I turned on myfeeling goodplaylist and tapped my fingers against the wheel as I drove to our place, thinking about what life could be like with her. Crazy adventures of things she hadn’t done before, lots of plants and podcasts, happy hours and volunteering. God, she could have some of Gilly’s students visit her greenhouse, or she could bring them plants for the classroom. She would fit in so easily with Grace and Gilly once everything was out in the open.
I parked my car in the drive and sucked in a breath at the BMW in the street. The black car with the license plate CARTER4. The eerie sensation of someone cracking an egg on my skull and letting it drip down rooted me to the spot.
My mom was here.
Why?
A million thoughts raced through my mind, each fighting for dominance. Did she have a key? Was she in my place or Nora’s? Why did she stop by? Did I miss a call? I forced myself to breathe and darted inside with the damn plant shaking in my arms. If she was at Nora’s, she could ruin everything before I had a chance to explain. Worry clawed down my spine as I unlocked my door and found her sitting on my couch. “Mom.”
“Anthony,” she said, her face splitting into a grin. “Oh, I missed you.”
She got up and pulled me into a hug before I could set the plant down. “What’s this? A plant? Why? Don’t you have enough already?”
“Why are you here?”
“I’ve been gone for weeks, and this is the hello I get? Did I miss something?” Her brows came together, and worry lines appeared all on her face.
“No, it’s not that. I just…” I stepped back and rubbed the back of my neck, like that motion would provide an answer that would make sense to her. “I have plans. That’s all. With Nora.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, so she finally met with you. Good. I figured it would be easy with her right across the hall. Have you heard about how she’s doing? Angelica said she’s coming along. Really surprising everyone so far.”
“She’s kicking ass,” I said, my voice firm. It irritated me to hear a sliver of disbelief in her voice. “Honestly, our foundation would be lucky to hire her full time.”
She blinked and her shoulders tensed. “Her parents will be so pleased.”
“Yes, I imagine they will.” I felt like a jerk and pointed to the plant, like that would explain the rush of protectiveness I had toward my neighbor. Telling her about my feelings for Nora would need to be strategic, not a bomb dropped the second she got back. “I’m really glad to see you and that you and Dad are back. I’m in a hurry now, but let’s get lunch or dinner and catch up. You look great.”
She smiled and patted my face. “I’ll let you get to your plans. Please, let’s get lunch soon.”
“Love you,” I said, giving her a half hug before guiding her to the door. I opened it, and she was four steps into the hallway before Nora’s door opened.
It was a clash of titans, the war of my worlds. The two lives I kept, and they were going to collide and destroy everything.
“Mrs. Carter! Hi, wow! It’s so good to see you!” Nora rushed out with a gigantic smile, and my mom returned it.
“Nora! Look at you!” My mom pulled her into a huge hug and stared down at her like a proud parent. “You look wonderful. Your hair! What a fun color!”
“Thanks. Yeah, it’s short.” Nora twirled with the end of a piece that was out of place.
“I was just dropping in to say hello to this one, but it seems he has plans.” My mom jutted her thumb at me, and I couldn’t fucking breathe.
This one.
She could say Anthony. She could ruin this before I explained. My mouth tasted like cotton that sat out in the desert sun for six hours, and I waited, helpless, as both the women looked at me.
Nora’s gaze softened, and she chewed on the corner of her lip with a hint of a smile. “Yeah, he has plans with me. If I recall, you were bringing me food? Which I’m not sure if you could hear, but my stomach is making whale sounds.”
I nodded, my throat deciding not to work anymore. It seemed that Icouldbe stressed enough to not talk. Gilly would be thrilled.
“Interesting,” my mom said, her nostrils flaring as she stared back and forth between Nora and me. I hated that knowing gaze, the questions on the tip of her tongue, or the tension clogging the air around me, making it harder to breathe. “Well, I’ll be off. Have a good night.”
“You too, Mrs. Carter!” Nora waved, completely unaware of the hurricane raging inside me.
My palms sweated. My feet adhered to the ground. That wasso close.
“She is so elegant, don’t you think?” she asked, walking up to me. She tilted her head to look up at me, and her smiled faded. “Are you all right?”
Shit. She was the one worrying about the presentation, not me, and I needed toget it together.“Yeah. Yes.” I cleared my throat. “Let me get the food, and we can go practice to your heart’s delight.”
