushed my glasses up my nose and sighed.
“Yes, I did.”
Maybe she heard the hesitation in my voice, maybe it was a mother’s intuition. “It’s something bad, isn’t it?”
I held my breath for a few seconds, then exhaled. “Yeah, it is.”
“And you know for certain that River is telling the truth?”
“Without a doubt.”
“All right.” She took in a deep breath and let it out. “Do we need to ask your father together?”
“I think so, but…” I wiped my cheek, surprised when my hand came away a bit wet. “I think he might try to lie about it, Mom.”
My mother did something I had never heard her do before; she cursed under her breath.
“It’s okay, honey. I promise.” She was quiet for a moment. “Can we video call you tonight?”
“Yes. Take your laptop when it’s time, okay? It’s better to do this on the bigger screen.”
“Okay, I’ll…try to figure out how to do it.” She sounded sheepish. “How are things between River and you?”
I chuckled a bit wetly. “They’re…amazing. Mom, I’m in love.”
