I take my eyes off my phone when I hear my mother’s voice.
“I haven’t seen that smile in a long time.”
Tucking my phone back into my apron pocket, I turned my attention to my mother.
“What are you talking about?” I feign confusion as I rearrange the red velvet cake slices. “I smile all the time.”
“That wasn’t just a smile, baby girl. That’s the smile a woman has when she is truly happy. The happiness you get from one of two reasons. Either she has finally found love and peace within herself, or she found that love and peace from a man.”
My hands pause in their busy work as I take her words in. I try not to give too much thought to what she said. Shaking my head, I force a chuckle.
“It’s nothing.”
My mother’s gaze locks onto me. She walks around the table to stand beside me.
“A little birdie told me you’ve been going on a lot of dates lately.”
I turn to her and cock my eyebrow. “By little birdie you mean Cameron,” I tease. “Stop using my baby boy to get information about me.”
She waves me away. “Don’t you worry about the relationship I have with my grandchild.”
I laugh out loud. My mom and Cameron have been tight ever since he was born. That’s her partner in crime and her gossip buddy.
“Now tell me about this man that’s got you glowing?”
I stopped to help a customer before turning and giving her my full attention.
“How do you know it’s a man? You said it could be two things, maybe I’ve just fallen in love with myself.”
I shrug, folding my hands across my chest. She watches me with a smug smile on her face.
“Mmm hmmm,” she hums. “Did yourself leave that hickey on your neck?”
Immediately, I use my hand to cover the large hickey Mitch left the other night. I could have killed him when I saw it two days ago. I thought my makeup covered it.
“Is it that bad?” I ask, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Mama rolls her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. “Girl, you’re a grown woman. And you ain’t the first person to show up to a church function with a hickey.”
I let out a deep breath, feeling a little relieved.
“Now,” she goes on to say, looking me up and down. “Tell me about him?”
I stop to think about Mitch, how good he’s been to me, not just the two months but all the time that I’ve known him. Being with him is like being with your best friend.
“He’s incredible. Funny, charming, loving. He understands me, Mama. That man feeds me mentally, spiritually, and physically. He nourishes my soul in a way that I never thought was possible.”
The truth flows out of me. In the two months I’ve been with him, I’ve learned so much about myself.
When I finish, my mother is grinning from ear to ear. “He sounds like a keeper.”
I have to look up to keep the tears that form at bay.
“That’s the thing, I can’t keep him.” As great as she thinks my mystery man is, I know that if I told her it was Mitch, she’d lose her mind. My mother would think I was crazy. She’d remind me of how bad an idea this is.
“What? Why?”
“It’s complicated. We’re just having fun.” I force a laugh to dismiss the hurt.
