Page 75 of Single Chance

“Yeah. Sometimes.”

“I still miss my mom, and she died when I was seven.”

“That’s a long time. I was six, so almost the same age.”

“We’ll always miss our moms, huh?” I said, watching her for cues whether this was too tough of a subject. Chance had mentioned both he and Sam had gone to grief counseling years ago, but that didn’t mean talking about her mom would ever be easy.

“Mine was…different.” Sam bit her lip and averted her gaze. “She was an addict.”

“Your dad told me a little about her. That’s a lot to sort through.”

“I think of it like an illness,” she said, taking me aback with her wisdom.

“Yes. Addiction is a type of illness.”

“A really ugly one.”

I nodded, wondering how much of Erin’s downward slide Sam had been witness to. “But she was your mom, and you loved her,” I said. “It’s hard to grow up without a mom.”

“You did too, huh?”

I nodded. “And a dad.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “Your dad died too?”

“They were in a helicopter crash.”

“Oh, my God. That’s terrible.”

“Yeah. But my grandparents took me in and raised me. I was lucky to have them.”

“I’m lucky to have my dad,” she said as if she hadn’t considered the possibility of losing both parents before. “Even if we aren’t very close anymore.”

“I’ve sensed that,” I fudged. “Is there a reason?”

She stuck a bite of lasagna in her mouth and looked pensive as she chewed. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “It’s just…awkward. Like, he doesn’t get what it’s like to be a girl, you know?” She picked up her water glass and took a drink.

“Like periods and boys?”

“Yessss.” Sam set her glass down with emphasis. “I mean, he hadthe talkwith me a few years ago. It was mortifying.”

I let out a grin. “Probably for him too?”

“He seemed embarrassed. Short and to the point.”

“I’ve never had to give the talk, but I’m sure it’s a tough one.”

She shoveled another bite in with a frown, giving me the impression she was holding back something she wanted to say.

I continued eating and waited to see if she’d say more.

After two bites and another drink, she did. “It made me really miss my mom in a way. Oramom, because I didn’t really get a chance to know my mom very well as a person. Just…it’d be easier with a mom, I think.”

“Right. Someone who lives with girl stuff every day.”

“Yes,” she said more confidently. “Like, my dad doesn’t know about cramps or what to do if a tampon leaks.”

I made a cringing face and tried to imagine if my grandfather had been in charge of the talk.Thank God for Gram.

---