Insulting her was the wrong approach, of course.He might be an intelligent man, and diplomatic in most situations, but his mother clearly pushed his buttons.He couldn’t seem to summon patience with her.
“I’ll never know how I ended up with such a stick in the mud for a son,” Wynona said.
Wade flinched at the criticism.Meredith sensed there were layers of hurt between them, and a history of conflict.
“I was worried about you.”
“I texted you,” Wynona said.
“You didn’t say where you were.”
“I didn’t know you were here.”
The exchange brought them to an impasse.“It’s getting late,” Meredith said, directing Wynona toward the Subaru.“Let’s go.”
“Are you okay to drive?”he asked.
It dawned on Meredith that he thought she’d been boozing with the others.He assumed she was part of theentourage of enablershe’d mentioned earlier.This conclusion annoyed her, because she’d been working her ass off all day, helping people in need.She’d just helpedhim.“I’m fine.”
“See you there,” he said, and walked away.
Meredith climbed behind the wheel, her senses reeling.She didn’t know if she’d done the right thing by helping Wade.Her hands shook as she put the keys in the ignition.Wynona slumped in the passenger seat.Meredith pulled out of the high school parking lot and followed Wade’s truck down the dark road.
“You didn’t tell me you had a son,” Meredith said.
“He’s not my son,” Wynona said.
“He’s not?”
She gestured toward his truck.“I disowned him.”
“For what?”
Wynona didn’t answer.
“Did he hurt you?”
She moved her gaze from Wade’s taillights to Meredith’s face.“No.He’s not like…” She left that statement unfinished.“He’s not that kind of man.”
Meredith believed her, but she also took this information with a grain of salt.Plenty of abusive men had mothers who were blind to their faults or defended them regardless.“What kind of man is he?”
“Rude and overbearing.”
“He said he was worried about you.”
“He acts like he’s the parent and I’m the child.”
Meredith let that drop.Wynona’s hard-partying ways would lead her to ruin, but Meredith couldn’t afford to alienate her.She needed this job, and she needed a place to stay.She felt safe at Nolan Ranch.
By the time they arrived, Wynona was passed out in the passenger seat.Meredith parked the Subaru in the driveway.Wade stood on the front porch, his hair dusty and disheveled.It was long enough to curl at the edge of his shirt collar.
“She’s asleep,” Meredith said, moving past him.
“Should I bring her in?”
Meredith shrugged.Wynona had slept in worse places.
Inside the house, the power was still off.She fumbled for the lantern and went down to the basement to get Chico.Daisy scrambled up the steps, while King climbed carefully on his giraffe-like legs.She sent them all outside for a break.
