Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Damn it,” I groan under my breath. Why do I have to have such great people in my life who desperately want to look out for my well being?
“Come on,” she says, tugging on my arm. “I’ll get your things in a bit. I just want to get inside and relax for a while. It was a long flight, you know?”
“Oh, I know,” I say, having done it a handful of times myself. I mean, it’s not great. It’s long and boring and if you forget your Kindle, it’s even worse.
We get inside and mom dumps her handbag on the hallway table as she walks straight past and out towards the den. “So,” she says. “When are you going to spill the beans on Nate?” she grins at my wide eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“Ahhhhhhh….”
“You’re together now?”
I look around for anything else to talk about. “Ahhhhhhhh……”
Mom grins. “Give it up, chickpea. Trish told me weeks ago, but even if she didn’t, I would have worked it out pretty damn fast. You’re in love, aren’t you?”
My face instantly flushes as mom drops down onto the couch and pats the empty spot beside her. I can’t resist and flop down into her open arms. “Yes,” I say with a grin the size of Texas.
“I always knew you two would get together.”
“How’d you know that?” I scoff. “I’ve absolutely hated him for the past five years.”
“I know,” she grins. “And that makes it so much better.”
“Answer the question,” I tell her.
“Oh, fine,” she groans as she relaxes back into the couch, pulling me right along with her. “He’d watch you like you were the sun in the sky. I’d catch him all the time and it was always when you weren’t watching. It was the sweetest thing.”
“What?” I grunt. “And you didn’t tell me? What kind of BS is that?”
“The kind of BS that I wanted you to realize on your own.”
“Huh? I grunt
“If I had told you, you might have held yourself back and closed off your heart to him out of your sheer stubbornness, but this way it happened naturally, the way it was intended.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I grumble. “I still would have preferred a heads up.”
“Well, tough luck,” she says with a proud smile. “Now, give me all the details. I’ve been dying to know how it all happened.”
A permanent smile sets itself over my face as I launch into my recap, giving only the details which any regular parents should know, you know, leaving out the details about how he took my virginity and has screwed me up against every available wall and surface in their house.
It takes me all the way until the end of my story to realize that the house is too quiet. No whir of the coffee machine. No light music playing in the study. No thumping footsteps from the second story. “Where’s dad?” I ask as all the options start going through my mind. I mean, it’s possible he went over to the police station to talk to Officer Holden about the break in.
Mom cringes and I see a strange hurt in her eyes. She lets out a breath as sorrow washes over her features. “Oh, honey,” she sighs as she turns to face me straight on. “I’ve been trying to avoid saying anything. I should have known you’d ask about it.”
“About what?” I ask, slightly confused. “Where is he?”
“He’s not coming,” mom says as she reaches out and takes my hand in hers.
“What do you mean?” I question. “He’s not coming home? He’s still in Australia?” Mom nods her head and presses her lips into a firm line as her eyes grow watery. “So, what?” I question. “Is he staying to finish up with the sale of Nanna’s house?”
She scrunches her face up. “Well… no.”
“Huh?” I grunt as I search mom’s eyes for some kind of answers. “What are you talking about? I’m confused.”
She lets out another sigh as a tear drops from her eye. Mom squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry, baby,” she coos. “He’s not coming back. His firm had an emergency in their London offices. He’s been reassigned there for a little while.”
“What?” I whisper as I search my mother’s face, waiting for her to tell me this is some kind of sick joke. “But…”
“I know, baby,” she soothes as my heart shatters. “It’s surprising for me too.”
My eyes begin to water and the second mom pulls me in, the tears turn into great big sobs. I crush my face into her chest and let her hold me as the tears roll down my face. “How can,” sob, “they do this?” sniffle, “Don’t they know he hasn’t been home?”
Mom runs her fingers through my hair, the same way she used to when I was a kid. “I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past forty-eight hours, but you know your father. He’ll come back as soon as he can.”