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“Uh-huh.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, just like she’d done when I was a kid. She always knew. “Is it something at work?”
“No.”
“Delaney?”
I pressed my lips together, my chest tightening at her name.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“Let me just drop off the casserole to your brother. Go on in and fix yourself a cup of coffee, I’ll be right back.”
Five minutes later, we were sitting together at the kitchen table, two steaming mugs of coffee in front of us. I stared down at my hands, picking idly at a hangnail. My mom sat quietly, waiting for me to say something. The clock ticked loudly in the quiet.
“Delaney might move back to New York.”
“Oh. That’s surprising.”
I exhaled, hard and loud. “Yeah, I thought she was here for the duration. But her ex-boyfriend offered her the chance to start a second bakery in Manhattan and she’s thinking about doing it.”
“I see.” My mom nodded, her eyes thoughtful. “That does seem like it could be quite a good opportunity for her.”
I sat back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest. “I guess.”
“And you’re worried you won’t be able to make a long-distance relationship work?”
“No.” I paused, took a deep breath. “Well, I guess. Itcouldwork, it’s just a lot more work.”
“Quinn, honey,” she rubbed my arm, “do you love Delaney?”
I swallowed hard over the massive lump in my throat, staring down at a wood knot in the table. “Yes.”
“Then you’ll find a way to make it work.” She patted my arm, full of confidence I wished I felt.
“What about the saying, ‘If you love someone, let them go?’” I asked, furrowing my brow. “Maybe it just isn’t meant to be.”
“Hogwash. If you love someone, you work together to find a solution. Do you think things were always easy for me and your dad?” she asked, her lips turned up in amusement.
I shook my head. “Probably not. But you made it look like they were.”
My mom chuckled. “Maybe I should’ve been an actress then. There were plenty of times when I felt overwhelmed, your father was busy at the store, and I was barely hanging on. But we made it work.”
“How can I do that if Delaney’s all the way in New York though?”
“They do have this modern invention I’ve heard of, the airplane. I’m sure you could visit and she would fly home some too. It’s not like she’d be leaving Peachtree Grove forever, her family’s still here and she does have a bakery in town. I’m sure it’d be a temporary thing.”
“I dunno, maybe. The ex-boyfriend is up there.” I grimaced, thinking about that tool.
“Ah, the bigger issue. I’m sure she’s not hung up on him. I’ve seen how the two of you are together. That’s real, honey. Trust me.”
My heart pounded a little faster at her words. My mom always could read a situation; maybe she saw something I’d missed.
“I’m not great at relationships, Mom. Look how Julia turned out.” I laid my palms flat on the table, defeated.
“Julia was a mistake, agreed. Honestly, I never liked her for you. But Delaney isn’t Julia, remember that, Quinn.”
Mom stood up then, taking both our coffee mugs to the sink, emptying and loading them into the dishwasher. She crossed back over to me, wrapping her thin arms around my shoulders and squeezing.
