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“And I’d love for you to join us.”
That last bit was directed at Busy, and panic suddenly fills my chest. But before I can even open my mouth, Busy responds.
“Oh, thank you so much for the invite, but…I don’t think we can make it.” She tugs open the rear passenger side door and begins to unbuckle Junie from her car seat. “Dock 7 is probably too fancy for a toddler,” she continues, “but I really appreciate it.”
A few seconds later, Junie has been freed and set down on the ground, and she looks up at my mother with a big smile.
“Hi!”
My mom blinks, then looks at me, then back at Junie. “Well, hello there.”
Junie tugs on Busy’s finger, pulling her in the direction of where Sydney has shot off toward the water, probably chasing a squirrel or something.
“Sorry, I need to…” Busy hitches a thumb in the same direction. “Thanks again for the hike,” she says to me, her eyes flicking back to my mom, “and I hope you both have a great time at dinner.”
She turns and chases after Junie, who is laughing hysterically and shouting “Sinny!” as she heads toward the lake. I watch them for a beat or two, and when I look back to my mom, I find her staring at me with a pleased smile on her face.
“We’re just friends.”
“Says every man before he falls in love.”
I scoff, shaking my head, barely containing my eye roll. She’s been like this ever since Sarah and I got divorced, constantly making up fairy tales in her head about me finding my true love. I don’t believe in that kind of stuff anymore.
“Sorry I didn’t answer my phone,” I tell her, leading us toward my cabin, hoping the change of subject will distract her. “We were on a hike and I turned off my ringer.”
My mother hums as she follows me into the house. “Well, you’re here now. That’s all that matters.” She clasps her hands together, glancing around my house while I cross to the fridge to get some water. “The reservation for tonight is at six. Does that work for you?”
I take a long moment to drink from my glass, trying to find a reason to decline. But in the end, I can’t come up with anything that doesn’t sound like complete bullshit.
“Yeah, that’ll work.”
She nods. “Wonderful. I’m gonna head back to the resort. I have a spa treatment in an hour, so…” She trails off, her eyes assessing me as I stand in my kitchen. “It’s good to see you, baby. I’ve missed you.”
I nod. “Missed you, too.”
The words are true, but the reality is that I miss who my motherusedto be, before my father died and she ran off to travel the world withVance.
“Well…I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
She gives me a wave then heads out, closing the door softly as she goes. I let out a long, exhausted sigh, knowing I’m in for an even more exhausting evening. Dinner with my mother…I only hope it’s short and sweet and we don’t dive into anything too deep.
For both our sakes.
When I arrive at Dock 7 just before six, I spend a few minutes just sitting in my truck, staring at the entrance before I finally head inside.
When I greet Jennica at the host stand inside, she gives me a wide smile. “Your mom’s already here. I’ll take you out to your table,” she tells me, grabbing a menu and leading me through the restaurant and out to the patio overlooking the water.
As we approach where my mother is seated against the edge of the deck, my entire body tenses when I see she’s not alone.
Vance.
He stands, adjusting his sport coat and reaching out a hand to shake. I grit my teeth and sit, ignoring him completely and focusing my attention on where my mother sits, holding a glass of white wine, a shawl draped over her shoulders.
“You should have told me.”
Mom just continues to smile at me. “I said I made a reservation for us for dinner.”
