Isaac’s mom stopped by the house a couple of days after Vince’s positive appointment, and she seemed surprised to find Isaac on his own.
“Where is your Anna? I would love a proper visit this time,” she said as she expertly chopped a whole chicken with a boningknife. “Down in the village?” They were cooking another of Vince’s favorites for dinner.
“I sent her ahead to the house that we rented on the beach in Portugal.” Isaac couldn’t keep the disappointment from his voice. “For our summer holiday.” It sounded lame. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t ask for help and join her, but the words stuck in his throat. What was wrong with asking for something for himself?
He counted the days since Anna had gone, surprised to discover it had been a week already. No wonder he missed her so much he ached.
“Not much of a holiday with you here and her there,” said his mother as she arranged the pieces of chicken in a glass dish with spiced rice and chopped vegetables. “I’d be happy to stay with Vince for a week or two. My schedule is flexible now that I’ve retired.”
“Maybe later. Vince is my responsibility,” said Isaac, turning away to pour another glass of sparkling water. He didn’t want to have to explain his guilt. Vince might not have had the accident if Isaac hadn’t pushed him so hard to succeed and prove himself still the champion.
“The way I see it,” his mother said, stopping what she was doing. “Vince is my son, therefore, also my responsibility. He’s injured, his soul is hurting because he’s scared he will lose what he loves, and he’s alone. Other than family, racing is all he has.”
“Ma,” Isaac interrupted. “I know. That’s why I’m the best person to be with him. I understand better than anyone else. He lost almost two years after his arm took forever to heal. Which is why I moved in. I stayed with him through all four surgeries and the long road to recovery. I saw the toll. I was the one on suicide watch.” He looked down to find he’d clenched both fists.
“I’d hoped Anna was the one to make you see that there is more to life than Vince and racing,” said his mom as she threwtheir dinner in the oven, closing it with a bang. “She’s got more substance than Isabella who bolted at the first sign of trouble.”
Her words were like a splash of cold water on his face, a wake-up call. It was strange to hear something that had been on his mind come from his mother’s mouth.
“She has. Anna’s perfect for that mom, but she’s trying to finish writing a novel and was having a difficult time concentrating while here.” He’d forgotten about the connection between Isabella and Vince’s difficult recovery years ago. Their breakup had been another reason he’d stopped dating.
His mom pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, though she didn’t speak. Not yet.
Her lack of opinion threw him off, so he babbled additional explanation. “Vince is bored because he can’t do anything he likes. He followed Anna around, talking. He didn’t know what to do with himself. It was much better than being nasty, and I’m glad he was trying to get to know her, but you know Vince. It’s all-or-nothing with everything. I appreciated his effort, but I think she was frustrated.” Anna was like his brother in the all-or-nothing department.
“Maybe after the way Vince spoke to her last month, she found it uncomfortable to be around him so much.” His mother looked at him sideways. “He was awful. I was so embarrassed that a son of mine would speak like that to a lady, especially one you love.”
Her voice had taken on a mother lecturing tone that she’d seldom used on him since he was a teenager.
“Vince apologized, and he meant it.” Isaac shrugged, returning to the fridge to avoid making eye contact. His mom had a way of making him see his shame. Had he been thoughtless? He hadn’t considered that Anna might still be bothered by Vince’s behavior prior to Assen, but his mother had always been perceptive.
His mom stepped away from the counter and pointed at him with a piece of celery. “You’ve always been such a good boy, so easy-going. I’m not sure we were always fair to you.” She sounded regretful as she returned to her salad-making.
“What do you mean?” Isaac frowned. “You and Dad were fair.”
She stopped chopping and set the knife down with a sigh. “We always made sure Vince’s talent didn’t go to waste, that he had every opportunity, but we didn’t mean to let him overshadow you. Your needs are as important as his, and we should have made that clear. He’s never been your responsibility. You’re his brother, not his parents or caregiver, and not his partner.”
Her words were a lot for Isaac to digest, so he turned away to set the oven timer, opting for a slight change of topic.
“Anna is also away because she’s worried about paying rent in the fall and winter and has to sell her old place in Seattle. Her lawyer is in Texas.”
“Doesn’t she understand that you’ll take care of her?” His mom squeezed his face. “You have more money than you know what to do with, all those contracts for millions, and you’ve hardly spent a Euro.”
His mother’s words triggered a forgotten item and his blood ran cold. In the panic over Vince’s accident, he’d forgotten his plan for after the Assen race. He hadn’t spoken to Spencer. Guilt surged through him, making his stomach churn. He’d let Anna down even if she didn’t know. That wasn’t taking care of her. He’d been taking her for granted and forgotten the one thing she needed most.
Just then, Vince wandered into the kitchen, his hand trailing along the wall as a guide while he walked. A patch on his functioning eye forced him to use the other. The specialist earlier this week had been optimistic that Vince was on the road torecovery—it would just take time. Isaac hoped that his vision would soon return, good as new. Vince had one arm tucked in a sling to immobilize his fractured collarbone, but his injuries no longer limited his mobility, even if he hadn’t been cleared to train. The three of them moved outside to the patio where they sat and drank wine while they waited for dinner to bake.
As the evening progressed, they told stories about his father, he and Vince sharing their favorite childhood memories and his mom reminiscing about the early days of her marriage when she and his father had first fallen in love. They’d been inseparable. He and Anna could be like that. His mom smiled, and her voice softened when she talked about playing music and dancing in the kitchen while they cooked. Isaac had always wanted a relationship like his parents’—they’d provided an excellent example of a close and loving couple.
They hadn’t talked like this before, just the three of them. It felt cathartic to talk about the happy memories without the fresh, raw wound of his father’s passing. Isaac missed him, but life continued. Though he was having a wonderful evening, the one thing missing was Anna. If she’d been there, it would have been perfect.
Before his mom left the next morning, she took him aside. “Just call me when you’re ready for your vacation. I’ll stay here. Vince and I will get along fine.” Standing in the driveway, she waited for his answer.
“I will,” Isaac promised, his voice cracking with surprising emotion. They weren’t empty words. He would figure shit out and go to Portugal before it was too late. He didn’t want to lose Anna. Now that he was seeing clearly, he was afraid he’d been dismissive in sending her away with no time frame for his arrival. He’d neglected to keep her in the loop about this thinking, cutting her off from the worries in his mind.
He hoped she didn’t think he was like Adam, who had taken her for granted for so long. Had his behavior before she left driven a wedge between them? She’d said nothing of the kind, but he didn’t like wondering if he might have caused a problem. He’d fallen in love with her and needed to make this right.
“Don’t wait too long,” said his mother, giving him a hug that interrupted his thoughts. She climbed into her car and leaned out the window. “Women don’t like to be left hanging for long with no time for them and vague assurances. Trust me, I know.”
