by Leigh Landry
“Bingo. Mom was lighting up my phone with texts at seven-thirty this morning.”
“Did you tell her to mind her own business?”
“And get yet another lecture about disrespecting her on the Lord’s day? Uh-uh. No thank you. Got enough of that shit living in that house. I’m not fighting your battles on a Sunday morning. You need to handle this on your own. Or y’all need to at least leave me out of it.”
“I don’t get it. We talked to her at the party. She was fine.”
“You know she’d never make a scene in front of other people.”
“I know, but I don’t think it was that. She seemed legitimately glad to see Robin.”
“You sure about that?”
Heidi wasn’t wrong. Their mother was all about appearances, and not just on Sundays. Usually Matt could see through her facade, but maybe she’d gotten better at faking it. Heidi was right. Their mom would never make a scene in front of other people, not with all their family there. Not like other people.
Shit.
“Tante Mae.” His voice was low and guttural, like he was spitting out the name of a movie villain. “She cornered me before we left. I might have accused her of stirring up mess.”
“Jeez. Out loud?”
“Yup.”
Heidi laughed softly. “I’d high-five you, but now I’m in her line of fire. Fix it.”
“How the hell am I supposed to fix that old bat?”
“That old bat’s unfixable. But you gotta do damage control on Mom. Reassure her everything’s fine.” She paused. “Everything is fine, right?”
“Yeah,” he said without a breath of hesitation. “Better than fine.”
“Oh yeah?” Her voice had a playful lift to it.
“We had dinner. Talked. That’s all. It was nice, though.”
“Liar.”
“Fine,” he said. “I kissed her.”
“I knew it!” He heard the loud clap of her hands through the phone. “I’m happy for you two. I know things are messy, but you both deserve this. Each other. Happy endings and all that.”
“We’re a long way from happy endings, Heidi.”
“You sure are if you don’t handle Mom.”
“Jeez. Fine. I’ll call her later.”
“You’d better. Y’all gonna drive me to turn into Tante Mae.”
“You’ll be even worse by the time you’re her age,” he said.
“I promise to only use my powers for good.”
“Sure you will.” Heidi’s version of “good” was subjective, but he had no doubt his sister would never go full-Mae. “All right, let me get back to work.”
“Work? It’s Sunday.”
“I’m scheduling posts for Robin’s band.” He was done with all of that, but he needed an out from this conversation before he slipped and spilled more about last night and his feelings for Robin.
“Oooooh say no more. I’ll leave you to your love language. Acts of service. You’re such a Boy Scout.”
“Goodbye, Heidi.”
He ended the call, then tossed the phone on the couch after a glance at the time. His mom would still be at church, probably in the middle of service. Then she and Dad would probably have lunch at the nasty chain nearby that they loved.
He had a solid two hours before she’d be home. Two hours before he’d have to deal with the inevitable and do damage control from whatever seeds of doubt and fear Tante Mae had planted.
* * * * *
Robin scooped the last pile of dirt into the dust-pan and tossed it in the trash. She had no idea how this much dirt got in her house—not when she lived alone, had zero pets, and was only home one day a week—but she still loved her Sunday cleaning routine. It was her only full day home, and the band rarely had Sunday gigs. She got a delicious, leisurely start to her mornings—sleeping in, then a pot of coffee and reading news and social media. Next she’d turn on the local station for some zydeco, throw in a load of laundry, and commence a thorough cleaning of her house and fridge. Late afternoon, she’d wrap things up with a grocery stock-up run.
She loved the routine, the cleansing normalcy of it. It had become a welcome anchor to her weeks. Such a quiet breathing out compared to her days at the store. She loved her work, but there was always something to do—an errand to run, someone to call, an unexpected delivery to take care of. No two days were the same, which she absolutely loved. But it was so nice to have the one quiet day to recenter and recharge each week.
Especially this week.
She put away the dust-pan and grabbed the spray mop, starting her work near the kitchen door where dried mud tracks lingered from the rainy week. She scrubbed, trying to swipe the day before from the front of her mind.
She’d had an amazing day with Matt, but it was just one day. No point getting attached to it. She was used to not getting attached to things. The only thing she let herself cling to any more was her store and this old house.
A good night’s sleep had brought her back to her senses. Her doubts about being around his family and her history with Dustin were all just signs of bigger problems. Problems that would surely rear up down the road. Eventually.
Matt could easily say now that he was fine with not having kids. But how would he feel about that a year from now? Five years from now? She wouldn’t live a life of regret with anyone. She wouldn’t live with Dustin’s regret, and she sure as hell wouldn’t live with Matt’s. He deserved better. He deserved everything he wanted.
If she was really being honest, there would have been other reasons to split with Dustin eventually anyway. She liked him well enough, and they cared deeply about each other in some form of love…just not that fireworks display kind of love. For the first time in her life, she’d had a hint of those sparks with Matt last night.
Dang it.
The evidence was piling up. She was falling hard for Matthew Blanchard. But her feelings didn’t matter. What did matter was if this made sense for Matt.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter with a text from Natalie. Don’t freak. At ER with Kel. Waiting for doctor.
Don’t freak. Don’t freak?
