Page 110 of When Morning Comes Around

“I told you; that’s how a healthy relationship works. I’m not perfect – not by a long shot – but I’m not afraid to share my fearsand faults with you. Do you think you should call him and find out what he wants?”

She pursed her lips. “Probably, but I’m going to call Josh first.”

“Don’t you think that Josh would have warned you if he knew?”

“Absolutely, he would. But he may have some idea of what’s going through his father’s head.”

“I’ll start dinner and give you some privacy.”

He started to get up, but she caught his hand. “Oh no; I want you right here with me. I’ll put Josh on speaker, and we can both talk to him.”

She was relieved when he sat back down with a smile and asked, “You’re okay with that?”

“It’s what I want. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve let Dale tie me up in knots in the past. He gets inside my head and makes me feel like everything’s my fault. There were times when I questioned my own sanity after talking to him. Josh is good at setting me straight. I know that you will be, too. And we’re in this together.”

She took her phone out of her purse and dialed her son’s number.

“Hey, Mom! How are you doing?”

“I’ve had better days. How about you?”

“I was doing fine until you said that – what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you in a second. I’m going to put you on speaker first – Dom’s here. Is that okay with you?”

Josh laughed. “It is, I’ve been looking forward to talking to this guy.”

She put the phone on speaker. “I’ve been looking forward to introducing the two of you. I hope you’re going to come and visit when you can, Josh?”

“I am. I was looking at flights yesterday. Hi, Dom.”

“Hi, Josh. Let us know when you decide you’re coming – I’ll drive your mom to the airport to pick you up.”

Josh laughed. “Thanks. That’s a good opening gambit, but I’ll probably rent a car.”

Dom chuckled. “Yeah, that makes sense. The offer stands, though.”

“Okay, thanks. So, what’s going on, Mom?”

“I just talked to Grandpa. He told me that your dad’s here – he stopped by the garden center, looking for me.”

“Shit! Really?”

“Yep. Do you have any ideas what he might be after?”

Josh blew out a sigh. “No, but I could take a guess.”

“What would you guess?” Dom asked.

“The short answer is money – as much of it as he can get his hands on in the divorce. He’ll either have some proposition that sounds good but is skewed in his favor, or he’s realized howmuch he stands to lose, and he’s come to try to win you back, Mom.”

Sadie held Dom’s gaze as she said, “And we all know that’s not going to happen.”

Josh laughed. “We do. And Dom? In case you have any doubts at all – don’t.”

“Thanks.”

“The last time I talked to him, he was bitching about the business. We all know that you’re the brains behind the place, Mom. And by the sound of it, things aren’t going so well without you there.”

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