Page 67 of His One True Wish

Alfie came out of the kitchen wearing a black apron. “Hey,” he said, nodding at his dad. “You guys took a long time. I had to start cooking the cornbread without you.”

“All good, son. All good,” Mason said. “Ethan, get back there and help your brother finish up the chili. Axl, you get yourself a seat, and Billie, time to call your mom.”

“Right.” I brushed snow off my coat. “I’ll be right back,” I said to Axl.

“I’m good,” he said, walking across the restaurant to a solo booth in the corner.

Mason handed me a cordless phone by the hostess desk. I called my mom’s cell. She answered on the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Mom, it’s…..”

“Billie,”She gasped interrupting me. “You’re okay.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”

“I can’t believe you left your charger. You know, Abby and I found it just as you pulled out of the drive. We sat down for tacos and then she found it and offered to chase after you.”

“She did?” I said, surprised at her generosity. I took a seat on a stool by the register and menu stacks.

“Yes, and honey, the snow is so bad here,” Mom said. I could imagine her clutching her neck again. “A pipe burst.”

“Mason mentioned that.”

“Yes, water filled the powder room upstairs and then leaked.”

“That sounds awful.”

“Well, it is, but thank goodness Abby is here to help.”

“Yes, thank goodness,” I said, playing with the telephone cord. Axl sat by himself staring out the window. He appeared to be looking at the planes and the runway.

“So, Mom,” I said. “Did Gran tell you she rented the cabin?”

“No, no, she did not. She absolutely did not.”

“Well, she did.”

“I heard, and I can’t even imagine the shock.”

“Mom, I thought you said you’d been talking to Mason about the property and he was checking on it. He said he hasn’t heard from you in months?”

“Well,” Mom’s voice was high and she sounded flustered, “the truth is, honey. Mason and I have not talked in a while. We had a little bit of a falling out.”

“A falling out,” I cringed. “Mom, what is going on?”

“Nothing, nothing is going on. You should ask Mason what is going on.”

“Mom, you sound like a high school girl?”

“Well, I’m not. I’m a grown woman, and I can decide if I need a break from a grown man who doesn’t seem to know what he wants,” Mom said.

I lowered my voice and turned my back to the restaurant. I had the feeling that Mom was confessing something, and I couldn’t contain my smile. “Mom, did you all have a thing? What happened?”

“I will tell you all about it when you come home, which I don’t want you to do until it’s safe on those roads. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, I do.”

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