“It’s nice to see you up and about,” said Raven returning the hug.She handed Wren a plate with her open-faced sandwich on it.“Grab a knife and fork for us both, and I’ll bring the salad.Do you want coffee?”
“Yes, please.”Wren moved over to the cutlery drawer, and they were soon sitting in their usual spots as though Wren had never left.
But of course Wrenhadleft, and things had changed, and her daughter was obviously dealing with something.
“How long have you had the kittens?”asked Wren, as she poured cream into her coffee.
“A couple of days.Someone found them under their back shed a few weeks after moving into their house.We have the mom too, but she’s exhausted.I don’t think she had very good nutrition during her pregnancy, so we’re bottle feeding a few of the kittens, a little at a time, to give her a break.”Raven kept talking about the kittens and the other recent arrivals, staying on neutral territory and not asking questions of Wren.She knew from experience that Wren would talk when she wanted to—and not before.
When lunch was finished, Wren walked over to the counter and picked up a travel mug.
“Oh, don’t use that one.I have to return it,” said Raven.
“Roz won’t mind.”
“It doesn’t belong to Roz,” said Raven.
“Whose is it?”
“It belongs to my friend Lance.”
“Lance?Oh, the guy who owns the bookstore.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What was he doing here?”Wren turned to open the cupboard and locate another mug.
“He was here for dinner the other day,” said Raven, neglecting to mention that he was also there for breakfast the following morning.
“So you’re good friends?”asked Wren, turning back toward her mother.“I don’t remember you ever having a man here for dinner before.”
Raven looked briefly at her daughter and walked over to scratch Jackie under her chin.“We’ve been dating a bit,” she said finally, looking up to see Wren’s face contort into—what?Pain?Anger?
“Dating?You haven’t dated in…” Wren turned to pour coffee into the mug and walked back to the table to grab the milk.“Like, you never date.Do you?”
“Not in a long time, no.I tried a few times when you were younger, but it never quite worked out.”
“But now that I’m out of the house, it’s time to date again, is it?”
“Not that I need to explain myself,” said Raven, “especially to someone who didn’t even tell me she was living with a man…” Wren had the grace to look a little shamefaced.“But, yes, Lance is a nice man, and we’ve spent a lot of time together.He’s helping me with the addition to the rescue center.He’s had a lot of experience managing projects.”
“I thought he hated cats,” said Wren.“At least that’s what you told me.”
“He’s come around,” said Raven, smiling at a memory of Lance with Tilly, the cat who adopted him, curled up on his chest.
“It didn’t take long to replace me, did it?”asked Wren.
Raven looked up at her to analyze her daughter’s mood.Was she joking?Or was she serious?She had best be careful.“No one can replace you; you know that.”But even as she said it, she realized that was what she was most afraid of: that loving Lance might mean losing Wren.
“Of course not.”Wren smiled, sounding almost like her old self.“Can we go see the cats now?”She screwed the top onto her cup and walked to the door to push her feet into sandals.
“Of course,” said Raven, placing the remainder of the salad in the fridge and putting the plates into the dishwasher.“Did you put your sheets on to wash?”
“I will.”
“Why not do it now?We can put them out on the line later.They’ll be dry in a jiffy.”
“Mom…”
