“A really good place, it sounds like.” Kendra gave her a cheekysmile and sipped her drink.
Jacqueline laughed. She could always count on Kendra for awelcoming shoulder and a bad joke.
*
“What’s up, dude?” Casey called to Sean as she walked into theliving room with one of her larger camera bags slung over her shoulder. She’dreturned from an outdoor shoot, surprised to find his car in her driveway on aTuesday afternoon. Since she apparently had some muscle waiting, she’d left thebulk of her gear in the car for him to fetch later. He sat half-reclined on thecouch with a bowl of popcorn in his lap.
He gave her a look that said she was too old to say dude. “Cable’s out inthe dorms.”
“God forbid you study instead.”
“Exactly.” He grinned at her. “Besides, I needed to do laundry.”
“You usually wait until the weekend. Have you got a hot date orsomething?”
He suddenly found something very interesting in his popcorn bowl.
“You do!” She’d been teasing, but she knew his guilty look. Sheplopped down next to him, purposely sitting closer than he would prefer. “Whois she?”
She could practically see him weighing the idea of stonewallingbefore he spoke. “A girl in my Intro to Ag Engineering class.”
She raised her brows, prompting him to go on.
“Mom, she’s just a girl. I barely know her.”
“What’s her name?”
“Gemma.”
“So you met her in class and asked her out?” He’d had one seriousgirlfriend in high school, but after they’d broken up, he’d only datedoccasionally. She always required him to tell her who he was hanging out with,friends or girlfriends. She’d known his closest friends, but he didn’t sharemore than he had to about girls.
“Something like that.” He glanced up. “We’re just going to a movie.Don’t make a big deal.”
She stifled her urge to question him further. He genuinely seemednervous. “Do you need any money—for the movie or dinner?”
He shook his head. “I’m a grown man. I don’t need my mom to payfor my dates.”
“You’re a college student. Don’t be too proud.”
“I’m good. But thanks.”
“Okay. Have you talked to Mama?” She shouldn’t use her son to getinformation about her ex. That wasn’t good parenting. She hadn’t been braveenough to call Jacqueline yet. She hadn’t made any decisions in the three dayssince she’d last seen her. Every time she tried to sort out what she wanted, orwhere they might end up, her mind teased her with images of their afternoon inbed. She couldn’t possibly be objective about the future when she could onlyfocus on the feeling of being in Jacqueline’s arms.
“Nope.” He shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth. Andshe thought that might be all she’d get out of him. “She’s in Atlanta.”
Atlanta.Marti. “She said she’d be out of town, but I don’t think she said where.”
“Yeah, until Thursday. Meetings or something. You know, importantstuff.”
That certainly sounded better than saying she’d run off toAtlanta for some no-strings sex to chase what they’d done out of her head. Shecouldn’t even wait long enough for Casey to come to her before she went lookingfor a diversion.
“What’s going on with you two anyway?” He glanced at her, but hisgaze seemed sharper, as if he was forcing nonchalance.
“Nothing.” Did he hear her voice waver? “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately. Are yougetting back together?”
“It sounds like you don’t want us to.”
“It’s not that simple. I did. When I was a kid, for a long time Iwanted you guys to make up. But what kid doesn’t want their parents together?Being adopted and having two moms already made me different. Having two momswho are also dating other women—” He stopped, seemingly at a loss as to how toexplain.
“Wasn’t easy, huh?”
“So maybe there’s a part of me that will always want that.” Heturned toward her, fully engaging. “Nina and I were never going to be bestfriends. But it seemed like you were happy with her. If it’s not her, theremust be someone else out there for you.”
“Just not Mama.”
“I don’t know. Maybe Mama isn’t so good at being with one personfor a long time.”
“Actually, she was pretty good at it. We spent thirteen yearswith each other.” Casey’s throat ached and tears burned her eyes. She brushedthe fringe of his hair back off his face, surprised that he didn’t pull away.“I know it’s hard to remember past those last few years, but there was atime—your mama and I were very good to each other.”
“Until me?”
“Oh, baby—”
“You know what, just forget it.” He turned back toward thetelevision and pulled the popcorn bowl into his lap.
She’d heard him try to shut down after a similar discussion withJacqueline, and she wouldn’t let him do it again. “Sean, look at me.” His jawtightened in resistance, and when he yielded to her mom-voice and turned hishead, his eyes flashed with a lingering trace of defiance. “Our problemsweren’t simple. I don’t think any couple’s are. But you were not the cause ofthem.” She squeezed his shoulder.
“Do you still love her?”
“Of course. Always will. But being together takes more than justlove.”
He tilted his head and she waited, despite the urge to fill thesilence. Finally, he nodded and lifted his chin toward the bag she’d dropped bythe end of the couch. “Since that’s all you brought in, I’m guessing you havestuff in the car I need to grab.”
“You’re such a great son.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Maybe I’ll call Poppa and see if he wants company for dinner. Doyou want to go with me?”
He shrugged. “Sure.” He grabbed another handful of popcorn as hestood up.
“Are you even going to be hungry?”
He gave her the smart-ass look he’d learned from Jacqueline whenhe was six. “Have you met me?” He stuck out his stomach and slapped his handagainst it, grinning at the hollow-watermelon sound.
While he unloaded the car, Casey grabbed her camera bag and wentinto her studio. At her desk,
