Page 52 of Forever & Always You
“They don’t have fleas.”
She bites the inside of her cheek, dubiously eyeing the dogs lapping up all of the attention from the public. “And have they had their shots?”
“Yes, they’ve had their shots.”
“And you’ve seen the paperwork to prove that, have you?”
“Jesus, Mom, they’re just dogs,” I say, rolling my eyes. “You don’t have to go near them, okay? Thank you for coming.”
Mom meets my gaze for the first time and I even get a smile out of her. “You’re welcome, honey. It’s nice to see you again, and I’m glad you’re making good use of your time—”
I abruptly clear my throat to interrupt her before she can spill the beans on my little secret. I reach back for Austin, hovering awkwardly a few feet away, and yank him forward. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Austin. Again.”
Okay, fine—I invited Mom because I wanted her to meet Austin in a casual setting rather than having to sit through a formal dinner, not because I wanted her to praise me for my event management skills.
“How’s it going, Mrs. McKinley?” Austin says politely, digging his elbow not-so-subtly into my ribs. I should have definitely forewarned him about my mother’s attendance, but in the midst of organizing a thousand different things, it slipped my mind.
Mom fiddles with her pearl necklace as she looks Austin up and down, and already I want to smack my head into a wall in frustration because she is just so fixed in her ways. “Hello .?.?. Austin,” she says, but it’s difficult for her to get his name past her lips without it being delivered with a bow of disapproval. “And you two are here together, because .?.?.?”
“Because we’re friends again,” I say without hesitation. “Austin still lives here in Wilmington, so we’ve been catching up. He works downtown in finance, remember?”
Something peculiar flashes in Mom’s eyes and her shoulders relax, just a touch, just enough. A small crack in the walls she has built around her, the ones that keep the grief of losing my father permanently at bay. “Finance? That’s a great choice. Gabrielle’s father was very successful in finance. He was—”
“Very good at what he did,” Austin finishes, and he and I exchange a knowing glance. Mom will never know just how much my father changed Austin’s life for the better.
“Austin’s really good, too,” I tell Mom. “His firm is up for an award.”
Mom raises an intrigued eyebrow. “Oh? You seem to have done well for yourself then, given your odds.”
My eyes squeeze shut in mortification, because she just can’t help herself. It’s ironic, talking about odds, considering I was dealt the much stronger hand, and yet Austin is the one with a successful career while I’m yet to even get my degree. Mom really has no right to be so patronizing, considering her own daughter’s circumstances.
“Yes, Mrs. McKinley, I had pretty bad odds,” Austin agrees,his tone hardening in defense. “But that was all—just bad odds. I was a nice kid who worked hard and treated people with kindness, so I think I deserved to have some luck thrown my way, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, of course .?.?.”
“Great! Then you can stop looking down on me going forward,” he says with a tight smile, leaving my mother flummoxed and grappling with her words.
“I do not look down on you!”
“You do, Mom,” I cut in gently, scoldingly tilting my head at her. “Austin and I are friends again, and I’d really like it if you respected that this time around. He’s a good influence on me.”
Mom is not accustomed to being put in her place, but I also didn’t invite her here to stir up an argument. Surprisingly, for once, I don’t enjoy the quiver in her lower lip. She may be the worst judgmental snob and the most melodramatic person I have ever met in my entire life, but I still love her despite her glaring flaws. I really do want her to accept Austin, even if itistoo many years overdue.
I’m just about to change the subject when Zach approaches us and I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful for the interruption.
“Hey, sis,” Zach says through a mouthful of cheeseburger, throwing an arm over my shoulders. I haven’t seen him in a month since we both crashed at the house, but he really came in clutch with designing the flyers for this event. “Wow, Mom. You came to this?”
“Yes,” Mom mumbles, her eyes on the ground. I suspect she’ll leave soon.
“Where’s Claire?” I ask with caution. Last I heard, Zach and his fiancée were patching things up, but I worry they’ve taken a bad turn again.
Zach points his half-eaten cheeseburger across the gazebo and I spot Claire fussing over one of the dogs.Phew. Thingsmust be okay. “Gabby, if she ends up falling in love with some mutt, I’m declaring war on you. I’m here for the free food, not to adopt a dog. Oh, Austin.” Zach blinks at Austin in surprise, then tilts his head at me. “Still figuring things out, I see?”
I smile. “Getting there.” My stomach rumbles and I realize in my haste to leave Durham this morning, I haven’t eaten all day. The sight of Zach’s burger suddenly has me ravenous, so I tap Austin’s arm. “Let’s go grab some food.”
Austin is more than happy to escape being cornered in the gazebo with my mom, so we leave her and Zach behind and head outside into the sun to source some burgers for ourselves. I knew the turnout today was expected to be high, but it still amazes me just how bustling the park is. Music blasts from speakers, the delicious scent of burgers fills the air, and kids’ laughter echoes from the bounce houses. So far, everything is running smoothly without a hitch.
Maybe I should have studied event management instead of sensible, boring economics. I’m not that bad at this, and if even just half the dogs are adopted, I’ll consider today an immense success.
