Page 3 of Edge of Desire

“Ack! You girls like to be too skinny these days.” She sounded like Melissa.

I aimed my thumb at myself. “This girl just wants to fit into her clothes!”

I wandered into the den, where I’d hoped my parents would be, but they weren’t. Betty followed me and said, “Check the side terrace. They’re probably having a glass of wine out there.”

Sure enough, that’s exactly where they were.

“Hey,” I said as I walked through the doors. “Surprise!” I sort of did a little head-bob thingy, trying to be funny. They didn’t laugh.

“Ava, dear, we didn’t know you were coming,” my mom said.

Okay. Time to spill it. “I came to talk to you about something.”

“Oh? Is everything okay? Oh my gosh, are you and Mikey in love?” my mom asked, expecting yes for an answer.

Ugh. It’s what she always wanted to know. It was the number one topic on her mind ... whether or not her daughter was in love. I knew she meant well, but it drove me batty. Maybe if she knew what Little Dickie had done, she’d stop.

Smiling, I said, “No, Mom, we broke up.”

“What? I knew he wouldn’t like how large you’ve gotten.”

I groaned and Dad gently scolded Mom. I ignored her statement. “It was me who actually broke up with him. But I’ve got something even more exciting I wanted to share. I’ve taken a job promotion.”

“That’s great, honey. Congratulations.” She sounded as excited as she did when she was waiting for water to boil. Then she huffed, “Now I’m going to have to start all over in my search to find someone for you. Ava, you have to realize that the eligible bachelors in town who are suitable for a Middleton are dwindling.”

“Mom, I don’t care about dating anyone right now. And with this new job I’ve accepted, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

She scowled, disappointment written all over her. Shocker. She always said I’d be sorry for leaving MedSoft, one of the companies that the Middletons owned. An opportunity with another national software company had opened and I grabbed it. She didn’t think it was a good idea at the time. So now, here I was, telling her of another new job opportunity.

Dad asked, “So, when do you start?”

“Well, Mom and Dad, here’s the thing. I’ve already accepted the position. I’m meeting my new boss in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s great,” Dad said. At least he showed some enthusiasm.

“And I’ll also be looking for a place to live.”

“Why do you need to do that?” Mom asked. “You have a lovely place.”

“Because I’ll be moving to Seattle.”

You could’ve heard a pin drop, and then came the nuclear explosion.

“You accepted a position in Seattle, and you didn’t discuss it with us first?” my mom screeched.

“No, Mom, I didn’t. You do realize I’m an adult and am fully capable of making my own decisions regarding my career, don’t you?”

She glowered at me before saying, “Avery Susan Middleton, don’t you dare ask me questions like that. Of course, I know that. But you know good and well that you normally discuss these kinds of things with us.”

“I didn’t this time because there wasn’t anything to discuss. My mind was made up. I want to leave Charleston and make a brand-new start somewhere. This job came up and opened that door for me.”

Then came the wailing. Oh my God, the floodgates opened, and I should’ve started building my ark. She went on and on. Talk about drama. My mother was the queen of all things drama. When my brother Justin moved, you’d have thought the world had ended.

Now there was a story. Justin’s fiancée had died when her car exploded. It was a horrible tragedy that Justin could never get over, so he moved away from Charleston to make a new life for himself. My mom, instead of saying, “Justin, you go and have a wonderful life,” worried more about herself. It was all because she was the first mother in the history of the world who had a son move across the country. Oh brother, help me now.

My mom had yet to go and visit him. He didn’t want to come back here, for obvious reasons. And then, he was lucky enough to meet someone he fell in love with. They ran off and got married and my mom was insanely pissed she didn’t get an invitation to the wedding. Well, I said it then and I’ll say it forever—get over yourself already, Mom. My mom had gotten so self-centered in her older age. She needed to get a job or something to focus on.

“In any case, Mom, I’m sorry you’re not excited for me. I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime, and I snapped it up. I leave in three weeks. I need to find a place to live, and I’ll stop by to visit Justin of course.”

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