“She was hot about that! I didn’t do it on purpose. I was trying to help her out!”
I laughed. “I know. And she knew it, too. But she had put in work on that garden.”
“Yeah, she did. Before your mom and I went to Florida, we helped with the garden every other weekend. We’d come by to see her, and she was out there, and she put us to work. I knew what the layout was. How was I supposed to know you two planted some more stuff this summer? Who plants flowers in the summer?”
I snickered. “She planted them a few days before I got here, and she did it at night when the forecast called for cloudiness the next day. The perfect conditions,” I said, quoting her exact words.
He threw his hand up in faux exasperation. “You sound just like her.”
“Because that’s how she explained it to me when I asked the same thing!”
We let our amusement fade out. He drank his coffee, and I stared at the pictures on her mantel.
“As much as I worried about Addison, I envied her,” Dad admitted quietly. “She had a spark and a fearlessness that allowed her to do whatever she wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life. Some of the things she did, I couldn’t imagine doing.” With a scoff, he stared into his coffee cup. “Some of the things she did, I wouldn’t do even if Icouldimagine it. But I always envied her spark.” He turned to look at me, holding my gaze. “You remind me so much of her because you have that same spark.” He paused, his lips pulling down slightly at the corners. “But instead of fearless, did your mom and I make you fearful?”
It was the first time he’d ever said anything like that to me, and it caught me off guard.
Seconds later, the front door opened, and my mom walked in.
“Jazmyn!” She placed her bags on the floor as I stood to hug her. She held me for an extended period of time, and I let her. When she pulled away, she looked at me.
“We’re going to be okay,” she murmured.
I nodded. “I know.”
She kissed my cheek and then went to kiss my dad. I grabbed the bags she’d left at the door and carried them into the kitchen.
I made my way back into the living room, where my parents were talking.
“The other day I overheard a conversation where it seemed like Addison was indicating that you were in love,” Mom commented, the minute I sat down.
“Oh, um—I—um, what?” I stammered, completely blindsided.
My parents were two for two with the unexpected questions.
“Are you sure she wasn’t talking about the character in my book?” I asked, sidestepping what she was inferring. “Because she read some chapters, and we were talking about that the other day.”
“You writing this book isn’t getting in the way of your teaching, is it?” she wondered. “I have a contact in Maryland who knows of a program that prepares you to be a principal. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“I’m not interested in being a principal,” I told her.
“You should talk to Mr. Robinson and just hear him out. He could get you in—”
“I’m good, Mom. Thanks, but no thanks.”
She leaned forward. “I just think that would be good for someone like you. And it’s a more obtainable goal than getting a book published.”
Rising to my feet, I said, “I have some things to take care of.”
“Jazmyn, no, hear me out. Being a principal would—”
Dad put his hand on Mom’s knee. “Let’s not do this.”
“Do what?!” Mom exclaimed. “I just want the best for her!”
I walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I got my laptop out of my bag and immediately realized that, in my haste, I’d forgotten the charger. But in my defense, I’d thought I was just going to be at Lamar’s overnight.
I guess I’ll just write until the laptop dies.
