“Oh, my sweet girl. What a beauty you grew up to be. Not that I ever had any doubts.” Tears filled her eyes and the back of my throat got tight when I saw that. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” I left out the part where I’d stopped off at the dock. I didn’t think she really needed to hear that.
“You did?”
I nodded. “I didn’t make a reservation because I wanted to surprise you. I was wondering if I could stay for a few days and catch up.”
“What’s wrong?” Even after all these years, the woman didn’t miss a beat.
She’d always known if something was off with me.
“Nothing.” I did my best to sound convincing. “I just wanted to come and see you.”
She shook her head, and I could tell that she wasn’t buying it.
“Come on.” She grabbed my hand and patted it. “Let’s get you settled into a room and then you can tell me all about it.”
I hadn’t planned on telling her about the things I’d found out about my mom, or my own condition, or my entire life story since I moved to my father’s home. But that’s exactly what I found myself doing. I told her everything, and she listened. Really listened.
It was the first time in a long time—maybe ever—that I could remember feeling heard and seen.
Well…except for earlier, on the water. When Jimmy had looked at me, he saw me. I could feel it. And that was the most surprising part of the whole encounter.