Page 92 of Wild Scottish Rose

“What’s wrong now?”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Because you always call with something wrong. So, what is it? Hit me with it.”

“I don’t like your tone, Owen. I’ve done nothing to deserve this insouciance.”

There were moments, when she used words like these, that I was reminded how sharply brilliant my mother was, and well capable of finding a job or looking after herself.

“Haven’t you?”

But she was already prattling on, revving up for whatever she needed to get off her chest that day. I kicked back in the lounger and stared at the wood beams crisscrossing the ceiling.

“Oh, and can you believe this? I’ve fired David.”

That got my attention.

“You what?” I sat up, dropping my feet to the floor with a thump. David was my lifeline. David was the only one who served as a buffer between my mother and me. “You can’t fire him. I pay his salary.”

“Yes, well, I did anyway.” My mother sniffed.

“What happened? Mom, David is an angel who makes your life run smoothly and puts up with your nonsense. Hire him back immediately. There’s no way he’s done something to deserve a firing.”

“He was meant to pick me up from a doctor’s appointment in Manhattan and didn’t show up until an hour later. I was standing there, in the freezing rain, waiting to get back to my hotel. It’s unforgiveable, and I refuse to change my mind. You don’t get second chances in life.”

You don’t get second chances in life.

Angela had stopped giving second chances when she’d stayed with my father after Kennedy was born. Bringing Kennedy into the family, raising her as her own, she’d hoped to start fresh. Instead, my father hadn’t changed his path of destruction, and my mother’s ability to forgive had subsequently died in its path.

I pinched my nose, as something broke open inside of me.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I know, isn’t that awful? It was freezing, and I?—”

“Not him, you, Mother.You. You are the problem.”

My mother gasped, but I railroaded her.

“You’re telling me that as an adult woman you were incapable of caring for yourself in one of the most accessible cities in the world? There’s a subway. There are taxis. Ubers. Bike taxis. Buses. And you couldn’t just handle thedecision to return to your hotel yourself? So just like that you fired a good man who has put up with your shit for years?”

“Owen, you will not speak to me this way.”

“Actually, yeah, I will. Because nobody else will say it to your face. Your helpless victim mode sucks, and I’m done catering to it. You’ve got enough smarts and money to figure it out on your own. Goodbye, Mother.”

“Owen!” my mother shrieked, but I clicked off, staring blindly at the floor as fury rose inside me.You don’t get second chances in life.Perhaps Mother needed to learn her own lesson for once.Oh man, I sound just like her.Shit.

Was that what I’d done with Shona? She’d made one mistake, and I froze her out, refusing to accept any explanation?

Like mother like son.

“Hell,” I muttered, crossing the room and pouring myself a healthy slug of whisky. Standing at the kitchen sink, I looked out the window. A flash of red caught my eye. Was the gnome…moving? I looked down at my drink, and then back outside, but the gnome was gone. Curious, I put on my jacket, thinking I might as well sit outside by the fire while I mulled over my latest epiphany.

Everyone always talked about how life changing epiphanies were, but nobody talked about how much they hurt.

And yeah, this one hurt. A lot.

Stepping outside into the crisp fall air, I rounded the cottage and poked around in the bushes, but there was no gnome to be found. Weird. Maybe I’d just imagined the flash of red. Quickly, I started the fire, vaguely wishing for a cigar, and settled back into my chair. Taking a sip of whisky,I put the glass down and steepled my hands, staring into the flames.

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