“Thank you. Sounds good. I’m kind of looking forward to taking a hot bath.” She turned and offered me a hug. “Gia…it was an absolute pleasure meeting you. You let me know when you’d like to come for a visit. I’ll put on a pot of tea and block out the afternoon.”
Embracing her, I said, “That sounds wonderful, Melody. Thank you. I plan on it. It was so great meeting you.”
She started walking away, then stopped. “Actually, would you like to keep the painting I made tonight? I have so many. I can’t keep them all.”
“Oh my God. I would love to. Are you sure?”
“Totally. I would love for you to have it.” She walked over to where it was and handed it to me.
“Thank you so much, Melody. Seriously, this really made my night. I’m gonna hang this up in my room.”
I watched as she headed toward the stairs and disappeared. It was after closing, and Rush and I were now alone on the rooftop.
I held the painting in my hands, looking down at it. “Your mother is amazing.”
“She is.”
I placed the painting on a table then looked up at Rush for several seconds.
“What?” he asked. “You’re looking at me funny.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Let me guess…you’re wondering how with my black heart and temper I can be so different from the kind and gentle, zen-filled soul that my mother is?”
“I didn’t say that.” I laughed.
“You were thinking it.”
“No. I wasn’t thinking that exactly, because I actually do think you’re kind, too. Now I know where you get it from, that side of you. You’ve shown kindness to me. You just have a way of ruining it sometimes.” I paused. “I want you to know that I apologized to your mother for my behavior earlier. And now, I’m apologizing to you.”
“It’s fine. You know…you only traumatized her because now she thinks her precious son is a butt burglar.”
I burst into laughter. “Oh my God. Butt burglar?”
“Yeah, she’s gonna have nightmares now.” He winked.
“You’re crazy.”
We were both cracking up. At least, he didn’t hate me anymore.
When the laughter died down, he said, “I’m sorry I lost control outside earlier.”
I squinted at him. “No, you’re not.”
“You’re right. I’d probably say that shit to you all over again.”
“I figured.”
“You made me mad talking to that pansy-ass bartender. I lost my mind a little.”
“Well, if you don’t want to be with me, you have to get used to seeing stuff like that.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it, especially when it’s being thrown in front of me in my place of business.”
Not wanting to get into it with him right now, I expelled a breath. “Can we just forget this entire night ever happened? Well, except for the part where I met your cool mother?”
He surprised me when he said, “Yeah. We can do that.” Rush made his way over to the bar. “You want a night cap?”
“I’m driving home. I have Riley’s car tonight, so I shouldn’t drink.”
He ignored me, grabbing a glass anyway. “I’ll limit you to one, and I’ll make it weak.”
“What’s the catch tonight? What expletive do I have to say to earn my free drink?”
“Babe…you alluded to ass fucking in front of my mom, I would say you’re absolved for a while.”
A shiver ran down my spine, and I couldn’t figure it out if it was because of my embarrassment or the fact that he’d called me “babe.”
I covered my mouth. “Oh my God. Did tonight really happen?”
“Afraid it did.”
I watched in silence as he made some fruit concoction before slipping a little umbrella inside and sliding the glass toward me.
Taking a sip, I thought a bit more about how I immediately took to Melody. “Life is funny.”
He cocked a brow. “Funny?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking about how we’ve both sort of experienced similar but opposite life situations. I have a great dad and no mother. And you have an awesome mom and no father. Well, you have a father…but you know what I mean.”
He leaned into the bar and closed his eyes briefly. “Yeah, unfortunately, I do…know what you mean.”
“Anyway, it’s sort of something we have in common. When I was talking to your mom tonight, I found myself oddly envious of you, thinking that I would give anything to have a mother like her. Then, I had to remind myself that you’re missing something, too.”
Rush had been wiping the bar down but stopped and just looked at me.
I continued, “Anyway, I don’t even know why I’m saying this to you right now. It’s just—”
“I had the same thought when I met your dad.”
It surprised me to hear him admit that. “Really?”
“Yeah. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t have minded a cool cat like that for a father. So, you’re not crazy. It’s natural to feel envious. Sometimes you don’t realize what you’re missing until you see it right in front of you.”