“Oh, is it?” I ask her.
“Yes, so you’ll be here tomorrow?” Aunt Francesca asks.
I groan silently. “Not tomorrow, I will call you later and figure something out.”
“Good, good, I’ll start cooking now,” she says.
“Can you at least make some homemade gelato?” I ask her.
“Sure, darling, okay. I will see you tomorrow,” she says, and makes kissing sounds over the phone before abruptly hanging up.
I huff shaking my head. It doesn’t matter if I told her I needed to check with my dad ten times. She heardyes,so that means it’s happening.
My Aunt Francesca, my mother’s sister, is a unique woman. Our Italian heritage shines through in everything she says and does. She ended up in Paxton because she fell in love with a cowboy, and she’s been there ever since.
As a child, I loved visiting her. My uncle Leo always fawned over her. Their love, similar to that of my parents, is something I’ve always longed for. She loved flowers so much that he helped her start a flower shop. Looking at it now as an adult, I’m not entirely sure how she’s managed to stay in business in a town as small as Paxton. But as a child, I felt like a flower princess, always surrounded by them, helping Auntie snip and arrange.
I smile to myself and set my phone down. I have fond memories of my family and Paxton. If we can make it work, it might be nice to get out of town and see something different for a while.
***
“You should go. It could be fun,” Mom says across the dinner table.
We finished dinner, and Dad started the dishes, listening from the kitchen.
I fidget with my hands, unable to look up. “There’s a lot less in Paxton than there is here. But she needs help, so…” I trail off, not sure what else to say.
“Mae, look at me,” Dad says.
I finally force my eyes up, and I don’t miss the glance at my mother.
“We’ll be okay. I promise I can take care of my wife. Plus, I think some vacation time would be a good thing.”
“Are you sure you can take off work? Don’t you have some kind of big merger to litigate or something?” I ask him. He’s a partner at a large law firm and works all the time. He does his best to be present at home. I’ve always appreciated that about my father.
“Tesoro, I want you to spread those wings, go somewhere, do something, even if it’s helping Francesca for a bit. We’ll be all right for a while,” Mom says gently.
I look between both of them, with expectant gazes, and I puff my cheeks, releasing a slow breath. I can’t say no to any of them.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
“Good, and no offense, but it will be nice to have some alone time with my wife,” Dad says with a grin and makes eyes at my mom. She smiles sheepishly, and I make a fake gagging sound.
“Yup, that’s my cue.”
Dad burst into laughter and shakes his head, getting back to the dishes. I pick up the living room and watch one of my favorite movies,The Breakfast Club.
A moment later Dad carries Mom up the stairs as they whisper to each other. My heart twists, lifts, and cuts at the same time.
I sigh, throwing my head back on the sofa, no longer paying attention. “Maybe this is the change I need,” I mutter to myself.
Chapter 4
Mae
FleetwoodMacpumpsthroughmy speakers as I hit Paxton County. I rolled my windows down about ten miles ago. The sun shines, as a warm breeze flows through my curly hair, making it wilder than it already is.
I haven’t been back since I graduated college, and that was nearly ten years ago. After that, I went straight into my master’s and got my degree in forensic accounting. I probably should have visited Aunt Francesca more, but with Mom, I felt like it was harder to go somewhere than stay put.
