Her hands wrap around her coffee cup as if she’s seeking warmth. Comfort. “George and I need to talk to you boys about something. But I want to wait until…after.”
“Mom—”
“I’m fine, Vivian. I promise.” She smiles. “Now, tell me why you’re keeping secrets from me.”
I grip my iced coffee to keep my hands from shaking. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m not talking about you and Jonah?—”
Coffee splashes on my hands as my grip tightens on my drink. Shit. Grabbing napkins, I clean the mess. “Mom, there’s nothing going on.”
She sighs. “I watched the video. And I have so many questions. About you and Jonah, when you started singing again, why a pop star is sharing your video in the first place?”
“I can explain.” I can’t. Not really. “Does George know?”
“No. He has enough going on right now. I don’t want to add to it.” She places her hand over mine. “But that’s not what I want to talk to you about.”
“It isn’t?”
She makes a face as she sips her coffee and gives me a what-can-you-do smile. “Why are you so determined to get to San Diego?”
The usual reasons come to mind. Frankie. Pridefest. The competition. But I shake my head. “Doesn’t really matter now.”
“I think it does.”
But now doesn’t seem the best time to tell her I’m thinking about moving away. I stare into my coffee and ask the question that is foremost in my mind. “Do you think it’s wrong? What we’re doing?”
The change of subject doesn’t seem to faze her. “As much as George and I wanted you and Jonah to be brothers, you never really were. You only lived together for a few months before youboth graduated. And then Jonah went off to college. As long as you’re good to each other, that’s all I want. And before you ask, I have no idea how George will react.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Your father is a different story.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’m aware. He…saw the video.”
“Oh God. Well, I’m not surprised.”
I wipe my hands on my joggers. “He wasn’t happy.”
“Your father will probably never accept it. But, Vivian?” She waits until our eyes meet. “That has nothing to do with you. He doesn’t like the optics. And that’s honestly all he’s ever cared about.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m not sure where Jonah and I stand at the moment.”
“You’ll work it out.” Her words are said with such surety that it gives me a spark of hope. She laughs and pats my cheek. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
The insurance adjuster comes and goes. The bottom line is that everything takes time. At least a day or two. As if the difference between one or two days isn’t unreasonable. As if my future isn’t in the balance.
I’m fine until I get the call from Frankie.
Jonah and I are walking around town, just for something to do while we wait.
“Vivian?” Her voice is animated. Excited. “Where are you? Right this minute.”
“Some town in Arizona. Why?”
“How far away?”
I’m not sure. And the itinerary is no longer valid. I glance at Jonah. “How far away are we?”
