I looked at her. “What?”
“Make sure your car is spotless. No toys or crumbs. You know how he is.”
“Well, that’s his problem.” I reached for the remote next to her. “He’s the one who wants to save on gas and carpool. His office is right down the street from my pharmacy.”
“He could’ve picked you up instead. Why do you have to get him and use your car? I mean, he’s the one with trust funds andthe fancy lake house.” Mom shook her head. “Rich people are so stingy, it’s unbelievable.”
“We’re staying at their place for free, Mom.”
“Are you sure he’s not going to ask you to chip in for electricity or sewage?”
I laughed. “Stop it.”
“I really don’t get how someone as sweet as Amanda married a man like him. He’s a narcissist.” She snatched the remote out of my hand. “Don’t change my show if you’re just going to fall asleep in five minutes. Remember that horror movie with the doll you put on last time? I was terrified but too invested to turn it off.”
I grinned and leaned into her. She wrapped her arm around me like I was still a little kid.
“There are a lot of things that don’t make sense when it comes to why we chose the people we do,” I said. “But at least Zach is the only son of a big real-estate developer. No bills, trips to Europe, lake houses, boats, weekly massages. Amanda dries her tears wearing Prada in first class.”
She frowned. “Well. When you put it like that …”
We went quiet. Her crime movie played in the background with dramatic music and cheesy suspense. I already knew the twist from watching two minutes of it. For a moment, I thought about blurting it out like I used to as a teenager when I wanted her to change the channel. Instead, I snuggled in closer.
My mom had me at a time when being a single mom was even shittier than it was today. She turned out all right. But, deep down, I always wondered if I was the reason she never fulfilled her dream of traveling the world. And when I got pregnant so young, I couldn’t help but feel I’d let her down. Like she was hoping I would live my life to the fullest before settling down. For both of us. And here I was. A former teen mom with my firstborn and a strained marriage.
“Will you please try to have fun?” my mom asked. “And stop worrying so much about Brian?”
My eyelids felt heavy. I nodded.
“You deserve this more than he does,” she said. “You always take care of everybody else and never do anything for yourself. And you look like you’ve lost weight aga—”
“I love you, Mom,” I mumbled.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
Just like that, I started to nod off, knowing she’d wake me later after her movie was done and walk me to my room, just like she used to when I was little.
Chapter 4
Nicole
The night was giving way to a colorful morning sky.
Lacey had an early shift, so I got up to see her off while the rest of the house was still asleep.
I hugged her, kissed her cheek, and watched her walk down the driveway to her car.
She opened the car door and set her bag for the lake retreat on the passenger seat. Then she turned and smiled at me. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at me.
Then she gave a little wave and left.
I watched until she was gone, like I always did. Even when she was a child, I stood in the doorway and waited until the bus turned the corner. It was my way of saying, “I’m here.”
Back inside, I made breakfast for the kids and Brian.
I grabbed eggs from the fridge and my thoughts drifted.
Brian would drive straight to the lake house in his work van so he wouldn’t have to come back home. It made sense, but it was also kind of strange that he never wanted to drive up there with his wife.
