Page 62 of Between the Lines

She stood, shook the sand from her towel, and gathered up her things. It was time for Robbie to do some adulting. When he got home, they were going to have a serious conversation and if she had to give him an ultimatum, she would.

It was unfair for her to be in the middle of this.

Maude went straight home from the beach, still sandy and a little tired in the good way. She put a pot of rice on the stove before heading in to shower. A big pot. Enough for leftovers. Not that they’d last that long with Robbie in the house.

After her quick shower, she chopped some of the veggies she had on hand, thanks to her potted garden and her last trip to the store. A little onion, some red bell pepper, and two small zucchinis.

Then she cut up a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and seasoned them the way she always did, which was more instinctual than according to any recipe.

She stirred, added the vegetables in, and let them cook. Once the chicken was done, she folded everything into the rice and added a little more salt and pepper, plus a good-sized knob of butter, because why not?

While it sat, she washed her hands and picked up her phone and sent Ollie a quick text. If you and Milo want company on your evening walk, I’m around.

She hit Send, then tucked the phone into the pocket of her shorts and fixed herself a big bowl of the dinner she’d made. She grabbed a fork, and a bottle of water, and carried everything out to the porch.

The color of the sky had already begun to shift, the blue deepening toward evening. She sat in her usual chair, bare legs crossed, the warmth of the bowl seeping into her palms.

Across the way, Ned’s back door opened. He stepped out in his usual uniform. Khaki pants, a button-down plaid short-sleeve shirt, and orthopedic sneakers. His dog, Cookie, trotted down the steps and immediately rolled in the grass. Ned laughed at her. He looked up and saw Maude and gave her a wave.

“Evening, Maude,” he called.

“Evening,” she said, lifting her fork in greeting.

Cookie, who had more enthusiasm than coordination, tore around the yard like she’d been released from captivity, then stopped short when she spotted Maude. Her tail went into overdrive, and she gave a little bark.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Maude said.

Cookie barked again, then ran a tight circle around Ned’s legs.

“She thinks everyone’s here to see her,” Ned said.

“She might be right,” Maude replied. Cookie was a little full of herself, like most Chihuahuas.

Ned laughed and eased himself down onto his own steps, watching Cookie investigate the yard like it was brand new. Maude ate slowly, the rice still steaming, the porch floor warm beneath her feet. The neighborhood hummed with sounds. Distant voices, music playing somewhere, the faint che-che-che of a lawn sprinkler.

She’d just finished the last bite when she heard the familiar rumble of Robbie’s truck.

It pulled into the driveway and the engine cut off. A second later, Robbie came into the house and, a second after that, he stuck his head through the open sliders, his shoulders slumped with the kind of tired that came from a day of physical work.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey, yourself,” Maude replied. “Dinner’s on the stove. Big pot of chicken and rice. Help yourself.”

His face softened immediately. “You’re the best.”

“I know,” she said, without looking smug. “Get your dish then come out here. We need to talk.”

He took a breath but said nothing as he went inside. Maude took a sip of her water. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation, but it needed to happen.

Robbie came out onto the porch with his bowl balanced in both hands and a bottle of water tucked in the crook of one arm. He dropped into the chair across from Maude and took a few bites like he hadn’t eaten all day.

“This is good,” he said. “Really good.”

“Thanks,” Maude said. “I made enough for a few days.”

He smiled faintly and kept eating. The neighborhood had quieted, the sky dimming toward blue-gray. Ned and Cookie had already gone in.

Maude watched Robbie for a moment, then said, “Mom called me today.”