She shot back, What’s going on??? She ok?
She didn’t dare type the words Is it the baby? Typing it out like that would have felt too much like tempting the universe.
Not sure. Mild cramps and spotting. Didn’t want to wait for doctor Mon. Being cautious.
Robin exhaled. This was decidedly in the “Not Good” column, but it could be worse.
Still. This was Not Good. Poor Kel must be freaking out.
On my way. Which hospital?
Chapter 7
The emergency waiting area was nearly empty. Robin took a seat on the edge of a row with a clear view of the hallway the desk attendant refused to let Robin explore. Too many visitors already, she’d explained, and Robin wasn’t family. Technically. But if she didn’t already know that Natalie was back there with Kelsey, that technicality wouldn’t have meant squat.
After a few long minutes that felt like hours of waiting, Natalie appeared from around the corner. Her face was tight, but not its usual tightness that served as a mask for the rest of the world to fuck right off. This tightness was laced with worry and sadness. Memories. Fear that they might lose their friend to the darkness once again.
Robin jumped to her feet. Without a word, Natalie sat in the chair beside her.
“Eric’s with her back there now,” she reassured Robin. “He’d gone to his mom’s for lunch. Kel wasn’t up for it, said everything was fine, just tired, and was gonna milk this excuse to get out of a few family gatherings while she could.”
Robin sat in her chair again. That sounded about right. As much as Kelsey loved being folded into Eric’s family, too much social interaction drained her. It had to be extra exhausting with a pregnancy added on. “So did she get sick after he left or what?”
Natalie frowned and shot Robin a look. Nat wasn’t one to rat a friend out, but the three of them…hell, t
he whole damn band, were more family than friends at this point. And you take care of your family, the family you make. Even if that means ratting someone out for their own good. “I think she was having trouble before she sent him off to that lunch. Didn’t want to worry him.”
“Or didn’t want his worry on top of hers.”
“Right,” Natalie said. “At least she had the sense to call me to hang out with her before he left. I left Cadence with Shane. To ‘ease Eric’s mind’ she’d said. I bought it too. Right until I found her curled up on the couch in tears.”
“Damn.”
“Mmmhmm.” Natalie’s shoulders rose with a long, deep breath, then she exhaled slowly. Not something Robin ever saw that woman do. Breathing and pausing and taking a moment just weren’t in Nat’s repertoire.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The words came out stiff and awkward.
“Shut up, liar.”
“Gotta be positive,” Robin insisted. “It’s all we can do.”
Natalie slid her palms back and forth against one another. She looked like a caged animal ready to bite the head off any poor unsuspecting hospital staffer who walked past. “I hate waiting.”
“I know.”
Normally, Robin would keep her mouth shut and wait in silence with her friend. But she knew how scared Natalie had to be. Ever since Camille left town, Nat and Kelsey had grown a lot closer. Robin was glad they had each other to lean on, but she also knew Natalie. The woman didn’t let many people in close, but when she did, she loved with everything she had. Completely. Not to mention she and Robin had one thing in common—neither of them took it well when fixing a loved one was out of their control. So Robin knew exactly what Natalie needed: a distraction.
“So, I went out with Dustin’s brother yesterday.”
Natalie turned, her face alight with curiosity. “Oh? And how did that go?”
“It was…nice. Good. Eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“We went to that awful new restaurant first. That one with the hipster vibe.”
“Ugh, that Cajun-Asian fusion one?”
“Yeah, that. Service was great, and the drink menu was nice, if you’re into that. But they didn’t even have beer on tap.”
“How was the food?”
“We didn’t stick around. Had a drink, then went out for music and fried seafood platters.”
“Nice.” Natalie raised her brow. “And then?”
“And then what?” After a knowing frown from Natalie, Robin said, “Oh fine, it was nice. Very nice.”
Natalie waggled her eyebrows. “How very nice?”
“Not that nice.” Robin bit her lip. “Delicious kiss in the middle of the restaurant kind of nice.”
“Nice!”
A moment later, Eric turned the corner where Natalie had come from earlier. His face was drawn, fear weighing on him.
Robin and Natalie jumped to their feet, but neither could voice the questions that so desperately needed answers.
Eric chewed his lip for what felt like an eternity.
“Well?” Natalie asked when she couldn’t stand it anymore and looked like she was about ready to strangle an update out of him.
“The good news is the doctor thinks Kelsey and the baby are fine.”
Robin released a heavy sigh. She’d been so overwhelmed with worry followed by relief that she missed an important detail Natalie did not miss.
“You said that’s the good news.” Natalie’s voice was sharp and deadly. “Spill the bad.”
After a few seconds of stalling and a pointed avoidance of eye contact with Robin, he finally said, “The doctor wants Kelsey on bed rest for a while. To be sure.”
“Well, that’s probably good. Kel’s been so—” Robin cut herself short as she processed what he’d just said. “Wait, how long?”
“’Til she has a checkup on Friday.”
“Good. She needs the rest.” Robin said the words in a calm, even tone, but her mind was doing flips and writing out contingency flow charts.
“I’m sorry. She’ll have to miss rehearsal.”
