My mind reeling, I didn’t have much of a chance think about how to get her out of town before I found myself pulling into the large parking lot. Forty minutes later, I was walking into the airport. I scanned the area, filled with happy reunions, and people rushing in all directions.
“Luke!” I heard my mother shriek.
I ground my teeth, forcing a smile before I turned to look at her. “Mom,” I said.
She rushed towards me, pulling her little suitcase behind her. I was happy to see it was a small suitcase and not one of the giant ones that could hold a week’s worth of clothes. I prayed that meant it would be a short visit. I didn’t have it in me to deal with her for the long term. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the next day let alone several.
“Oh baby, I’m so happy to see you!” she threw her arms around me. I gently patted her back, not wanting to risk an injury that would keep her in California.
“The car is this way,” I said.
She chattered nonstop the whole way to the car. “You don’t look very happy.”
“I’m happy. I’m fine.”
“Are you angry that I surprised you?” she pouted.
“No, mom, but I do have to work.”
“Where is your little girlfriend?” she snapped.
“She isn’t my girlfriend. She’s a client.”
“That’s not what it sounded like when Lisa described her,” she shot back, sounding angry.
I was going to have a few words with Lisa. “I don’t know why she said that.”
It was a mistake to have her here. It wasn’t my mistake, but I was going to be the one paying for it. I hated that she had so much power over me. She could make me feel like shit with just a few words. All the independence I felt I had gained while I was away from her was zapped away in a flash. I had lost it as fast as I had gained it.
She wasn’t going to let me get away. The realization sank my spirits. I felt like I was being pulled down by a giant boulder. I didn’t know how to escape. I didn’t know if I ever could. To escape would mean I had to cut her out of my life. I wasn’t sure I could do that.
Chapter Seventeen
Bree
I WOKE UP FEELING GREAT. A day at the spa was just what the doctor ordered, literally. My body was relaxed and that feeling of drowning in sadness was almost all the way gone. It was still there, lingering in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t consuming me. It was a quiet little voice trying to take me down. I wouldn’t let it.
I liked feeling good. That’s where I wanted to stay. I was going to have to work at it, but I could definitely do it. I was excited to see Luke. He had called last night to see if I needed dinner or anything, but Mel had made sure I was all set. It was the first time in a long time I truly felt independent. It was freeing to be home alone. It still made me a little anxious, but I knew Luke was just the push of a button away.
Getting out of bed, I was anxious to make my own coffee and toast again. If the blind thing persisted, I was more confident I could learn how to make more than just toast. It felt good to have a tiny bit of my old self back. I couldn’t let her slip away from me again. I was going to fight to keep her front and center.
My foot was still sore, and I had to walk on the side, but it was manageable. I quickly dressed in my usual casual attire before making my way to the kitchen. “Hello?” I called out, wondering if anyone was in the house. “Anyone here?”
Silence answered me. I made myself coffee and toast before finding my way to the bar and sitting down. It was eerily quiet. It was early. Luke probably wouldn’t be over for at least another thirty minutes. Being alone in the huge house was suddenly a little intimidating. “Stop it,” I scolded myself. “It’s not a big deal.”
I heard a knock on the door and smiled, knowing it was Luke. “Hey,” he greeted, but he didn’t sound like himself.
“Hey, yourself.”
“Um, I, I know this is completely wrong, but my mom flew into town yesterday.”
“That’s not wrong,” I answered. “That’s nice.”
“She’s here. She’s staying at the cottage with me.”
“I’d love to meet her,” I told him.
“Are you sure? I told her I was working today, and she would have to keep herself entertained. I don’t want her surprise visit to get in the way of my work here.”