AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know you’re not trying to. You don’t have to try anything, because you’reyou.”
The way she says it makes me feel like it's an insult.
“Ouch.”
When she lifts her head, the response I get is an eye roll. I think it’s directed more at the situation, the lack of options than towards me. I could be wrong.
Sick of dancing around what we’re both thinking, I motion between us.
“Is this that bad?”
She flinches at the words, like they physically hurt her. It didn’t feel great to say them either.
“Yeah.”
Blowing out a shaky breath, it hits me that I agree with her.
As if emphasizing just how bad it is, my mother chooses that moment to blow into the building like a windstorm. Her hands full of shopping bags, her cell phone pressed between her cheek and shoulder. She’s trying her best to politely disagree with whoever’s on the other end of the call, when she stops midsentence at the sight of us.
I straighten and step away from Autumn’s desk so fast that it has to look suspicious. We might as well have been making out, given her reaction. She lets the phone drop, landing on the hard floor with a dramatic clatter.
It’s good she has a phone case that could keep it alive in the midst of a tornado.
“What are you doing?” Her tone is accusatory.
“Talking.”
She doesn’t even hide how pissed off she is, and practically throws the bags onto the floor before grabbing her phone.
“Sorry,Justin. I’ll have to give you a call back, honey.”
I attempt to hide my cringe at her emphasis on his name. The two people that make the woman I care about so anxious. The reasons we’re struggling so hard to be friends, but can’t be more.
The look on my mother’s face makes me get it, nowI’mfucking anxious.
“You can close up,” she says tightly to Autumn. “Doesn’t look like there’s much going on.”
“Sure,” she responds shakily. Then, standing, she avoids looking at either of us and goes to pull the blinds down over the front windows.
The glare I’m met with when my attention lands back on my mother makes me want to scream. It makes no sense to me that she’s this angry, not when she adores Autumn most of the time. I don’t believe that she thinks she’s trying to protect her sons. She can’t actually thinkweneed protecting fromher? Autumn is the one that needed protecting all those years ago.
“You forgot to tell her about the party.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She didn’t get an invite.”
“Correct.”
That’s all she says. She doesn’t elaborate.
“Why?”
“It’s okay.” I hear from the other voice in the room.
My mother gives her a smile that doesn’t fully reach her eyes.
“I didn’t think you’d want to hang out with our clients outside of your work day.”