“I don’t care about rehearsal. Just keep our girl healthy.”
And that was the truth. She didn’t care much about the rehearsal. Kelsey could play every song in their book backward, and the only new tune was an easy waltz. The one Kelsey and Eric had written themselves. So no, Robin didn’t care about Kelsey missing rehearsal.
Not getting a green light at the check-up was another matter.
“Can I see her now?” Nat asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Doctor’s finished with her.” But Natalie was halfway down the hall, boots stomping loudly over the floors before he even finished his sentence. “I’m sorry, Robin. I wish I had better—”
She raised a hand to stop him. “You just make sure she takes care of herself. Let me worry about the rest.”
“There’s no guarantee what the doctor will say on Friday even if everything’s fine. She could say it’s fine only because of the bed rest and to continue with that.”
“I know. And I know all about no guarantees.” Robin’s entire life felt like a lesson on no guarantees.
Eric had had his own lessons after losing a pregnancy with Kelsey once before, so of course he was scared. They both knew exactly what was at stake here. A hell of a lot more than a gig.
She gently squeezed his arm. “It’ll be fine. You said the doctor’s not worried right now. It’s Kel’s job to rest and our job to blanket her and you with all the positive energy we can muster.”
“Positive energy?” Eric’s brow furrowed even more, but a smile played at his lips. “What kind of woo-woo you been reading?”
Robin scrounged and scrapped for the few spare moments she could steal from her weekends and evenings, and those sacred minutes were reserved strictly for reading space operas. Her brain was far too done by the end of the day to read up on any self-improvement nonsense. Not that it was nonsense. She was realistic enough to know she had room for improvement. But she was also realistic enough to know she didn’t have time to waste sifting through book after book in search of someone who actually knew what they were talking about on any given subject. Nope. Give her a good craft beer and a book filled with kissing and planetary explosions. That was her self-help.
“No woo-woo. Just making shit happen.” She squeezed his arm again. “That’s what I’m good at, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
He gave her a grateful smile edged with sadness. “This might be out of even your control.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But I don’t give up. And I’m gonna do everything I can. Even if that means positive vibes. Or whatever.”
“Good.” He glanced down the hallway, a full grin on his face now. “They’re only letting one person at a time in there until they release her, so you’re gonna need all the positive whatever to fight Natalie for the spot.”
* * * * *
Another silent notification popped up on Matt’s lock screen, flashing the time. Goading him. 2:17. His parents were most certainly back from church and lunch by now, even if the service at both places had been abysmally slow. If he waited much longer, he’d interrupt her cooking dinner. Not something to trifle with.
He picked up the phone and made the call. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”
“I guess your sister spoke to you.”
Spoke at him was more like it. “Yeah, she called this morning.”
“Figured that’s why I was hearing from you.”
“Jeez, it’s not like I never call you.” In truth, he called her every weekend. And usually once midweek, if he wasn’t swamped and forgot. Mom and Dad were getting older and typical health stuff was starting to set in. His dad’s blood pressure. His mom’s sugar. But they kept an eye on each other, and they called him if they had any concerns or needed help figuring out health insurance claims. So he didn’t worry about them much. He mostly called or stopped by to see if they needed any heavy lifting done. And to ease thei
r worry and curiosity.
His mom let out an audible huff. “Your sister’s a snitch.”
“Of course she is. You paid her to spy on me and Dustin when we were kids.”
He left out the part about how Dustin was always the one getting in trouble, not him, because saying it out loud made him sound whiny and petty. Besides, it was just further proof that Dustin had always been the more interesting brother.
“I did no such thing,” she said.
“Paying her in M&Ms is still payment.”
Another huff. “Fine. The monster I created has turned on me.”
“They always do, Mom.”
“So?” There was a lift at the end of the word. He knew the question that would follow. His mother wasn’t a gossip or bully like most of her relatives, but she didn’t waste words either. “What’s this with you and Robin?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“You know better than to fall for Tante Mae’s nonsense.”
“You think this is about her? This is about you. And Robin.” She paused and he braced himself. “And Dustin.”
Matt took in a sharp breath. “This isn’t about Dustin any more than it’s about Tante Mae.”
“Like hell it isn’t.”
Great. She was cussing on a Sunday. This conversation had epic fail written all over it.
“Matthew, I’m gonna tell you something and don’t you dare breathe a word of this to another living soul.”
“Jeez, dramatic much?”
“Hush.” His mother lowered her voice, as if someone might be hiding in her kitchen eavesdropping, even though the only person in that house was Dad, sleeping with the TV on, no doubt. “I would love nothing more than to see you and Robin together. I love that girl to death. Always have. You both deserve some happiness, and you two always seemed like such a better match. Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you’ve looked at her all these years. But Matthew…sometimes things are just too messy to untangle. Dustin will be fine, I know. He has everything he wants and more. But Suzie might not be so fine.”
Suzie. Dustin’s wife. She was completely devoted to Dustin, an excellent mother, and one of the sweetest people Matt had ever met. But she wasn’t exactly what Matt would call self-assured. And if she felt threatened by or even simply uncomfortable with Robin hanging around, who knew what Dustin would do. Matt couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to factor her into this.
