So my dad pissed her off; she usually includes him in that blessing, even though he doesn’t deserve it. “I think Jayden got all the smarts, but we all are beautiful.”
That makes her laugh and I ask, “When is Dad coming home?”
“I don’t know,” she basically snaps and then quickly says, “Excuse me, honey, that was rude. I’m really tired.”
Whoa, yeah, something is really wrong. “Are you sure? Did Dad do something?”
“Honey, I don’t want to talk about your father right now.”
“Okay,” I say, and I’m not sure what to say after that. Suddenly the words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “Can I fix whatever it is?”
When I hear her take in a deep breath, I know she is fighting back tears. “My Jude, always the fixer.”
“Mom, what is it?”
“Don’t worry, honey, it’s all okay.”
“Can I fix it?” I ask again.
“No, honey, but don’t worry, okay? I’m going to be fine.”
“I’m coming out there,” I say, standing up to get my keys.
“No, Jude, I promise I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe you, Mom.”
“I know, but I promise, everything is going to work out fine. No worries. How are you? How is the girl I keep hearing about? What’s her name?”
“Claire,” I say even though I know she’s just trying to change the subject. Maybe I need to let it go for today, but I’ll call again tomorrow and the next day just to make sure my mom is okay. I might even call my dad, but the thought of doing that makes my stomach hurt.
“You should bring her to dinner. How about next week sometime?”
“Yeah, Mom, sure, I’ll ask her,” I say, and I’m not sure why I said that. Maybe because I know she’s upset and I want to make her happy. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll find out and then I’ll fix it.
“Great, baby. I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay?”
“All right, Mom,” I say and then I hang up, telling her I love her. I know that she said everything is going to work out, but a feeling in my stomach tells me that something is really wrong.
Thoughts of my mom have played heavy on my heart all evening, but when I see Claire coming toward me, I welcome the distraction. She looks unbelievable. Her legs are encased in black tights with boots coming up to her knees, and she wears a large green sweater that goes to mid-thigh. Her hair is in a braid down her shoulder, and she’s wearing makeup along with the geeky glasses from when I first met her. Stopping in front of me, she grins, her lips so glossy and sexy.
“Hi, I’m looking for this über hot guy named Jude. Do you know him? We have a battle to get to,” she says in a high-pitched, Valley-girl voice.
I smile as my arm snakes around her, my gaze meeting hers. “I’m right here, baby. Come here, let me mess up that lip gloss.”
And then I kiss her. Hard. All the stress in my body just releases the moment our lips touch, and when her tongue moves along mine, everything inside me is hard. Moving my hands down her hips and then over her sweet ass, I pull her closer to me, deepening the kiss, not able to get enough. Parting only to breathe, I go in for another kiss, but she stops me, pressing her finger into my lips.
“What’s wrong?”
Confused, I ask, “Huh? Nothing, I’m kissing you.”
“Yeah, I know, but something is off. Are you okay?”
How does she know this? “Yeah,” I lie.
“Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong?”
“How do you know I’m lying?” I ask incredulously.