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I chuckled.
‘It’s called ghosting, Mum, and I’m not avoiding you. I’m just on Euro time, laid back and jelly.’
‘I remember when one look from me, and you’d turn into jelly, back when you feared me. Now all you do is not call your mother.’
‘Mother, now that I’m on holiday, you’ll get more of my love.’
‘I’d better.’
A genuine smile tugged at my lips. ‘How’s the agency?’
‘Flooded with contracts,’ she sighed, though I caught the satisfaction in her voice.
She managed eighty traveling nurses across three counties, a logistical puzzle she solved daily to my ongoing amazement.
‘Your father is in theater right now, his hands deep in someone’s chest on a complicated heart bypass. I’ll tell him you called. But tell me about my grandson. Is he eating? Is he sunburned?’
‘He’s turning into a fish. Safe, fed, and dark as a chestnut.’
‘And Ana?’ Yumi’s tone shifted, dropping the playfulness for the maternal cadence she always used when she meant business. ‘Have you spoken to her? She’s out in Ethiopia, Deacon. Alone, without you. I pray for that girl every night. You two need to stop this foolishness and find your way back together.’
The mention of my ex’s name brought the familiar squeeze in my chest.
‘She’s working, Ma. We’re fine. We’re just where we are.’
‘You’re both pig-headed,’ she chided. ‘However, you still adore each other even if you two refuse to admit it. That said, I sense you will reunite again.’
‘How? She’s married to someone else,’ I reminded her.
‘And so? Love pushes through all barriers.’
Yumi had never accepted our breakup was real.
That, and her love for Ana, meant she brought up her wild hopes of our reunion every chance she got.
‘Enough of my mama dreams. Please tell Raff I adore him. Oh, and your sister Divina is dating a doctor at her clinic who’s useless with cars, so she dropped her ride off at our place because her alternator blew again. Your brother, Davon, is a whiz with engines, as you know. She asked him to fix it, but he’s too busy chasing some girl from his gym to repair it, so she’s mad at him. It’s total chaos here.’
‘Tell Davon I’ll thrash him if he doesn’t help Divina,’ I murmured, amused by the antics of my younger siblings, twins who adored each other yet fought like dogs. ‘Love you, Ma. Tell Dad I said hi.’
I hung up the phone with a grin, fast-forwarding in my mind to a few weeks from now, when Mum, Dad, and my siblings would be joining us at the villa for a week of family time.
It’d be bedlam, but I was looking forward to spending time with my close-knit family.
I prowled into the kitchen, the marble floor cool under my bare soles.
Christine stood by the laundry, folding a massive stack of white towels, her face peaceful as she hummed along to a song on the local radio.
‘I’ve got lunch, Chris,’ I said, pulling ingredients from the fridge. ‘Take a break, put up your feet and sip on a lemonade until the food’s ready.’
She took my advice to heart, settling by the pool with a book, a drink, and a smile.
In the kitchen, I sliced cheese, cured meat, crusty bread, lettuce, and fat heirloom tomatoes, assembling three massive sandwiches.
I also made fresh strawberry shakes and called the pair in when it was all done.
Raff sprinted in, smelling of sun and chlorine, his hair standing up in damp spikes.
Christine joined us, and we sat at the long marble island, devouring the food as Raff prattled on about taking his drone camera to the beach later.
