Page 40 of Fighter
Maybe they didn't want to.
With those heavy thoughts, the waitress appeared with our pie. Dad dove in with gusto, and I poked at the piece of triple berry with ice cream that Mom and I had decided to share. She put on a good face, but only half of the pie ended up getting eaten and only one bite was mine. Talmage wolfed a piece of apple down, and said little.
Once back in the car, and while Mom and Dad chattered in the background, I stared at the canyon walls as he headed back to little Pineville.
I thought only of Benjamin and Ava.
Mom let out a long breath the next afternoon, then clapped her hands together. A little bit of packing dust cleared from her fingers and floated in the air before it slipped out the open window.
“It's lovely,” she declared. “Empty, but . . . lovely.”
I silently disagreed. The loft was open, spacious, and filled with sunshine. Sure, there wasn't much in the way of furniture. A simple twin bed, woven laundry basket, and closet where all my clothes hung, hidden by a gauzy drape. One couch filled up the center of the room, where a second-hand flatscreen was propped near the far wall. In between both of those was a braided rug I hadn't been able to turn down.
For six months, it would be just right.
Mom closed the fridge, now freshly stocked from her own credit card with my favorite foods. She'd meal prepped four different dinners for me and stashed them in the fridge, then organized my food pantry by color, size, and shape. She'd also purchased a large crockpot—bigger than I'd ever need—and dropped a roast into it that would have fed a family of four. Potatoes, onions, and carrots simmered away in a delicious au jus that had my stomach growling.
“A crockpot will be just what you need for those two cuties you work with,” she'd said with a wink. “They're a lifesaver, my girl.”
In a weird moment of realizing I had become my mother, I could finally see that she'd done to me what I did to Benjamin. I loved it.
Dad hooked an arm around me and gently pulled me into his side. The ache in my rib had been slowly subsiding with over-the-counter pain meds, but he still handled me with care. Pain from the bruise had started to fade, but the discoloration was still there.
“Love you, kiddo. Super proud of you and all you're doing. I'm sorry again about what happened with Talmage. We'll make sure it won't happen again. I think . . . Ihope. . . he's on a better path now.”
Get rid of Amber,I thought,and he has a chance.
I wrapped my arms around Dad's waist and drew in a deep breath. The smell of spicy aftershave brought floods of childhood memories with it. Safe places. Giggling summer nights. Long winter days playing Monopoly and drinking hot chocolate.
“Thanks, Dad. And thanks for helping me move in and gather some things.”
He tutted under his breath. “Your wandering spirit is sure something. I can't imagine fitting everything that I own in a few bags.”
I grinned. “It's the nomad's life.”
“Will it be this way forever?”
“Unlikely. I just need to find a reason to stay somewhere, I guess, when there are so many things to see in the world.”
He laughed, pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and pulled the keys to their rental car out of his pocket.
“Ready, honey?”
Mom cast one last look around, then reluctantly nodded. With teary eyes, she fluttered over and pulled me close. Her grip on my shoulder was so tight it would have hurt if I didn't crave it so much.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
With a sniffle, she pulled away, squeezed my hand, and followed Dad out the door. I waved from the window as they climbed into their car and slipped away, Mom blowing kisses the whole time.
For several long minutes after they left, I felt their absence like a missing limb. Maybe this roomwastoo empty now. Too big. Too much for me alone. Maybe I should have taken the offer to move back home . . .
Maybe . . .
My phone buzzed against my pocket. I reached back and pulled it out to see a text from Benjamin.
Benjamin:Business as usual this week?
