AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her voice was muffled against my chest as she held onto me. “I don’t, either. But we had thirty-six good years together, and I’m not going to forget them simply because of this. I refuse to be bitter.”
I closed my eyes and rested my cheek on the top of her head. Was it as easy as refusing to do it? I could already feel the tendrils of bitterness worming into my heart. Howdarehe? And Jasmine? She sounded like an eighteen-year-old stripper. Oh, man. What if she was? And he got upset at the term “midlife crisis”? You shouldn’tbea cliché if you didn’t want to get compared to one.
I sighed. “How about we order pizza, and I can spend the night?”
“You don’t have to do that, honey. You have your own life. I just thought it would be better—easier—to tell you in person.”
I eased back and looked at my mom’s face. There were some little lines that showed the passing years, but I’d always thought she was beautiful. I still did.
Dad was an idiot.
I kissed her forehead. “I’m staying. Don’t argue.”
Her smile flashed and I thought I saw a hint of relief in her eyes for just a moment. “All right. I think there are some pajamas in your room still. If not, your father didn’t take all his things. Go change into something more comfortable than a suit, and I’ll call in the pizza.”
“Don’t forget the spicy sausage. If Dad’s not here, at least he won’t ruin our pizza with his ulcer.”
Mom chuckled. Maybe it sounded like it turned into a sob at the end, but she nodded and shooed at me to go.
I climbed the stairs and went to my old bedroom and looked around. This room had always been familiar. Comforting.
Now I could only wonder how long it had hidden lies.
22
MEGAN
“Ibrought pizza.” Jenna held up two large boxes as she came through the bookstore door. “It’s Friday night and we don’t eat pizza nearly as often as we should.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not convinced there’s a ‘should’ involved when it comes to pizza.”
Jenna gawked. “Seriously? How are we friends?”
“Well, see, you’re friends with Noah and he recommended you to Austin, and—”
“Okay, okay,” Jenna laughed and lifted a hand. “Stop. I get it. And still. Pizza. It’s practically an American pastime.”
“That’s baseball.” I sighed. “Honestly. You should read more.”
Jenna grinned and headed toward the seating area. When she got there, she stopped. “What did you do?”
“Oh. I rearranged.” I headed over and propped my hands on my hips. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure.”
I tried to see it through her eyes. I’d put a low table in front of the couch, making it easier for someone to carry a pile of books over and look through them. I’d taken the armchairs and made two little two-person groupings out of them. The café had let me take two small round tables they’d been planning to throw away. They wobbled, but that had been easy enough to fix. All in all, the space worked better for smaller groups. And let’s be real, most of what I got were smaller groups. “We can drag a chair over on Fridays. But it’s less intimidating this way.”
Jenna set the pizzas on the table in front of the couch, then sat. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I smiled and put action to my words by scooting one of the chairs closer before plopping into it. “See?”
“Who do you think we’re expecting tonight?”
“Whitney’s back in town. I’m not sure if she’ll bring Beckett or leave him with Scott. As far as I know, Kayla will be here. So the usual?”
“I probably went overboard on the pizza. But that’s fine. I like it cold.” Jenna leaned back and tipped her head on the back of the couch so she was staring at the ceiling. “Did you hear Noah’s going to buy the house?”
“I hadn’t. That’s good, right?”
