“Yes. I think you’ll like him. I know we need to go out there so you can meet everyone. Or invite them out here. I kind of don’t want my parents in my space, though, so I’d rather go out there.”
“If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do. How did you leave it with your mom?”
She blushed. “I told her I was about to start a meeting and had to go.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I should be strong enough to just tell her that I don’t want to talk about Brenda and if she has nothing else to say, we’re done.”
He pulled her up and into his arms. “Baby. She’s your mom, and as much as you tell yourself that you shouldn’t care that she’s not as impressed by you as she should be, which is the truth, it’s not so easy to stop wanting her approval.”
“You’re pretty smart. And you have awesome parents. I already love them.”
“They love you, too.”
He left one arm around her and pulled her to the stove, opened the microwave and turned the potatoes. “You might feel better once we go visit. Instead of worrying about it.”
“Possibly.”
“Or we can just pretend they don’t exist, you can block your mom’s number on your phone, and we can hang out with people we like and respect, and who return the favor.”
She gave him a wan smile. “I’m not quite there, but I’ll keep that as a plan C.”
The microwave beeped and he turned the stove off. “Let’s eat. You’ll feel better, for sure.”
“I’m already better, just being with you. But steak definitely won’t hurt.”
Chapter Seven
Cindy pushed away from the table, absolutely full. The pack had gathered together for dinner, to celebrate the fact that both Jen and Olivia had gotten jobs. Jen had been hired at the Sheriff’s Office and Olivia had been hired as the manager at the truck stop, after being recommended by Brenda.
“Tasha, your mom’s Brussels sprouts were amazing, and I can’t believe those words even just came out of my mouth.”
Tasha, sitting next to her, laughed. “I know, right? Brussels sprouts and amazing don’t seem like they should go together, but she has a way with them. Of course, the fact that there’s bacon involved helps considerably.”
Cindy cheered inwardly at Tasha’s willingness to have an actual conversation. She risked pushing it further.
“How was your first day at school?”
Tasha looked thoughtful before she replied. “It made me feel better, knowing that Joe was there if I needed him, but I didn’t. None of my teachers seem like crazy people, so far, and you can usually tell pretty quickly.”
Cindy laughed. “That’s good.”
“I’ve never been to such a small school. I think most of the kids have known each other for years. On the one hand, that’s not so great. But on the other hand, they’re curious to get some new blood in there, I think.”
Cocking her head, Cindy hazarded a guess. “Especially the guys?”
The blush was answer enough, but Tasha nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of weird, but kind of nice, but also I have to be careful. Girls can get stupid with jealousy.”
Cindy had to smile at the adorable eye roll that came with the statement.
“You’re not wrong, but I’m glad that there’s some openness there. Now you just need to find a girl posse so you can get all the dirt on the guys.”
Tasha’s face went serious and grabbed Cindy’s full attention.
“I just want to thank you guys for taking Mom and me in. I know Mom can be a little…difficult. She doesn’t mean to be, she’s just used to having to bitch and complain to get heard.”
“You guys were in a very dysfunctional pack. I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been. If there’s anything you can think of that I can do to help with both of you feeling like welcome and active parts of this pack, please let me know.”
