She leads me inside my childhood home and shuts the door behind me. The house hasn’t changed much since I was a kid, though she did get the kitchen redone a few years ago. We step into the living room, which flows directly into the dining room, the two spaces bordered by carpet and linoleum tiles. There’s a newish sectional couch and a cushioned armchair arranged to face a mounted flat screen TV in the living room. She bought those when I was in college, finally parting ways with the old floral foldout couch and squeaky rocker. A wooden oval table with matching chairs my grandpa made are in the dining room. There are tons of pictures hanging on the walls of me and my brother when we were kids… though not many of us together after I turned ten.
None of my dad, though.
The kitchen is just behind the table with its shiny appliances and white cabinets.
“Something smells delicious, Mom,” I say, setting my suitcase and Gizmo’s carrier down on the floor in the living room.
“Thanks, sweetie. You can let Gizmo out and I’ll get dinner on the table.” She hurries into the kitchen while I go about getting Gizmo settled. He’s been here plenty of times before, so he doesn’t take much time to acclimate. Opening the carrier, he immediately bolts to the armchair - his favorite place in the house - and curls up, going right to sleep.
“Little screwball,” I chuckle.
Mom comes out of the kitchen to set a pot of chili on the table. My mouth starts to water.
“Sit down, sweetheart,” she tells me, waving at a chair with a place setting in front of it. “You need to tell me this good news of yours.”
I plop down into the chair and Mom serves me up a bowl of chili.
“I’ve got this awesome new assignment,” I tell her. “ICONis sending me to Denver to do two features on the Night Hawks - you know the hockey team? Jensen, Grace's husband is the captain, and Skyler and my new friend Stacey are in relationships with some of their players?”
“Oh, yes!” Mom exclaims with a nod. “You’re going to take the photos for the features?”
“Not just that. I’mwritingthe features!”
Mom’s eyes go wide and she stares at me a moment before letting out a squeal of delight.
“Sweetheart, that’s amazing!” she exclaims. “That’s my girl!”
I beam at her. “I’m so excited. If I nail this, I’ll start photographing not just for theAthletics Edition, but theLifestyleone as well.”
“I’m so proud of you. You’ve been working so hard to get here, and I know you’re going to do an amazing job.” She chuckles and waggles her eyebrows. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll even meet someone like your friends all have. Hopefully someone better than that good-for-nothing Miles.”
I feel some of my elation dim at the mention of Miles. Damn it, I don’t want to think about him. I can’t believe I wasted so much time on him, only to be cheated on and used because of my position inICON.
The memory of showing up to Vegas to surprise him only to walk in on him fucking some chick with fake tits and lip injections burns through my mind. It was humiliating and heartbreaking, and I still feel like a total idiot for giving that asshat my heart.
“But whoever you do meet, dump them the moment you don’t think they’re good enough,” Mom says, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. “Don’t ever settle for anything but the best.”
I give her a wry smile. What a very Jade Benson thing to say. My strong, independent, don’t need no man mother has always drilled it into me to stick to my standards and never settle for anything less than perfection when it comes to a guy. Understandable, given all the bullshit she’s put up with in her life, including my Dad leaving her.
Another man I’d rather not think about.
Rolling my eyes, I reply, “I know, Mom. Don’t worry.”
“I’m your mom, I’ll always worry. You’re a smart girl, though. You’ll find your perfect guy. I just know it, and when you do, he’ll treat you right and always put you first.”
I feel an ache in my chest and try not to think of Dad living his cozy life in Ireland with his new family.
I’ll never get caught up by a guy like him… I’ll only end up heartbroken and alone.
I can’t help but think of the Cloak app… Mom definitely wouldn’t approve of meeting a guy that way. She’s a bit old fashioned in her idea of meet-cutes and romance and doesn’t like “shortcuts.” Still, I’m a woman of the modern age… maybe I should join it and just see what it’s like.
If nothing else, it might help me get over my dating slump since dumping Miles.
“Okay, so tomorrow we should go shopping,” Mom declares.
I arch a brow. “Shopping? Why?”
“We need to make sure you have everything you need before you go to Denver,” she explains, giving me a “duh” expression. “It’s the end of September. It’s going to get cold there! Do you know where you’ll be staying?”
