“How much more?”
She glanced at him, then looked away. “I run that section of the business.”
Ean processed that information. His mother had a boyfriend and a job. What other secrets would he have to pry from her?
He rubbed the nape of his neck. “I thought you only spent a couple of hours a week there. Why didn’t you tell me it was a full-time job?”
Doreen folded the newspaper. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I don’t need the money. But this job is fun. And it gets me out of the house.”
“It’s a big deal to me, Mom.” Just as his father’s illness had been a big deal to him. But his mother hadn’t told him about that, either. Not until it was too late. Ean shut off those thoughts. “Tell me about your job. Where’s the bakery? What do you do?”
Her face glowed with pride and pleasure. “Megan added a bakery and meal counter to Head in the Clouds Books. She changed the name to Books and Bakery about six months ago.”
Ean frowned. “Megan? You mean little Meggie McCloud?”
Doreen sobered. “Don’t call her that. She doesn’t like that nickname.”
“Ramona called her that all the time.”
Doreen’s expression didn’t change. “Her name’s Megan.”
“OK.” Ean shrugged. “How did you get the job there?”
Doreen’s features brightened again. “Megan asked me to run the bakery. She said I could make a lot of money selling my cookies and brownies.”
Ean patted his stomach. “She’s right.”
“Well, as I said, I don’t need the money. But I’m having a lot of fun.” She stood and carried her coffee cup to the dishwasher. “I’m socializing again. And I’ve been experimenting with recipes.”
“I wish you’d told me the truth about your job, Mom.”
Doreen crossed to him. She cupped the right side of his face with her palm and kissed his left cheek. “You know now.” She stepped back. “I’ll be home by four o’clock.”
“That late?” Ean struggled with disappointment. “I just got home. I’d hoped we could spend at least today together.”
“We can spend the evening together.” Doreen walked past him and continued out of the kitchen. She stopped to collect her purple purse from the dining room’s corner table. “And I take Sundays and Mondays off. We’ll have more time together then.”
“What should I do until you get home?” Ean trailed his mother to the coat closet. He sounded five years old.
“Finish unpacking. Get settled in. Look up your friends. You’ll think of something.”
Ean looked down at his gray jersey and black running pants. They still were fresh and dry since he hadn’t gone jogging yet. “Can I come with you?”
Doreen paused in the act of slipping into her coat. “What about your exercise?”
He didn’t care that he sounded like a child. But he was concerned the chasm forming between them after yesterday’s argument would grow if they spent today apart.
“I’ll run later.” Ean settled his hands on his hips. “Do you serve breakfast?”
Doreen opened her mouth twice before words followed. “Yes. We serve breakfast, lunch and pastries.”
“Great.” Ean reached past his mother for his jacket. “I’ll order breakfast and see where you work. Besides, it’ll be good to see Megan again.”
His mother seemed flustered. “Well, all right. If you’re sure that’s what you want to do.”
He kissed her cheek. “Think of today as ‘Bring Your Kid to Work Day.’”
CHAPTER 4