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“How much do you have so far?”
“Five dollars.” He laughed, and the infectious sound made her laugh, too.
“I’ll add another five dollars to your fund.”
His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open into an O. “Really?”
“You bet. I’m proud of you for getting a job and for saving. You earned it.”
He bounced in his seat, and her heart filled with warmth. It was the little things in life that brought her the purest of joy.
She pulled up to the house and reached into her bag, taking out a five-dollar bill. She handed it to Tom, and he took it with a smile. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now make sure that goes right into your piggy bank.” He nodded and jumped out of the car, racing up the front stairs.
The garden had more flowers in it than the other day, and it looked beautiful. If only Mom would put that much attention into everything else in her life.
The smart thing to do would be to get back in the car and head home, but she couldn’t leave without checking in to make sure Mom hadn’t fallen asleep in the shower.
Harper walked into the house, surprised to see the freshly vacuumed carpet. Mom lay sprawled out on the couch, one arm dangling off the side the other over her face. Her brown hair was a knotted mess and covered her eyes. She was in the same shirt she’d worn yesterday, and her pants had mud stains on the knees, which meant she had worked in the garden at some point today. It was probably the only productive thing she did.
Harper grabbed a garbage bag and picked up the empty bottles. Mom had cleared a twelve pack in who knew how much time. She didn’t bother to keep quiet. If Mom wanted to day drink, then that was on her, and Harper would not tiptoe around and act like she was just napping.
Mom twisted on the couch and groaned. “Shut up,” she said, and Harper bit back the anger clawing up her throat.
“You’re alive,” she said instead.
Mom popped one bloodshot eye open, then the other. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Harper’s teeth gritted as she tried to keep her anger in check. “I brought your son home from work since someone forgot about him. Again.”
“Shit.” She sat up and went to stand but thought better of it when she wobbled. She collapsed on the coach and rested her head in her hands. “Where is he?”
“In his room, playing his game.” She tossed another bottle into the bag. “What if I wasn’t around to get him? What would he have done?”
“I would have woken up eventually.”
“And what? Drive?” She reached into the garbage bag and pulled out a beer bottle. “After how many beers?”
“I’m fine.”
“There has to be an entire twelve pack in here. You are not fine, and don’t you ever think of getting behind the wheel and endangering lives, especially Tom’s.” It was like she didn’t remember what happened to Milo. How one person’s bad choices ruined his future and laid him up in a hospital bed for weeks. “You’re an idiot if you think you were going to get behind the wheel.”
“You think you’re so high and mighty, don’t you? Coming in here and acting like you’re God’s gift to the world. Well, guess what? You’re not.”
“Trust me, that’s the last thing I think. If anything, I wonder every single day how I got stuck with this bullshit life.”
“You didn’t get stuck with nothing. You’re here, and it was your own damn choice. You could have left, but you chose to stay.”
Harper jabbed a finger into her chest. “You honestly think I had a choice? You can’t make it a single night without getting obliterated. Without someone calling me to pick your drunk ass up. If I didn’t stay, you’d be in jail, and Tom would have no one.”
“You’re not his mother. I am!”
“Then act like it!”
Harper met her gaze and bit back words that brewed to the surface. Her lips parted, ready to unload, but she snapped her mouth shut before she could. There was no point. By morning Mom wouldn’t even remember this conversation. She wouldn’t remember a damn thing.
She bottled it all up and forced it to the dark place in her mind, closing the door and flipping the lock.
