Her mother was sitting on the back deck reading and her father was taking a nap on the sofa. She didn’t know where Tutu was. Probably in her room, reading or watching television.
Without disturbing her father, she stepped outside after grabbing a bottled water from the fridge.
“How did it go?” she asked, sitting down next to her.
“Hey, sweetie.” Her mother’s eyes ran over her, like they always did. “How was your weekend?”
“Good,” she said quickly. “How was Daddy’s appointment? What did the doctor say?”
Her mother sighed and put her e-reader down. “Nothing much. Not anything new. She said that it does appear to be Alzheimer’s, but they’re testing him for any sort of brain disease. We won’t know until the results get back next week. She suggested that when and if things got worse down the road, that he might be more comfortable in a home. Someplace more prepared to help him through what he is going through.”
“You’re not going to do that? Are you?” she asked, suddenly afraid.
“Not without talking with you first.” Her mother shifted and then surprised her by taking her hands. “Jules, something has shifted in your father. Something that…”—her mother shook her head— “I’m not sure I’m prepared to handle on my own.”
Jules’s heart sank. “Do you need me to move back…”
“No,” her mother interrupted, dropping her hands and looking slightly shocked. “I’m thinking of having your aunt Rita move in here.” Jules instantly relaxed. “Her divorce is final, and she’s spending a fortune on renting her place on the island. Besides, I think it will help your dad having his favorite sister around.”
She felt her heart skip at the thought of having her favorite aunt nearby instead of thousands of miles away. “That’s a wonderful idea. What does Aunt Rita think of it?”
“She’s on board with it. She’s been thinking of getting off the island anyway, now that her kids have moved to New York and Chicago. Besides, she’s tired of running into your uncle Rob everywhere. It is an island, after all. She’s decided that she’s going to sell most of the things that she got in the divorce settlement and figures that she can be here by the end of the month.” Her mother reached over and took her hands in her own. “Now, tell me about your weekend.”
“Mom, Damion wants to move in together,” she blurted out.
Her mother’s face stilled and then a slow smile crept onto her lips. “And? Did you say yes?”
“What?” she asked in shock. “What in the… what?” She stood up and started pacing, then turned to her quickly. “You think I should?” she asked, shaking her head.
“Honey, the two of you have been dancing around each other longer than your father and I were married before we had you.” Her mother laughed. “He’s good for you. We like his family. He’s a good, hard-working, honest man, and judging by the way he’s looked at you for all this time, he’s totally over the moon for you.”
Jules rolled her eyes. “Who says ‘over the moon’ anymore?”
“Old people. People who know what they’re talking about because we’re so wise.” Her mother stood up and took her shoulders in her hands and then pulled her close into a hug.
It wasn’t as if her mother hadn’t hugged her before. But she’d just never done it out of the blue like this. Normally, it was on birthdays or special occasions.
Still, it felt pretty damn good. Whatever was changing her mother’s outlook on their relationship, Jules couldn’t fault it. Her mother hadn’t said a single harsh word towards her that day.
“You really think it would be a good idea to move in with him?” she asked her.
“You’re going to do what you think is best.” Her mother leaned back and looked down into her eyes. Her mother was almost a half-foot taller than Jules. At one point in her teen years, Jules had hoped that she’d keep growing to be as tall as her mother. Just one more thing she’d been disappointed about in life. “No one can tell you what path to take in love or in life. All I can do is try to encourage you to follow your heart. Don’t let what’s going on with your father be a barricade to your future. He has made himself perfectly clear that he doesn’t want to stop you from living a happy life. It was his idea, actually, for Tutu to talk with Damion about taking you on the trip.”
“What?” Jules jerked back. “It was?” She shook her head in disbelief.
Her mother smiled and walked back over to sit down. “Your father hasn’t completely lost it. He’s seen the way you look and act around Damion. Everyone has,” she added. “Now, are you staying for dinner?”
Jules thought to say no, but then glanced in and saw her father waking up from his nap. She needed to spend as much time with him as possible. There were no guarantees that she would have many more days like this.
“Yes,” she said.
“Good. I’m making your favorite and you can help me in the kitchen.” Her mother stood up again, then she walked over and hugged her again. “You can tell me all about your weekend while we work on dinner.”
That evening, when she finally crawled into bed, she was more sure about moving in with Damion. Not that she was going to give him an answer right away. After all, Tutu had suggested she let the man sweat it out a little first.
She typed Damion a text message, then after a few deep breaths, hit send and waited.
“Thanks for the amazing weekend. I really enjoyed spending time with you.”