Page 13 of Love Her

“I’m sorry for your daughter,” Gigi says, sitting back in her seat. “It must be hard for kids these days. Not that it was easy when we were young, but things have become so dark. Plus, kids seem so much smarter than we were. I mean, their vocabulary alone is ridiculous.”

We all laugh because she isn’t wrong. Sometimes I listen to my kids and am amazed at the things they know. When I was Jacob’s age, I was more interested in sleepovers, what outfit to dress my doll in, or if my dad would be taking me fishing on the weekend. That was when life was simple. When everyone was friends and there weren’t cliques or mean girls. I mean, I’m sure there were other places but not here in Lexington. There was a time when everyone got along. Then our small town had its very own mean girl. Me.

“Uh-oh. Did I upset you?” Gigi asks, resting her hand atop mine.

“What?”

“You look upset. I’m sorry if I overstepped or said something to upset you.”

With a small smile I shake my head, “Not at all. I was just remembering something. Anyway, my kids are fantastic. Of course, I have my parents and Mrs. Honeycutt to thank for that. They have been such a blessing to us.”

“Mrs. Honeycutt is?” Brian asks between bites of his third . . . nope, fourth piece of pizza. Good grief.

“A family friend. My husband and I split a few years ago and it was hard on all of us. But, without all of them and their support, I wouldn’t have been able to go to school and I wouldn’t be sitting here. So, I’m forever grateful to each of them.”

“Maybe we should get them a pizza to thank them,” my new boss teases, and we all laugh.

The rest of the day is fast-paced and while I’m still learning some of the programs on the computer, all in all it’s been a great first week of work. I wave to Brian across the parking lot before climbing into my car and cranking the ignition. Before I pull out of the space, I pull up my mom’s number on my phone and wait for her answer.

“Mom! Can I spend the night at Kyle’s? His mom said it was fine. Don’t worry, she’s not going on a date, so she’ll be there.”

I laugh at my son’s enthusiasm. “Hello, Jacob. My day was great, thanks for asking.”

With an exaggerated sigh, he repeats a standard greeting and asks how my day was. “It was good. Now, what is this about Kyle’s?”

“A sleepover. He got a new set of Legos and we’re going to build a mega fort before we bulldoze it. It’s going to be awesome.”

Grateful the phone isn’t to my ear and on speaker instead, I cringe at the decibel he’s speaking. “You don’t have to shout. I’m fine with it. Let me text Kyle’s mom to confirm. Can you get your bag together?”

“Already done. You’re the best! Thanks, here’s Grammy.”

A few scuffles and mumbles of a conversation pass before my mom gets on the line. “Hi Lis. I’ve already spoken to Laney at pickup to make sure those two weren’t pulling a fast one like last time. I swear, it’s always the sweet looking ones you have to watch out for.”

“Explains why I was such a handful.” That statement makes her laugh. “I’ll shoot her a text anyway. Can I grab you anything? I was going to do a quick stop at Target before heading back to town.”

“I think we’re fine. Your dad is grilling some burgers and Clem is in charge of shucking corn.”

I love my dad’s burgers. Just the thought has my stomach rumbling and then I remember the pizza I had for lunch. That’s a lot of indulgence for one day, but tomorrow morning is yoga and I can burn some of the extra calories.

“Sounds good. I won’t be long. You can just set some aside for me.”

“Oh hush, we’ll start everything in say forty-five minutes. Give you some time to wander the aisles.”

“Thanks, Mom. How’s Clem?”

“She was a little quiet on the ride to school but seemed fine this afternoon. I think a night without her brother around will be good for her. Maybe we can do a little spa party after dinner.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll grab some masks and new polish at the store.”

“Drive safe, honey. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Disconnecting the call, I toss my phone in my purse and pull out of the space and head for my favorite time-suck store. I would never tell my mom how much I enjoy roaming their clothing section. Her clothing store, The Closet, is great for dresses and clothes for work but nothing beats the clearance section at Target.

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