Jake
After I shut off the shower, the doorbell peeling mixes with the pattering of water droplets from the showerhead onto the floor as the pressure subsides. One second later, the doorbell rings again.
The possibility of it being Emily has me swiping large swaths of water off as I tug on a pair of shorts and jog down the stairs. My feet leave slapping wet prints that shrink as I get to the first floor.
The doorbell rings again. She’s all I’ve thought about all day. And more than once, I’ve picked up the phone to call her or send her a message, but something’s always come up. We didn’t make plans to see each other tonight, which was a mistake. A mistake I don’t intend to make again.
“I’m coming.” I should’ve given her a key. My chest rises and falls in a deep pattern as I scrub the towel over my head and sling it around my shoulders.
Only to find my mother on the other side of the door.
“It’s about time you answered.” Her eyes rake over me with a disapproving downturn to her lips. “I about gave up on you.”
“Hey, Mom.” I grin at her despite the letdown that my visitor isn’t Emily. I love my mom, and she’s one of the main reasons I returned to Brookhaven so that deserves an adequate response of appreciation.
“Hey.” Her eyes remain narrowed as she waits on the porch.
“It’s good to see you.” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze before stepping back.
“Now, I’m all wet.” She fans her blouse, but now her expression is a mix of disapproval and a smirk.
“It’s your fault. You wouldn’t stop ringing the doorbell.”
“Fine.” She waves her hand dismissively as I brace one hand on the open doorway.
“Do you have time to come in, or were you just stopping by to give me a hard time?”
“You’re such a brat.”
My grin widens. “I learned it from the best.” I step out of the way and quirk an eyebrow. “So?”
“Yes, I have time to talk.” She brushes past me. “How’s work going?”
“It’s good.” I motion for her to join me on the sofa.
When she settles onto the dark cushions, she crosses her legs, pumping her foot up and down to a silent rhythm in her head. “Have they found out who that poor baby belongs to?”
“No.” I brace my arm along the back of the sofa, half turning toward her. “We’ve not made any progress. It’s sad that no one has come forward so there can be a quick resolution. But in the long run, this way might be better for the baby than a long drawn out back and forth between the birth parent and protective services. At least, I hope so.”
“Me, too.” Her eyes are haunted as she stares at the wall behind me. “There’s such sadness in the world. We need more happy stories.”
“Yes, we do but unfortunately, in my line of work, not a lot of the stories are happy ones.” I hope that there are happier ones in a small town than what I dealt with in the city.
Her gaze turns laser focused on me. “So, what’s going on in the relationship department?”
Ah, so now we’re at the real reason she’s here. Pretending to care about how I’m doing at work and then go for the jugular. Not that she doesn’t care about the baby, she does. But those questions were smokescreen for her real purpose.
“I’m not sure exactly.” Heat creeps along my chest. I would’ve put on clothes if I knew it was my mom at the door. I don’t want to talk about sex with my mom when I only have on half my clothes. Or really any time for that matter.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sort of seeing someone.” I shrug as I search for a way to explain things without making me look like an ass. “I mean, I’m seeing someone but I’m not sure she’s interested in dating. Or a relationship.” The heat flows up to my ears. That makes her sound bad when I know she’s interested in more than sex. She must be. “It’s just that we haven’t defined anything at this point, and I don’t want to speak for her.”
“So, you’re talking which means according to you, young folk, that you’re having sex and testing out the merchandise?”
“It’s not like that. We’ve spent some time together. We get along, and we’ll see what happens.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “If Emily blows you off again, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind. She might be a nice girl, but she’s not treating my baby with disrespect.”
