Of course, theWagging Tonguehad to blow things out of proportion with the headline—Appears Candy Sumlar Was Wrong! This definitely looks like the real thing.
“I wished she hadn’t done that,” Iris muttered.
Garlan glanced over his shoulder at her. “You wished who hadn’t done what?”
“Pulled me and Matt into their little catfight. Everybody knows one of the editors of theWagging Tongue, Ardella Rowe, and actress Candy Sumlar can’t stand each other. Ardella will use any opportunity to embarrass Candy.”
She paused a moment to continue reading more of the article. Had Ardella been at the game? Obviously, she had and hadn’t been sitting too far from them to get such a good photo of that kiss.
“And?”
She shifted her gaze from the article back to Garlan. “And what?”
“What does their spat have to do with you and Mr. Caulder?” he asked.
Iris drew in a deep breath and said, “At that charity function on Saturday night, I overheard Candy and her agent plotting to catch Matt off guard in a publicity stunt. I interceded before they could pull it off. When the article appeared in Sunday’s paper, it made Candy look desperate in her attempt to go after Matt. To save face, she told a reporter that the kiss Matt and I shared Saturday night was a publicity stunt. I suppose that, since we kissed again a week later at the game, Ardella wanted to prove her wrong and call her out. I just hate that she’s using what’s going on with me and Matt to do so.”
“And what is going on with you and Mr. Caulder, Mom?”
Iris leaned against the breakfast bar. She had no problem giving Garlan a straight answer. He’d suspected her interest in Matt and his in her while they were in Westmoreland Country for the gender reveal party. Then she had mentioned that since returning to LA, she and Matt had gone out. She figured Garlan wanted to get the official 411 from her.
“Matt and I decided last Sunday to engage in an exclusive relationship. That means we will be seeing a lot of each other.”
“I’m glad, Mom. I like him a lot more than I liked Mr. Robinson and Mr. Forsythe. I thought Mr. Robinson was too clingy and Mr. Forsythe, too arrogant.”
Hmm… It didn’t go past Iris that his thoughts on Karlton and Warren were the exact same as Shauna’s. “Well, there you have it,” she said, returning to basting the turkey.
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but she knew he was watching her, so she glanced at him, caught him staring, and asked, “Is anything wrong?”
“I think Mr. Caulder will be good for you. I’m glad you have someone.”
She placed the baster aside, returned the turkey to the oven and then asked him, “Why are you so fired up about me having someone, Garlan? You implied the same thing while we were together in Westmoreland Country.”
“I told you why, Mom. I don’t want you to just have me.”
“And I’ve always told you that I don’t plan to ever remarry, so what Matt and I are sharing, although exclusive, is nothing more than companionship for a period of time. It will never lead to anything serious.”
“It could if you let it.”
A part of her believed that as well. “But that’s not what I want.”
“I think it’s something you need, Mom.”
“Why? Why are you so eager for me to be in a lasting relationship with someone?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at her over his laptop. Then, as if he’d made up his mind about something, he closed it and said, “We need to talk, Mom. About a decision I’ve made.”
A lump formed in Iris’s throat. He was finally going to tell her what had been bothering him. She was glad, and no matter what decision he’d made about his college major or the university he attended, she would support him. It was his life, after all. Granted, she had gotten used to the idea of him one day being an attorney, but she was on board with whatever made him happy.
She detected his nervousness. He obviously thought whatever he had to tell her would upset her. “Then by all means, let’s talk, Garlan,” she said, wiping her hands on the kitchen towel and heading to the living room.
She loved this house and recalled the first time Garlan brought her here. She also recalled the weekends they had spent here before and after they had married. Those had been happy times. Out of one of the windows was a beautiful view of the ocean. The two-bedroom, two-bath beach cottage had been all Garlan needed when he purchased it. For years, it was all she and her son needed when they wanted to escape hectic LA.
Sitting on the sofa, she watched Garlan Jr. take a chair across from her. “So, what decision have you made?”
“I’m not sure I want to go to law school when I finish Harvard.”
She nodded. She’d been expecting it and, in a way, had prepared for it. “But you are planning to get a bachelor’s degree from there.”
