I shook my head. “Yes, I was thinking about Mal. He was…sweet last night.”
“Good, but like I said, I don’t need all the dirty details.”
“I didn’t mean it like that!” I all but wailed. “We didn’t even—” I broke off with a groan. “Whatever.”
To escape, I pulled my phone out of my purse and powered it up without thinking.
Immediately, it rang in my hand.
The display readMom.
And my heart froze.
Oh god.
Mom.
Given the way my phone had been blowing up yesterday, someone had to’ve filled her in on my wedding by now.
Dread heavy in my heart, I pushed accept and held my phone to my ear. “Hey Mom.”
“’Hey Mom?’Seriously, Saylor?” She shrieked in my ear. “That’s how you answer the phone after avoiding my calls all day yesterday?”
I flinched as her words hit me like a whip. “Uh, I didn’t get any of your calls. I had to turn my phone off.”
“Of course you had to turn your phone off. You married somesinger? What is wrong with you? Did you seriously think that you could fix things with Trent by marrying someone else?”
“What are you even talking about? I’m not trying to fix things with Trent, Mom. Trent and I are done—I told you that when I canceled the wedding. And now I’m married to someone else.”
“So you’re not trying to make him jealous? Because I have to tell you he’s absolutely shattered.”
I huffed in annoyance. “You mean his kneecap is shattered? Did his bookie finally catch up to him?”
“That’s not funny, young lady.”
“Considering what his bookie did to my face, I kinda thought it was. Gallows humor and all that.”
“He said he apologized. He wants to make things right with you, Saylor. But now you’ve gone and ruined it all.” She did that thing where she blew an annoyed breath—the soundtrack of my childhood by the way. “Do you seriously think you’re going to be taken care of with that musician? And are you going to get a job in California? It won’t be in teaching—not any time soon at least.Your certification is in Nevada. You’ll have to start all over. I just, I don’t understand what you were thinking.”
My head spun. I didn’t even know which point to address first. But one thing was apparent—I was done with her shit.
I avoided Judy’s concerned expression and hunched over my phone.
“I want to make it crystal clear to you, Mom. I am never, ever,evergetting back together with Trent—current marriage notwithstanding. Trent is a degenerate gambler who doesn’t think he has a problem. That’s a dealbreaker for me. Or maybe the dealbreaker was when his bookiehitme. We’re done. It’s not happening. Ever.”
“I just think—”
“I don’t care, Mom. This whole dynamic is just so toxic. You need to figure out that I’m an adult, and you don’t get a say in how I live my life. And I’m sorry I got married without telling you, but if you don’t get why I did, then I’ve got nothing else to say to you. Mal is a good man who only wants the best for me. End of discussion.”
“I think you’re making a mistake, Saylor. Musicians are—”
“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence. Mal is an amazing man who just so happens to be a musician. A successful musician, by the way, who can take care of me beyond anything Trent could even think of promising. Not that I’m counting on that. I’m going into design. Mal is supportive of my dreams. He wants me to go after whatIwant. He believes inme. Which is why I locked him down. And if you like Trent so much, maybe you should divorce Alan and marry Trent yourself.”
“Young lady. That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth. Apologize.Now.”
“Yeah, well, that’s how I feel about you continually taking Trent’s side despite all the shit he’s rained down on me. So I’mdone. Until or unless you can let go of Trent the Superman Gambler being in my life, I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Saylor, you’re being immature. We haven’t—”
