Maggie was waiting with her cell phone in hand. She looked up when Lena approached, and a deep line creased her brow.
Lena parked the stroller next to the table and checked Ella was still sleeping. “Did Jess say when she was coming? Should I take Ella upstairs or leave her here?”
“I haven’t heard from her yet.” When Maggie shook her head, her impeccable gray updo barely moved. That was different from her usual loose bun that defied gravity with a couple of pencils and luck.
Lena gave her a second look. Maggie’s outfit was different too—a neatly pressed dress. No grass stains or wrinkles. “You look great. Are you meeting someone? A date?”
“What has happened to feminism that you assume I’d only dress up if I had a date?” Maggie tutted.
“You’re right.” Lena sat down, stretched out her legs, and looked at her own loose linen pants, crinkled after a day of wear. Comfortable but far from elegant. “And what do I know about dates or dressing up anyway? It’s been ages for me.”
“Really? I thought…” Maggie studied Lena like one of her rare plants. “What about you and Jess?”
“Jess?” Her voice came out shrill, and she swallowed to get it back under control. “Why would you think that? We’re just friends.” With benefits, but she didn’t need to say that out loud. To Jess’s mother. Heat shot to her cheeks, and she bent down to adjust the closures of her sandals that didn’t need adjusting.
“I might be old, but I’m not blind. Wasn’t that a date three weeks ago, when you both dressed up? You two weren’t wearing that nice dress and that suit to clean her apartment.”
Reluctantly, Lena sat up again. Maggie’s voice was still friendly, but would she approve of Lena dating her daughter? She had too much debt, no education, nothing to offer. Not that they were dating. They were friends who’d had fun—twice. How could she explain their non-relationship to Jess’s mother? She wasn’t sure she understood the rules and boundaries herself. “Um… We… It’s not…”
Maggie reached over and lightly squeezed Lena’s knee. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. You’re both adults.”
Lena sank back in her chair. “It’s complicated. We’re friends, but the rest is still…open.” And whatever it was, it didn’t seem to be a priority for Jess, as they’d barely spent any time together.
Again, that intense gaze held hers. But Maggie’s smile was far from judgmental. The acceptance and affection reminded her of her grandma. “Whenever you want to talk about it, you can come to me. I might be Jess’s mother, but I cherish you as a friend too and won’t automatically take her side.”
Lena blinked as tears rose. Luck and a random chat with a stranger at the market had led her to this wonderful place, and hearing their friendship was mutual warmed her more than she could say. “Thank you.”
The vibration of an incoming message rattled Maggie’s phone. She looked at it and sighed. “I better call my friends and cancel dinner. Jess is running late again.”
“Wait, don’t cancel your plans. I can watch Ella until she gets here.”
“It might be late, and you’re already doing so much for her.”
“It’s no problem. I’ll put Ella to bed, and then sit here and sketch a bit.”
“Thank you.” Maggie stood and hugged her, then leaned in the stroller to whisper a goodbye to Ella.
Darkness had settled around the cocoon of light on the patio when steps on the gravel announced Jess’s arrival.
“Oh, hi, Lena. Where’s Mom?” Jess’s grin was unapologetic. Did she really think this behavior was acceptable?
“She’s out.”
“Out? What about Ella?”
“What do you think? I didn’t have anything better to do with my evening.” Lena pushed the baby monitor toward her.
It tumbled over and nearly slid off the table. Jess caught it at the last moment and carefully placed it back on the table.
Oops. That hadn’t been intentional, but Lena wasn’t in the mood to apologize. She raised her chin.
“You didn’t need to sacrifice your evening to watch her. My mom said she would do it.”
“And she would have. But she had plans, and I didn’t.”
“She didn’t say anything about plans.”
“Did you even ask? It’s Friday evening, and your mother has friends. Have you even considered the possibility Maggie is giving up much of her well-earned rest and plans for you?”
“Don’t you think this conversation should be between her and me? You’re not her daughter.”
Lena flinched. That was true. She wasn’t Maggie’s daughter, but she still cared about her. Right now, she seemed to care more than Jess did. “Yes, you should absolutely have this conversation with your mother, but I see a side of her that you can’t.” She stood with the intention to leave.
“What makes you think that?” Jess’s question stopped Lena before she’d gone more than a couple of steps.
She faced Jess. “Because you’re never here. And when you are, you’re too self-absorbed to see. You don’t see how she always prepares an extra portion of dinner in case you’re hungry when you come in the evening. You don’t see her tired in the morning because she took care of Ella during the night when you were on call or couldn’t make it. She’s retired, and you’re making her work twenty-four-seven.”
“I’m not making her do anything. She offered, and I accepted. She loves her granddaughter.” The lack of remorse in Jess’s voice was maddening.
“Of course she loves her, and she loves you too. That’s why she’s doing it. Like my grandma took care of me without a second thought.” Anger at her own mother rose like a badly buried fire in the wind. “But it aged her to have a baby again when she had already raised one difficult daughter. I’m sure that’s why she had a stroke in her early sixties.” Jess’s
