‘If it’s fake there wouldn’t be anyaction.’
‘There could be, though. Fake relationship, real sex. That’s a thing, Daisy.’
Daisy rolled her eyes but found herself replaying Iris’s words over for the rest of the day. Combined with the memory of Elliot’s hand in hers and his lopsided grin, the idea was starting to gain appeal.
ChapterFive
‘Have you been eating enough?’
Elliot sighed. His mother had been in town for exactly thirty minutes, and she was already asking about his eating habits. She was eagle-eyeing him over her cup of tea.
‘Every day, Mom. Usually multiple times.’
‘You look gaunt.’
‘Thanks so much.’
‘Don’t be fresh.’ She pointed a finger at him but then relented and patted his cheek. ‘I worry about you.’
The wordsI worry about youwould probably be his mother’s last words. They’d probably be printed on her tombstone. He shook his head, feeling immediately guilty for thinking about his mother’s tombstone. Like most good sons, he assumed his mother would live forever.
‘I know, Mom. Sorry.’
She was already ignoring his apology and staring at him again, studying. Assessing. Elliot’s mother wasintense. She always had been. Raising two boys on her own, she’d had to be. His father had died when Elliot was only a baby. It was no wonder she was a worrier. Elliot often thought it was a miracle he and his brother had survived, what with Caleb’s tendency to do stupid shit like jump off the garage roof onto the neighbor’s trampoline, and Elliot’s desire to never leave his room. His mother had done a pretty darn good job of making sure they were both functioning members of society.
But sometimes she forgot that he was a thirty-two-year-old man, perfectly capable of feeding himself. This was her sixth visit since he moved here a year and a half ago. Six visits in eighteen months was too many. Especially when she was just here to check up on him.
‘This is a cute cottage,’ he said, changing the topic away from his apparent ‘gauntness.’
‘It’s adorable. I just don’t know why I couldn’t stay at the inn.’
Elliot knew exactly why. He was working at the inn now. She’d stayed there during her prior visits but his mother staying at his current place of employment was not something he needed in his life. In fact, this entire visit wasn’t something he was particularly looking forward to.
He loved his mother, but her fussing over him had exploded after his divorce. He had been a mess after Leigh told him she wanted to end things. He knew that. He had retreated from the world entirely. Stopped showing up to work. The renovation business he and Caleb ran together suffered. He knew it was bad. And for six months his mother and brother had done nothing but dote on him and worry about him and check on him.
It only made him feel worse.
So, he left the business, packed up his things and moved to Dream Harbor, a town he’d only been vaguely aware of but that seemed like as good a choice as any. He’d been buying and fixing up old houses and selling them when he got the job renovating the inn—a job he loved. And he started seeing a therapist. He wastrying, and he actually felt reasonably competent again. Ready for a new relationship? Certainly not. But perfectly capable of feeding and caring for himself.
His family, however, was not convinced.
His mother was at least pretending she was here for other reasons. She’d said she wanted to come spend some time by the sea, ignoring the fact that she lived in Tampa, directly next to the sea. Coming to New England tospend time by the seain April made no sense. It was still rainy and cold most days. There was snow predicted for Thursday! The cottages surrounding hers would probably be vacant until June, but Noah was doing him a favor.
She insisted, however, that she was not here to check on her baby boy. She just liked it here, she said. She’d probably come visit the town even if he didn’t live here. His mother was a terrible liar.
His brother didn’t even bother trying to lie. He still sent daily texts checking in on Elliot’s mental health.
How are you feeling today, El?
Get out of bed today?
I read an article about the benefits of daily sunlight.
Answer me so I know you’re alive.
Elliot! Where are you?
And the worst one of all:
