Page 10 of Blindsided By the Enforcer

“It’s over, Mom,” I repeat. I don’t want to dredge up what happened. I sure as hell don’t want to tell my mom she cheated on me.

I hear Mom sigh. “Sorry. I wish you didn’t have to go through this.”

“I’ll be okay,” I assure because Mom has been through enough. I don’t need her worrying about me.

A knock on the door pulls me from my focus on the conversation. Mom is talking about packing for Mexico. She asks if I’ve packed. I haven’t unpacked from Florida, which I kind of need to do first. Mom and Dad gave me a credit card and they give me a monthly stipend. I use that to pay the credit card, which means there is no way for my parents to know I was in Florida.

I open the door. “Annie?” She’s wearing an off-white puffer coat, a gray hat, and her red hair falls on her shoulders. It looks wet because it’s snowing outside.

“You haven’t been answering my texts,” she states, walking into the house.

My eyes widen.

“Look, Cade. I get things are a little hard for you now. . .” Annie says.

“One second,” I tell her.

“Who is that, Cade?” Mom asks.

“Annie,” I whisper in a daze.

“I heard a girl’s voice, Cade. Why has she been texting you? Who is she? Is she the reason you and Scarlett broke up?” Mom asks and she sounds angry now.

I squeeze my eyes shut feeling overwhelmed. “It’s not like that, Mom.” I don’t like that Mom thinks I would cheat, just because Dad is a cheater. It’s not who I am. In fact, I stayed with Scarlett so long because I was trying to be a stand-up guy.

“So what’s it like?” she asks. I hear the worry and maybe irritation in her voice. “You don’t walk away from someone because they’re having a hard time.”

Here we go again. Mom accepts all of Dad’s faults and she thinks I should be the same way. There’s a line to be drawn. I will not accept her cheating. I definitely won’t be taking her back.

“Mom, Scarlett cheated on me,” I blurt. The words burn leaving my mouth.

I hear Mom’s sharp inhale. “Oh dear.” Her tone turns remorseful.

“Annie is. . .” I am looking at Annie as this train wreck of a conversation happens in front of her.

“Your girlfriend,” Annie mouths.

My brows draw together.

“Put your mom on mute,” Annie mouths some more.

I do as she says. I’m not sure why, but I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Tell your mom we’ve been friends for a while and now we are starting to date. That way she won’t worry about you being hurt over Scarlett,” Annie suggests. It isn’t a bad idea to get Mom off my back.

“I can’t lie to my own mother,” I whisper.

“Do you want your poor mother up at night worrying about you?” Annie asks, raising her brows.

“Cade?” I hear Mom’s voice. I unmute her.

“Sorry, Mom, Annie is a friend but we just started seeing each other. She’s been helping me take my mind off Scarlett.” I squeeze my eyes shut. Oops, that sounds like a bad thing to say to a mother.

“Cade,” Annie says my name with a chiding tone.

“Sorry,” I mouth to her.

“Tell your mom you’re being respectful of me,” Annie says.

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