I snorted. “I wonder how he’d feel about that description.”
“He’d say it’s accurate.”
My mom met Louis the year she moved to London, at some faculty event at the university. He taught English literature and spent his free time at the theater and art or history museums. All the places my mom wished my dad would’ve enjoyed instead of dragging her to endless baseball fields, even though she said watching me play was one of her favorite activities. I was glad she found someone more her speed. Buttoned-up Louis also needed someone like my mom to breathe excitement into his life. Their wedding last year was low-key, just the way the two of them preferred.
“Louis was just promoted,” she went on happily. “And we’re going to Greece after the semester to celebrate.”
I couldn’t picture Louis in Greece. I couldn’t picture him in anything but a dusty suit from the 1960s. “That sounds fun. What—”
She cut me off. “Nathan, I think it’s time you admit what has you up at four in the morning.”
Right. The fucking time difference.Maybe my sleep deprivation stopped me from realizing the time of my call would give me away.
“I’m in Middlebury,” I replied in a rush. “Our old house. I inherited the house and the business.”
She went quiet. “I figured.”
“With Brenna Quinn.”
The line went deathly silent. I waited her out, needing to know what direction to take this conversation. They’d divorced, and she moved on with her life, found happiness. At the funeral, I thought a tear flowed down her cheek during my eulogy. Still, Ididn’t talk to her about my dad after their separation, so this was new territory.
“He didwhat?”
I laughed nervously. “Yeah, I was surprised too. He left everything to both of us. Neither of us gets anything unless we both agree to the inheritance.”
“Thatsonuvabitch.”
“Mom, it’s fine. Bren and I worked it out.” I flinched as I realized my mistake—the casual use of her nickname. I hurried on before my mom could point it out. “We’re both staying here for a couple of months to flip the properties and split the profits. People want to live in Middlebury, so it shouldn’t take long.”
“Herewhereexactly?”
“What?” I asked, hoping she meant something different from my interpretation of her question.
“Whereare you both staying?”
“The house.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Silence stretched on. It was too early to make an excuse about needing to do something else… unless I could feign sudden sleepiness. Worth a shot. I forced a mild yawn from my lips.
“Oh no, Nathan Alexander Sharpe. Do not try to fool me with whatever that was.”
Of course she read through it.
“I don’t want you to worry about me,” I said. “Everything is under control. Brenna and I came to an agreement, and—”
“She’s engaged, you know,” my mom interrupted.
“How do you know that?”
“I talked to her at the funeral.”
Right.
