Page 5 of Flirty Situationship

“What can I say? You did an excellent job and I had to get home to spend time in this beautiful space.”

Beau tosses his head back. “Thank you, I had the design in my head all along, and when creativity strikes, you’ve got to listen. That’s what I?—”

“Shut the hell up,” Bear snaps at Beau. “Are you going to tell her what we’re really doing here or shall I?”

My throat runs dry at Bear’s harsh tone and my stomach clenches.What are they really doing here if not just stopping by?Thoughts of Winston bounce in my mind.Do they know? How did they find out? Did they, god forbid, see us through the stupid giant windows? Why do I care? I’m an adult…Beau smiles, turning up the charm, and it doesn’t make me feel any better. In fact, it makes things worse. If Beau’s using his charm, this must be bad.

“What is it?” I fold my arms across my chest.

Beau clears his throat. “It isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just that we, uh, we brought Mom to see your place. She’s in the car waiting for me to help her out. We thought you’d want a few minutes of a heads up.”

My chest hollows out and my blood boils.What?I stare at him, my mouth hanging open in shock as the room spins around me.

“Right, good talk, so I’ll go grab her.” Beau turns around and heads for the door without another word.

Bear mumbles something behind him, but I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears. I feel sick.Mom, they brought Mom?Mom is the elephant in the room I’ve been trying to avoid since the minute I arrived back in Lumberjack Lagoon. No one wants to see their hero of a single mom five years into her dementia decline.

The last time I saw her, we were dropping her off at an assisted living facility. She hardly recognized me and it broke my heart. From what I hear, her condition is declining. I came back here to do my part, to check in and help care for her where I can. But I didn’t think it’d be so hard to face reality and I sure as hell didn’t think I’d have to do it on my brother's terms.

“You’re going to be okay.” Bear’s voice is calm but I don’t feel soothed.

I feel pissed off. “Right.”

Before I can catch my breath, Beau appears inside the front door. On his arm is a woman who looks a lot like my mom, but I have no way of telling whether or not it’s her on the inside. Mom’s hair is tied back into a bun and there are one-hundred new wrinkles lining her face. But it’s her empty eyes that break my heart. Beau guides her through the plant shop with slow, deliberate steps that are painful to watch.

Beau speaks with an unnaturally slow cadence as he walks her through.Plants, you’ve always loved plants... Remember when I broke the plant on your kitchen windowsill? You were so mad…Look, Mom, a cat… He takes his time, stopping in front of each shelf and talking her through the items in front of her.

I wonder if this is truly what she needs.Does she speak at all anymore? Are there moments of clarity? Is this just my brothers taking over the situation the way they love to do?My heart sits heavy in my chest.

Bear comes to stand beside me. I’m not ready to see this but I can’t pull my eyes away from the sight. Every emotion swellswithin me and tightens over my chest like a hot knot. I feel guilty for leaving my brothers to deal with what’s become of Mom. I feel sad for the life she’s been resigned to and I’m angry about all the moments we won’t get to experience together.

Then, as they round the cash register, Beau points to me,look, Mom, it’s Kylie. Her eyes drift towards me, but her expression remains unchanged. Mom passes me without a flicker of recognition and it’s too much. My chest heaves with a sob I won’t let out.

I look up at Bear, anger burning my eyes. “Beau talks to her like she’s a child.”

“Lots of things have changed since you’ve been gone.” Bear puts a hand on my shoulder but I shrug him away.

As Beau and Mom get back towards the front, he makes a comment about Mom being tired. Then he gestures to Bear who tosses him the keys to his truck. As Mom and Beau disappear through the front door, I clutch a hand to my chest in an effort to slow down my heartbeat. When Bear tries to comfort me, I snap.

“She isn’t aging in reverse, she’s an adult. He can at least talk to her like there’s a chance she knows what he’s saying. Sometimes she does right? She has good days, doesn’t she? What if she knows exactly what he’s saying but she can’t communicate it? What’s wrong with him?”

“Hey, Beau has stepped up to the plate more than any of us. He visits her every single day. He watches movies with her and goes through the old family photo albums. Beau is a permanent fixture at that treatment facility. He’s friends with all the staff and checks in on her care. I don’t think you’re in a place to criticize him.” Bear’s tone is stern, like he’s reprimanding a child and it infuriates me.

I swallow back my tears, refusing to let them fall. “I’m not ready for this. I can’tdothis, and you can’t force me into it byshowing up a few days before I open my business and making me have this interaction that I’m not ready for.”

“No one’s trying to make you do anything. We always see Mom on Tuesdays, you would know that if you were around more. We wanted to take her out into the community and whether or not she recognizes this place is yours, we knew she would love coming here. Remember, who taught you about plants in the first place? Sorry you feel uncomfortable about this Kylie but this is reality and you’re gonna have to face it sooner or later.”

His words hit me like a blow to the chest. “You need to go. I’m so mad I can’t talk to you about this right now.”

“Fine, but you’re here to help with Mom and you can’t do that unless you’re willing to face reality.” Bear shakes his head as he makes his way out through the door.

I step into the backroom and throw myself into the oversized office chair. Then, I let myself fall apart for the first time in a long time. I shed all the tears I’ve held back. I cry for my mom, then I cry for myself, and my brothers too. When the realization that Bear and Beau did exactly what they should have today dawns, I start all over again.

It’s another hour before I collect myself and send a text message apologizing to my brothers. When I hear the creak of the front door, I step out expecting to see them. When I see Winston instead, the sight of him is like a warm blanket on a cold night. To my own surprise, I don’t hold back the well of emotion that rises up in me. Instead, I move towards him, desperate for the comfort of his embrace. I move quickly into his arms and hope he never lets me go.

Winston runs a hand down the back of my head. “Hey, hey now, what’s going on? Are you okay? What happened?”

“I feel like a terrible person. My mom has dementia and I have ignored it. I haven’t wanted to see it or face it and my stupidass brothers took it upon themselves to make me see it today for what it is. I am here and I’m ready to help and I want to go and talk to my mom like a normal person, but I haven’t had the chance to do that yet…”

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