“Baby girl.” Mom dropped the sweater, reached for Becca’s hand, and squeezed. “Wherever you go, you’ll still be there.”
She’d still be there missing Linx. She felt like she’d just sucked on a cotton ball at the realization.
“Are you therapizing me?” Becca asked because that sounded remarkably like something she would’ve said to one of her patients.
“Maybe.” Mom shrugged. The sly-mom grin tickled the edges of her mouth. “Although, I didn’t go to school like you did. What do I know?”
A lot, apparently.
“I think I’m falling in love with Linx,” Becca whispered.
Mom was mid-reach for Becca’s favorite pair of Lululemon yoga pants she’d grabbed for a steal on ThredUp. She stalled. Stopped. Then frowned. “Well, yes. That’s a given.”
“I didn’t know,” Becca continued whispering for reasons she didn’t want to dive into because all answers led to Linx. And her heart breaking because of him utterly terrified her.
Mom’s jaw fell a few millimeters, her lips parted slightly in clear surprise.
“What do you mean, it’s a given?” Becca asked.
“Are we just realizing this?” Mom slid her gaze around the empty room. “I thought you knew?”
A whole sock seemed to lodge in Becca’s larynx. She blinked back tears. No. She didn’t know. Not until now. Not really. “What do I do? I’m supposed to be on vacation from my life, not falling for unavailable men.”
Mom returned her focus to the Lululemons. “Sorry, I missed the part where Linx is unavailable?”
“He’s a musician.”
“And you’re a counselor.”
“And he’s had strings of women.”
“Then he’ll know what to do in the… ahem… bedroom.” Mom rolled her eyes. The look didn’t suit her. She sighed. “You’re thinking way too hard about this.”
“I’m on vacation.” Holidays didn’t require thought. That’s the whole reason a girl went on a vacation.
“Says who? Seems like you’re living a good life here. You were happier than I’ve ever seen you. Until a few days ago.”
Beccahadbeen happy. Shit. Ugh. Gah.
“This could be your life. What you have with Linx and wherever that takes you.”
Becca shook her head, a little too forcefully. “It’s not supposed to be.”
“When do we do what we’re supposed to do?” Mom made a yuck sound. “Build a life you don’t need a vacation from. That’s the whole point.”
It was Becca’s turn for her mouth to slip open. Had her mother just solved the riddle of life while folding laundry in a loft above her garage?
The ache in Becca’s throat intensified. The wanting of something and not knowing how to have it. She knew what she needed to do to get it, all she had to do was send a text. But how did she make it work long-term?
“What does that look like? The vacation-free life thing?”
Mom’s eyes went soft. “Seems like for you, it looks like Linx.”
Becca swallowed a whole lot of crow because it did look a lot like life with Linx. “I’ve got a lot to sort through.”
“Then dump it out here and let’s sort.” Mom gestured to the pile of laundry.
Um. This was going to take reflection. Time. Processing. “That’s not how it works.”
