Page 48 of Sycamore Circle

“Hi, honey,” she called down. Just as if Joy should’ve expected her to be there. “I’m vacuuming the upstairs hallway. I’ll be right down.”

Joy pulled off her jacket and shoes then wandered into the kitchen, looking for clues to tell her how long her mother had been inside. Since the kitchen was clean, at least an hour.

As always, her irritation warred with her gratitude for the help. It was hard being a single mom, especially since she had neither a set schedule nor a “usual” week. Lots of things never got done and there were times when the house absolutely looked like it. So, her mother was a lifesaver in that regard.

But did she appreciate these pop-up visits? No. No, she did not.

Her mother came downstairs just about the time Joy got the last of the frozen food put away. “Hey, honey,” she said.

“Hi, Mom.” Like always, her mother was wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and one of her many national park sweatshirts. She said she’d given up dressy clothes when she turned fifty and Joy was pretty sure she had kept up that promise to herself. She looked comfortable and fit.

And... maybe a little bit guilty too?

Was it wrong that Joy felt a little glad about that?

Her mom stuffed her hands in her jeans’ pockets. “Joy, I know you don’t like me showing up out of the blue, but I promise I didn’t come over here to spy on you or get in your way.”

“I don’t think you’re spying, but you are being inconsiderate. You can’t just come over and let yourself in whenever you feel like it.”

“Oh, I wasn’t doing that today. I just happened to be in the neighborhood when I decided to stop by to see if you wanted to grab a late lunch. When you didn’t answer, I decided to write you a note—and drop off a cute little card and gift certificate I got for Chloe.” She paused. “And then I noticed your kitchen counters.”

“So you decided to clean them? And do the dishes? And vacuum?”

“One thing led to another.” She frowned. “I know you don’t want me fussing with your things. I didn’t go near your bedroom or laundry.”

She felt her cheeks heat. The first time her mother had done this, Joy had come home and discovered her mother pulling her lingerie out of the dryer. Joy had been so horrified, she’d given her mom a mouthful—and her mother had never forgotten it.

“I appreciate the help. I can’t keep up with everything the way I’d like, and that’s obvious. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to wander around without me here.”

“Do you want me to leave now?”

“So close to Chloe coming home? Of course not. Come on. Want a Coke?”

“Sure. I want a soda—and I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing.”

Grabbing two cans of soda, Joy sat down on the couch. “I’ve been working and running Chloe around.” There was no way she was going to mention anything about her breakfast with Bo—or about the weird texts. “What about you? Are you planning anything fun? Have you seen Alice or Rand lately?”

“As a matter of fact, Dad and I are working on our next trip.”

“Which national park are you gonna go see?” Her parents had picked up a National Park Passport booklet and were now happily in the process of getting as many stamps as they possibly could.

Her mother’s brown eyes—the exact same shade as Joy’s—lit up. “We’re debating between going to see some missions in San Antonio, Crater Lake, or the Everglades.”

“Talk about three different places.”

“I know! Dad says that it’s time we stepped outside our comfort zone.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’m leaning toward San Antonio. If we go there, we can go on the river walk and eat Tex-Mex.”

“That’s hard to beat.”

“And no, I haven’t seen either your brother or your sister lately. Alice is busy selling houses, you know. She’s gotten so successful. I’m sure you’re as proud of her as Dad and I are.”

“I am.” Joy was proud of Alice too. She just wished that Alice’s good marriage, happy children, and successful job didn’t sometimes make her feel like her life was a little bit wanting. Pushing off that negative thought, she smiled. “And Rand? How’s he?”

“And... Rand is in love.” Her mother sounded like she’d just eaten a bunch of lemon juice.

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