Bruno is relentless, and once I push him down, I lean over and pet his head. I motion for Eli to give me the cell so we can end this conversation.
“Okay, well, I’ll give the phone back to Cami. Chat soon. Bye!” Eli flashes a cheesy grin, then hands it over to me with a cocky smirk.
“He’s such a nice young man. So charming and handsome. I love what he does with his hair. Perfect for you, dear,” Mom gushes, and I swear I catch her blushing.
“I’m so glad you approve,” I deadpan, and Eli does a little dance on the other side of the screen, completely distracting me. His fingers play on the edge of his jogging pants, and he slides them down just a tad lower, and my cheeks burn. I don’t even know what my mom is saying because I stopped paying attention.
“Don’t you agree, Cameron?”
I try to ignore him the best I can. “I’m sorry, what was that?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“I was saying how disappointed and upset I am that I won’t get to see my little girl walk across the stage to receive her diploma,” she repeats. “After all the money we spent for you to go there,” she mumbles, and I suck in a long breath, reminding myself not to engage.
Nodding, I give her a forced smile. “I know. Me too.”
“Well, hopefully it’ll make graduate school that much sweeter for you,” she says.
“Yes. It’ll be extra special when I finally walk across the stage.” In two more years.
Thankfully, Mom changes the subject and chats about Ryan and praises all the good work he’s been doing. Then she mentions the hefty donations they gave in his name, but I don’t tell her what he told me about not wanting people to know. She voices her concerns but, in the same breath, downplays the situation, which is one reason I get so frustrated speaking with her. I love my mother, but sometimes, she pushes my buttons, even if she’s not trying. For decades, she’s been living in her own little elite world where money can buy anything and problems don’t exist, so during a pandemic is no different. Instead of going back and forth with her, I ignore it and discuss the weather and Chanel.
“I’m just waiting for things to get back to normal. I knew it was dire when fashion week was canceled,” she brings it up again. I swallow down a groan. My head is about to explode if I don’t get away from this conversation. “When do you think you’ll come back?”
“I’m not exactly sure. Eli’s still working remotely, and I think we might stay through the summer and just see how it goes before we decide.” Things change every day so if I give my mother a timeframe, she’ll expect me to abide by it, but if I leave it open, then she can’t hold me accountable.
“Summer? That’s nearly four months from now,” she exclaims as I sit back down on the couch. “Surely, you can come back before then.”
All I do is shake my head. “I want to, Mom, I really do. But I don’t know what the future holds, so we’re just taking it day by day. No telling what’s going to happen in a few days, nevertheless, a few months.” While some parts of the country have loosened their restrictions, the hospitals are still overflowing, and there’s still no cure or vaccine. I may be in limbo with my penthouse and graduate school, but as long as Eli is with me through it all, I don’t care. We’ll figure it out together.
“I worry about you,” she says.
“We’ll be fine and can FaceTime as much as you want,” I remind her.
“Cameron, you know I’m not very good with technology.”
“Well, luckily, you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out. But anyway, I’ll let you go. I’ll chat tomorrow if you want,” I say quickly, wanting off the line.
After taking another sip of tea, she grins. “Okay, sweetie. I love you. Chat soon.” She blows two kisses, then I end the call.
If I was home, I know she’d wrap me in a big hug and press a kiss on each of my cheeks. I let out a lengthy sigh and lean my head back on the couch, then close my eyes. When I open them, Eli is standing above me, and I jump.
“Jesus, you scared me.”
His lips tilt up. “We should go for a hike today.”
“Seriously?” I ask, furrowing my brows. I haven’t hiked since Ryan and I were kids. “Do I look like someone who hikes?”
He licks his lips and chuckles with a shrug. “I noticed there were some trails cut out. They might be slightly overgrown, but I’d love to go check them out. Take Bruno with us and let him wander around the property for a few hours.”