Page 16 of Her Favorite Fumble
Lucy forced herself to relax her jaw and her grip on her phone. Iris wasn’t going to even broach the subject of the Fairee debacle because, deep down, she was ashamed of not sticking up for her daughter and wouldn’t want to admit it out loud.
“She’s great.” She wasn’t sure why, but she kept the fact Helen was off on an adventure to herself.
“Good. I worry about her living in that cottage all by herself.”
Not worried enough to actually call, Lucy thought. “Mom, she does 5k charity runs. I think it’s going to be a long time before Gran’s worried about living in the cottage alone.”
“She may not be worried, but I am. It’s hard to have an aging mother so far away. I really wish she’d sell it and move into a retirement home where people can keep an eye on her.”
Lucy wondered if Iris would be so worried if Helen lived in a plain old house in the woods somewhere in the middle of the state. The uncharitable thoughtshouldmake her feel guilty, but her mother’s attraction to men grew stronger with every dollar in their bank accounts. It wasn’t far-fetched to suspect Iris’s concern for Helen was driven by the property’s value.
But she also knew if she pointed out Iris hadn’t given a thought to Helen’s welfare until Lucy was in a position to potentially manipulate her grandmother, there would be raging and tears that wouldn’t end until Lucy apologized just to make it stop. She wasn’t in the mood to hear it, especially from a woman who’d chosen her boyfriend—who was noticeably dragging his feet on engagement ring shopping—over her own daughter in crisis.
“I’ll bring it up,” she said finally. “If I have concerns.”
“You don’t want to leave it too late, honey. You’d never be able to live with yourself if something happens to her and you could have prevented it.”
Lucy blinked away the angry tears filling her eyes. Iris didn’t used to be so…toxic. They’d been incredibly close during Lucy’s teen years, but her mother seemed to get more desperate with every passing year.
Desperate for what, she didn’t know. Security? Love? Money? But Iris was always chasing something, and that something was usually a man with the means and desire to take care of her.
“I have to go, Mom,” she said once she was sure she could speak. “My battery’s almost dead, but I’ll call you soon.”
Once she was off the phone, Lucy snuggled deeper into the fleece blankets. She left an opening around her eyes and nose, though, so she could breathe. And also so she could look out over the water.
A few minutes later, she heard a truck pull into the driveway and peeked out of the blanket burrito to see Nick walking toward her.
“You okay?” he asked. “You were so still I thought you’d dumped a pile of blankets in the chair, but then I saw your feet and was afraid you’d actually suffocated yourself this time.”
“Very funny,” she said as he dropped into the other chair. “I called my mom to let her know where I am.”
He nodded, his gaze locked on the horizon. “Did she know you were coming here?”
“No.”
“So you left Las Vegas and drove all the way here, and you’ve been here for a couple of days, and she still hadn’t calledyou?”
Lucy shrugged one shoulder, which he probably couldn’t see because the gesture barely shifted the blankets. “I’m an adult, and she’s not exactly the helicopter mom type.”
“Did she ask how long you’re staying?”
She snorted, seeing right through the attempt to get that information for himself. “No, but she did ask me to convince Gran to sell this place and move into a retirement home.”
She wasn’t sure why she told him that. Talking about some of her mother’s less attractive personality traits wasn’t her style, and it certainly wouldn’t improve Nick’s view of the situation any. But there was something about sitting on the porch with him that made her comfortable sharing.
Nick looked at her, and she held her breath because it looked like his lipsmightcurve into an actual smile. “I’d like to be in earshot when you suggest that to Helen.”
“Great way to pay her back for her hospitality, right?”
“Honestly, it’s probably something she’d expect from her daughter.” He cleared his throat. “Everybody knows they’re not close.”
“It just feels so gross.” When he turned so he was looking at her, that familiar neutral expression on his face, she tilted her head. “What?”
“Trust me when I tell you I donotwant to wade into your family business, but…there’s Helen, you know? So I’m just trying to figure out where your head is on this before I say anything.”
“Where my head is? I’m angry that I have a mother whose only reaction to finding out I’ve driven all the way across the country is to realize she might have an opportunity to grow Gran’s bank account, which I guess she thinks she’ll inherit. I’m offended she thought I’d just go along with it. I’m sad for Gran. And because I’m mad, I’m getting hot in these blankets, but I know if I throw one off, then I’ll be cold. That’s where my head is.”
Was it just her imagination, or did his face actually soften? “I’m sorry your mother’s putting you in this position, but the important thing is that youknowshe’s doing it. Will you tell Helen?”
