“Were you spying?” I scoffed, turning to look at her. She stood at the stove, scrambling the eggs.
“No, I heard voices outside my window and got up to check,” she said nonchalantly.
“Oh.” I sat back in the chair. “It was Mason Foster,” I said, letting out a long sigh.
“Mason Foster, really?” she replied, a bit of surprise in her tone. “Yeah, turns out he is Cassie’s cousin.”
“Oh, right. I always forget that.” She chuckled.
“So you know Mason, then?” I asked, resting my elbows on the table.
“Well, I don’t know him well, just know of him,” she replied. “I knew his mother.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She walked over to me, with the pan in her hand, scooping the eggs onto my plate. Then she turned on the water to scrub the pan.
“Well—I’ve heard that he has a way with the ladies.” She chuckled. “He has a bit of a reputation, you know.”
“I sort of got that vibe from him,” I replied.
“His mother isn’t too pleased with his playboy attitude, though. I always told her it will take the right woman to change him.” She giggled again.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just something I remembered.” She sighed.
“You can’t say that and not elaborate, Mom. Come on. Tell me,” I demanded.
She sat across from me, pouring a mug of coffee. I waited in anticipation. “One of the ladies at the country club found him indisposed with the coat check girl. His mother practically pulled him out of the building by his ear.” She shook her head, laughing. “I’m sure he got a good tongue lashing from her that night because he never stepped out of line again.”
“When was this?”
“I think it was that summer you came home.” She spooned eggs into her mouth.
“The time that I brought Matt,” I asked.
“Yes, that was the year,” she said. I stared off, dazed. “Eat, dear, before it gets cold.” I nodded and ate a spoonful of eggs. “What are you up to today?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard from Cassie yet. I figure I would just go into town, see if I run into anyone.”
“I haven’t seen many of your friends since you moved,” she replied, sipping her coffee.
“Really?”
“Last I heard, Devon moved to Washington.” She tapped her lip. “Eva went to school in New York, and Tori married some rich guy and then divorced him and married someone else.”
“Oh well, window shopping is fun.” I shrugged.
“I need to get a few things. Do you mind if I join you?” she asked.
“No, not at all.” I smiled, happy to spend time with my mom.
In town Mom parked the car at the end of the strip mall, and we walked together to her first stop, the pharmacy. I leaned up against the window outside, waiting, smiling back at anyone who smiled as they passed me.
“Lauren?” a woman called out. I turned to my right and saw an old friend from high school walking towards me. She was with a small child and pregnant with another.
“Sara?” I said squinting, hoping I was right. “Yeah,” she said, hugging me. “Wow, you look great. You haven’t changed a bit.”