I’m giving you until ten to get here. If you don’t show up, I will come over there and drag your ass out.” After that, she hung up, giving me no chance to argue.
Looked like I’d be having breakfast with my mom.
Chapter Ten
Avery
I sat at the table across from my mom and Robert. They had invited me for lunch, and I needed the distraction. It beat sitting in my apartment, pitying myself.
There was no use crying over the impossible.
“How is Kade doing?” Robert’s question caught me off guard, and I choked on the piece of chicken I was attempting to chew. He was the last topic I expected to come up.
“I guess he’s okay. I mean, I haven’t seen him much over the last several weeks. He stays pretty busy with the shop and everything else.” I used the best excuse I could come up with.
Robert nodded as he picked at his food. An uncomfortable silence stretched out.
“We decided to take that Alaskan cruise,” my mom piped up, breaking the silence. “It took a lot of pushing on my part, but this big lug decided giving in was his best option.” She nudged Robert with her shoulder, and he offered her a smile.
“That’s great,” I said. “When do you leave?”
My stepfather put his arm over my mother’s shoulders. “We leave next Tuesday, and we’ll be gone for ten days.” He pulled her toward him and kissed her temple. “It’ll be good for us.”
The comment made me a little nervous. Had they been having problems I wasn’t aware of? I brushed the idea away, because honestly they were almost too perfect to be true sometimes. I was overthinking every situation after my fallout with Kade, and it was easy to let my mind wander. “You both deserve some time away. Take lots of pictures, though,” I insisted.
“See, um…” My mother leaned forward and placed her arms on the table in front of her. “We purchased three tickets.”
I looked over her shoulder at my stepfather, who leaned back in his chair next to her, smiling.
“What do you mean, three tickets?”
“We want you to come too,” she said. “You’ve worked so hard, and you deserve a little break too.”
“Mom, I can’t just pick up and leave. I just started at the hospital. Asking for time off so soon…” But even as I said it, I sensed she’d already handled the matter. My mother was best friends with the chief of staff at the hospital, so calling in a favor to get me time off was nothing. I just didn’t like the idea of her using her connections to get me special treatment.
“Let us do this, Avery,” she said. “We want to do this.”
Like refusing my mother was a possibility. She’d always been one of those mothers all my friends wished for. She had given up so much to make sure I had an amazing life and never once made me feel like I couldn’t come to her with anything. Even after my father left us, she continued to push forward.
“I’m sensing you’ve already taken care of the hospital.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she and my stepfather smiled in return. “Well then, I better pull out my warmer clothes.”
***
“A seven-day Alaskan cruise?” Quinn asked as I packed the suitcase on my bed.
I nodded as I mentally counted the pairs of underwear I had compared to the days I would be gone. We had about three days of travel and seven days aboard the cruise ship, so I had to pack for a total of ten.
“You better pack plenty of those.” She pointed toward the pile of underwear I held in my hand. Then she picked up the box of tampons still lying on the bed and tossed them into my luggage. She was right. I made a mental note to pick up some Pamprin too.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “Ya know, with the whole Kade situation.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I mean, I miss his friendship. But he’s just got too many things in his head to offer anything to anyone. He needs to sort all that out. Maybe one day he’ll find
Looked like I’d be having breakfast with my mom.
Chapter Ten
Avery
I sat at the table across from my mom and Robert. They had invited me for lunch, and I needed the distraction. It beat sitting in my apartment, pitying myself.
There was no use crying over the impossible.
“How is Kade doing?” Robert’s question caught me off guard, and I choked on the piece of chicken I was attempting to chew. He was the last topic I expected to come up.
“I guess he’s okay. I mean, I haven’t seen him much over the last several weeks. He stays pretty busy with the shop and everything else.” I used the best excuse I could come up with.
Robert nodded as he picked at his food. An uncomfortable silence stretched out.
“We decided to take that Alaskan cruise,” my mom piped up, breaking the silence. “It took a lot of pushing on my part, but this big lug decided giving in was his best option.” She nudged Robert with her shoulder, and he offered her a smile.
“That’s great,” I said. “When do you leave?”
My stepfather put his arm over my mother’s shoulders. “We leave next Tuesday, and we’ll be gone for ten days.” He pulled her toward him and kissed her temple. “It’ll be good for us.”
The comment made me a little nervous. Had they been having problems I wasn’t aware of? I brushed the idea away, because honestly they were almost too perfect to be true sometimes. I was overthinking every situation after my fallout with Kade, and it was easy to let my mind wander. “You both deserve some time away. Take lots of pictures, though,” I insisted.
“See, um…” My mother leaned forward and placed her arms on the table in front of her. “We purchased three tickets.”
I looked over her shoulder at my stepfather, who leaned back in his chair next to her, smiling.
“What do you mean, three tickets?”
“We want you to come too,” she said. “You’ve worked so hard, and you deserve a little break too.”
“Mom, I can’t just pick up and leave. I just started at the hospital. Asking for time off so soon…” But even as I said it, I sensed she’d already handled the matter. My mother was best friends with the chief of staff at the hospital, so calling in a favor to get me time off was nothing. I just didn’t like the idea of her using her connections to get me special treatment.
“Let us do this, Avery,” she said. “We want to do this.”
Like refusing my mother was a possibility. She’d always been one of those mothers all my friends wished for. She had given up so much to make sure I had an amazing life and never once made me feel like I couldn’t come to her with anything. Even after my father left us, she continued to push forward.
“I’m sensing you’ve already taken care of the hospital.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she and my stepfather smiled in return. “Well then, I better pull out my warmer clothes.”
***
“A seven-day Alaskan cruise?” Quinn asked as I packed the suitcase on my bed.
I nodded as I mentally counted the pairs of underwear I had compared to the days I would be gone. We had about three days of travel and seven days aboard the cruise ship, so I had to pack for a total of ten.
“You better pack plenty of those.” She pointed toward the pile of underwear I held in my hand. Then she picked up the box of tampons still lying on the bed and tossed them into my luggage. She was right. I made a mental note to pick up some Pamprin too.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “Ya know, with the whole Kade situation.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I mean, I miss his friendship. But he’s just got too many things in his head to offer anything to anyone. He needs to sort all that out. Maybe one day he’ll find
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