When she lowers her glass, she pins me with a shrewd look.“When do you leave?”
I’m hit with an urge to simultaneously laugh and cry.“How do you do that?”
One side of Mum’s mouth lifts.“You’ve always been so much like your dad; the two of you had countless things in common.Sometimes it felt like you were this little team of two.Don’t get me wrong, it never bothered me.In fact, I loved to see it, and I’ve missed it since you’ve been back home and he’s…gone.But sometimes I think you forget you’reminetoo.That you’re part of me, and I know you better than anyone.”
My lungs tighten, and I struggle to draw in air.“Mum, I—”
“Oh, honey.”She drags her chair closer to mine and takes my hand, gripping it tightly in both of hers.“I don’t mean that in a negative way.Witnessing the special bond you had with Seamus was truly a joy and a blessing for me.And the fact you’re so much like him will continue to be a blessing.”She frees one of her hands to brush a stray tear off my cheek.“Now, tell me about your next adventure.”
“It’s funny you should say that…” After weeks of keeping secrets and letting guilt eat away at me, I spill all the details.I tell her about what happened with Matt in Paris and how it led to my suspension from On the Go Travels.Mila gave me permission to share details about what led to her being here, so I fill Mum in on that too, and how we plan to quit our jobs and confront Sanjay in the hopes of getting the non-compete clause dissolved.
She doesn’t seem the least bit surprised when I mention the money Dad left for Mila, or the fact we plan to start our own travel business.
I even tell her about how Nathan and I have grown closer—although I leave out a few choice details—and how torn I am about leaving him again.It’s messy and disjointed, but she nods along as I speak, keeping a firm grip on my hand and squeezing it occasionally.
“Mila booked us flights to London for the fourth,” I tell her.“But I want you to know if you’re not ready for me to leave, I’ll stay.”
Mum starts shaking her head before I even finish speaking.“I’ve loved having you here these last few weeks, and it’s been good for both of us, but I always knew it was temporary.I promise I’ll be okay when you go.I have so many people looking out for me.A whole town, in fact.”
I give a shaky laugh.“That’s not even an exaggeration.”I rearrange the position of our hands so I’m cupping hers.“You’re not…mad?Disappointed?I know I should have been honest from the beginning, but it seemed like such a trivial thing compared to you losing the love of your life.”
She drops her gaze, but not before I catch the sorrow at the mention of Dad.“I’m not mad or disappointed.I suspected something else was going on, and the fact you’ve stayed this long confirmed it.Do I wish you’d told me sooner?”She lifts one shoulder in a half shrug.“Maybe, but I figured you had your reasons for whatever you were keeping from me, and you’d tell me when you were ready.As for the actual suspension, it was clearly a gross abuse of Sanjay’s power.I wish I could be there to see you and Mila take that fucker down a peg or two.”
I burst out laughing and can’t stop.Mum chuckles along with me, which only makes me laugh harder.I’m sure part of it is relief that the conversation I’ve been putting off for weeks was a million times easier than I anticipated.It also reminds me how incredibly lucky I am to have such an amazing mother who loves me unconditionally.
“If Mila heard you say that, she’d probably promise to film it surreptitiously on her phone,” I say once my giggles have tapered off.
“Maybe she should do that regardless,” Mum says.“What is it you kids say these days?Keep the receipts?”
When I start laughing again, Mum swats at me, even though her eyes are dancing with amusement.She sits back in her chair and picks up her forgotten glass of wine.“What do you plan to do once you and Mila have quit?”
“Well, we originally talked about travelling together for a bit, but Mila decided to go home to Prague,” I tell her.“Dad’s death has hit her hard, and she wants to take advantage of this unexpected free time to be with her own family.”
“Smart,” Mum says.“And you?”
“I’ve been toying with the idea of a short solo trip,” I admit.“I have friends in London who will keep my stuff for as long as I need after we pack up.I can’t deny I’ve been feeling the pull for adventure the last few weeks, and this seems like the perfect opportunity.”
“Also smart,” Mum says.“It’s so easy to hop from country to country when you’re over there.”
“Exactly.After that, I was thinking I might come back here for a bit while I figure things out.Mila and I have a lot of work to do to get this business off the ground, and I need to figure out whether I want to try for a UK visa or attempt to get an Irish passport through the Foreign Births Register.”
“If you decide on the Irish passport, I’m sure Nathan would let you use the cottage,” Mum says.“It’s not like he’ll be living there full-time, if at all.You could pay him rent and claim it as your first business expense.”
Unlike my uncontrollable giggles of a few minutes ago, the laugh I let out now sounds forced.Mum appears dismayed for a moment, as if she’s worried she said something to upset me.There’s no legitimate reason for me to be upset, though, so I smile and say, “That’s certainly one possibility.It’d be nice to be somewhere familiar.”
“Speaking of familiar, I know you don’t necessarily think of this place as your home anymore, but you know you’re welcome here anytime.Mila too.”Her gaze shifts over my shoulder, and I turn to see Mila taking a few tentative steps into the kitchen.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to stir the goulash.”
Mum rises from the table and brushes a kiss against my best friend’s temple.“I meant what I said.You’re both welcome here any time, for as long as you want.You could make this your headquarters until you figure things out.For now…I’d like to eat dinner.I’m surprised you can’t hear my stomach growling.”
“Is that what that sound is?”Mila teases.“I did wonder.I didn’t think there were wild animals in Honeywell.”
With a laugh, Mum excuses herself to go wash up, and Mila turns to me.“That went well, yes?”she asks quietly.
“Better than I could have hoped,” I say.“Probably better than I deserve.”
“Nah, from everything I know about Mae, I’m not at all surprised.She’s a gem, and so are you.”She begins slicing the bread she made earlier, releasing more delectable scents into the air.“Hey, I just realized we should have invited Nathan for dinner.It’s last-minute, but why don’t you text him?”
