“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.” Mom handed me a mug of my favorite mint green tea. “We’ll love and support you, whatever you need. But if you want to talk about it, we’re here for you.”
“If I need to make that no-good boyfriend disappear, I can,” my dad added.
It was so out of character, I barked a surprised laugh.
“I thought you liked Beau,” I said.
“Not if he’s responsible for your sadness.”
I explained the situation, and they were as horrified as I was.
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” my mom repeated. “He seemed like such a nice young man..”
“Vanessa didn’t like him, but she was shocked, too.”
“We’d love to have you move back home,” my dad reminded me.
“I appreciate it.” I gave him a sad smile. “Before everything went sideways, I planned to talk to Beau about breaking up but staying on as roommates. That’s obviously not an option anymore. I hate tointrude—“
“This will always be your home.”
“You’re not an intrusion.”
”—but I don’t have any choice. The only people who need a roommate seem sketchy, and I can’t afford to live on my own. I’m such a failure.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears, and my throat clogged.
“You’re the farthest thing from a failure,” my mom said with a fierceness she seldom displayed. “When we needed you, you dropped everything! Because of you, your dad is walking and laughing again.”
My mom’s eyes flashed, and she continued.
“You found us a good lawyer, and you paid for it. Because of you, we kept the house and were able to pay the medical bills. You helped me find a job and gave me the confidence to apply after being a homemaker for twenty years. You did that.He’sthe failure, not you.”
The last of my control fled, and I burst into the tears I held at bay. I sobbed in my parents’ arms as the weight of Beau’s betrayal finally hit home. My tears soaked their clothing, but they let me cry until I was finally empty.
My mom drew my head into her lap, and she stroked my hair the way she did when I was a kid. Tension flowed out of my body as she worked her mom magic. Miss Priss cuddled up with me as if she sensed I needed her compassion, too.
We sat in comfortable silence as my parents poured their love into me. I didn’t want to move back home, but I appreciated their unconditional support. I shuddered to think what I’d do if my only option was to accept Beau’s lies.
“Today is going to be a good day,” I told Miss Priss as I got dressed.
I was tired from all the long hours, but I had no time for a nap today. There were too many appointments on my calendar. First up was dad’s physical therapy.
He groused and complained, but it made such a difference in his life. I hated that he needed it, but I was grateful, too. Whenever I thought about him in that hospital bed right after his accident, I teared up.
The year following his accident was terrible, but he’s progressed so much since then. He’d never again be the tough old cowboy sitting a horse. But the doctors also said he wouldn’t walk again, and he proved them wrong. Maybe he’d surprise us all and mount up again someday.
While he worked with his PT, I took out the romance novel for book club. I’d been too stressed to relax last night, and I needed to get more reading done before next week. The plot was heating up when my phone buzzed.
It was one of my web design clients, Hector Ramirez. I took my things into the hall to avoid disturbing the others in the waiting room.
“Mr. Ramirez, how can I help you today?” I asked cheerfully.
“My niece showed me this website over the weekend, and I really like the layout. I wonder if it would be possible to incorporate some of that into our site.”
I groaned internally but assured him I’d be happy to check it out. In minutes, I was navigating to the site, and I admired the sleek design. We talked for twenty minutes about some changes that would better fit his customer base, and I promised to send him a mock-up and revised estimate as soon as possible.
“You’re such a dear,” Mr. Ramirez said. “We’re commemorating our company’s thirtieth anniversary in a few months, and you’re invited to celebrate with us. I’ll send you an email with the details.”
