Page 78 of Just Enough

My phone dinged. It was a text from Mom.

Come visit your mother.

No excuses. You don’t live in Tennessee anymore.

I groaned. “She just saw me.”

“Must be your mom.” I caught the nervous expression on Emily’s face when I lifted my head from my phone.

“Don’t start worrying about Mom.”

“She lied to me about you and Kelly.” She bit her lip. “Do you have the pearls?”

“Emily,” I exhaled. “There are no pearls. I’ve already told you. I think she did it to force a reaction of some kind.”

My mom could be very conniving and manipulative if you let her. She was one you had to watch. Emily visible shuddered. “She kind of scares me.”

I stood up and placed my hand on her shoulder. “She’s a tough cookie, but I know she’s going to thaw around you when she gets to know you like I do, instead of who she thinks you are.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m going to go visit and find out why she lied to you. Okay? If she was trying to separate us, we’ll give her the silent treatment until she has no choice but to give in and love you like I do.”

She groaned. “Yeah. I don’t see that happening. She literally said, ‘I don’t like you’ when she came to visit.”

“That woman,” I rumbled.

“It’s okay,” she told me. “I want her to like me. Maybe deep down that’s why I’ve always let her get to me because she never thought I was good enough for you…”

“You’re better than me.” I hugged her.

She pushed me away with another one of her shy smiles. “First, she doesn’t even know we’re together.”

________

“Well,” was the first thing Mom said as I slipped into the kitchen at my parents’ house. She casually peeled potatoes and sipped her tea.

“Well, what?” I sat down in the chair next to her at the table.

“Did she get jealous? Did we find out what her feelings are?” She never looked up from her potatoes.

My mouth dropped open… This sneaky devil woman. That was what she was aiming for. “So, that’s why you made up some story about pearls?” I sighed, shaking my head. “Mom, how could you lie like that? Do you realize she broke down and cried to me?” Then I scared the shit out of her when I hugged her. “And you’re the best mom in the fucking world. I love you so much, you know that? Emily loves me!” I repeated. “Emily loves me, loves me. Like I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t—”

She smacked my head. “Would you get off me? You aren’t small, ya know?” She huffed, and I grinned while holding my head.

“You helped me out this time, so I’ll let it slide, but if you make her cry again, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?”

“Would you stop interrupting me?”

“I still don’t like her,” she muttered.

I frowned. “I know. You like every female on this planet except the one I’m in love with…but why? Why did you do that if you weren’t trying to help me see her feelings?”

“Because you’re my boy, and I know that one makes you happy. So of course, I took action.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I had a feeling she might feel the same way, and I was right.” She was quiet for a moment. “They say gingers don’t have souls.”

“Well, you’re gonna end up with a bunch of soulless grandchildren one day then.”

She stopped with her potatoes and looked over at me. “Go fetch me a different bowl before I smash this one over your head.”

I gasped. “You’d never do such a thing.” But I still stood up and fetched a bowl for her.

---