Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Did Barbara just borrow them and forget to bring them back?”
Regina grunted. “They’re wildly expensive to have just ‘borrowed.’”
“Wildly?” I asked, turning to look at my daughter, who was all teeth with her guilty smile.
“But Hannah gets things comped when she works with the gallery for Aaron Sutter,” Regina assured me as she put on the earrings.
“Oh yeah?” I nodded, looking at my daughter as she leaned into me and kissed my cheek before hugging me tight.
“Yes,” Regina assured me. “It’s because Hannah has such flawless taste, and he knows she’ll do such a great job. I know he adores her.”
I grunted as my daughter squeezed me again, trying to make sure I didn’t say a word to her grandmother to contradict the fiction Hannah had told her. “Here, take this to your father, and this is yours.”
Taking both plates, I got another kiss, and she was gone.
“I’m not stupid,” Regina told me the second I was alone with her and the others in my kitchen. “I know she finds treasures and pays for them, but I also know it makes her happy, and it’s not coming out of your bank account.”
“No, it’s not,” I said, chuckling. “I don’t think I could afford whatever Metier earrings run.”
She nodded.
“They’re not really Metier,” Carmella croaked, stepping in close to Regina to inspect the vintage gold earrings dangling from her lobes, “are they?”
I wasn’t about to have that discussion and was relieved when Sam came into the kitchen for horseradish for his roast beef, which sometimes he liked and sometimes he didn’t. He saw his mother and walked over to her and squinted. “When did you find those? I was glad when they went missing.”
“I’m sorry?” Regina sounded affronted.
“They’re a little wild for you, aren’t they?”
“Wild for me?” she repeated.
He shrugged.
“Are you implying that I’m old?”
His grimace was next, and her indrawn breath made me start backing out of the kitchen.
“I’ll have you know I used to go dancing at Studio 54 back in the day.”
“That’s what I mean, like way back in the day, right? I mean, maybe you should stick with pearls now, huh?”
She turned her head to me.
“No, don’t look at me,” I ordered, pointing at her son. “That’s all him.”
“Samuel Thomas Kage,” she began, and that was it, I bolted. So not getting in the middle of that.
Hours later, after the fireworks in the kitchen were over, after the yelling changed to laughing and hugging, I went upstairs to sit for a moment and ended up curled up on my bed, on the many throw pillows, with Chilly, who was always there lately, and passed out. I had no idea I was so tired, but it was dark by the time I walked back downstairs.
Sam was asleep on the couch, stretched out, with Hannah sitting at his feet doing something on her phone. Kola was playing Skyrim, Jake was sketching something, and Harper was reading.
“Hey, Pa, you’re up,” Kola greeted me. “Are you hungry? We’re thinking pizza or Korean. Which one do you want?”
“Korean,” I answered.
“I will order it now,” Hannah informed me.
Walking over to Jake, I crouched down beside him. “Did you call your mom?”
“I’ll call tomorrow,” he told me, smiling,
The only reason he was thinking of calling today was to tell her he’d be too busy on the actual day and wouldn’t have time. That he was going to make sure he got in touch with her on Mother’s Day was a very good thing.
“I’m glad.”
He nodded.
Walking into the kitchen, I got a glass of water and was surprised when arms were wrapped around me.
“You should go back and lie down,” I told my husband, turning my head to kiss under his jaw.
“I wanted to lie down with you, but I fell asleep too.”
I chuckled. “We’re gettin’ old.”
“I’m hurt, and you’ve been doing my job plus yours. We’re not old, we’re human.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“You know, for the record, I would change nothing about my life with you.”
“Oh no,” I groaned. “What was said?”
“That’s not important,” he rumbled, which told me Barbara had confessed, and there must have been talking after I passed out. “What is important is that you and my kids—sometimes I have nightmares that I’m not me, and I don’t have you guys, and I wake up and you’re beside me and I can breathe again.”
I turned in his arms so I could see his face.
“I just need you to know that.”
“Honey, I know,” I assured him, lifting up on my toes, tilting my head for the kiss.
He bent slightly and sealed his words for me.
“Are you kidding?” Hannah lamented. “Marie, are you kidding?”
We both turned to look at her as she walked into the kitchen.
“You yell at her, and you want me to make candles with flowers from a terrified florist? Are you on glue? Imagine, if you will, what would be released when those burn. Terror? Frustration? Anger? Yeah, for sure that’s what I want to celebrate on Litha.”