Page 61 of Chasing Stars
“Miles, dear. I talked to Nate last night.” My mom wastes no time going in for the kill.
I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see it. “Let me guess, he snitched,” I say wryly.
“I wouldn’t think of it as snitching. Nathan is just worried about you.” A thing about my mom, she will always tell you that she doesn’t take sides, but when she calls Nate Nathan, she is definitely on his side.
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t need to be,” I growl, leaning back in my seat at a red light, closing my eyes as I grasp for patience. It must be a short light because the cars behind me beep. I glance in the rearview mirror—a middle-aged man is yelling and angrily gesturing with his hands.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble at him. “Mom, I will talk to Jenna in my own time.” I attempt to appease her.
“How do you even know it’s reallyherfather?” My mother asks tentatively.
I sigh. “Because Mom. How many men have had a heart attack from exertion on Cove Beach in the last twenty-five years?” My patience is wavering.
“Itispeculiar,” my mother admits. She’s quiet for a moment. “And you really care about this girl?” she asks cautiously.
“I really do, Mom, yes,” I reply emphatically.
“Then you have to tell her what you suspect. You can’t keep a secret like this, especially from someone you really care about.”
I know my mother is right, but the truth is, I don’t know how I am supposed to tell Jenna this. I am falling completely in love with her. Seeing her fall apart on the bedroom floor this afternoon shook something in me. Jenna is my person. I have no doubt about that now. But what if this information freaks her out and sends her running from Cape May for good? Where does that leave me? It sounds selfish, but the moment has to be right.
“I will, Mom. I promise. It’s just a delicate thing to bring up. And she is fragile right now. She’s been through a lot,” I say, turning the car into the office parking lot. I’d love to use this as an excuse to hang up, but Mom is talking to me on the phone, standing on the curb in front of my office, clearly waiting for me. “Why are you here?” I ask, immediately agitated. I hang up the phone and get out of my car.
“This felt like it was too important to wait,” my mother says defensively.
“I’m going to kill Nate,” I mutter, starting for the door.
She stops me by putting both of her hands on my chest. “Now, no, you are not,” she says defiantly. “Nate isn’t in there anyway; he had an appointment. I just wanted to talk to you about this myself.”
“Well, come on then.” I let out an exasperated breath, motioning toward the door.
“I won’t keep you,” Mom says as she perches on the guest couch in the front of the office. “I just needed to give you my two cents, which is this:tell her. If you think her father saved you, you have to tell her. Because if she finds out on her own, it’s going to blow up in your face.”
“And how do you suggest I tell her, Mom?” I ask through gritted teeth. For someone who couldn’t remember the guy’s name, she’s being awfully persistent that I blow up my entire relationship before I’m ready. I need to channel the appreciative feeling I had for her just the other day. I take off my jacket and hang it on the coat rack by the door, then walk back over to my mother and sit beside her.
“Just be honest. Tell her the exact moment you suspected it.” She pats my knee.
“What if she leaves?” I ask quietly. This is another feeling I have been trying to force down every time it threatens to paralyze me. Fear. The fear that I am going to let myself fall for Jenna, only for her to break my heart into a million pieces like Erin did. It’s so much easier to be a serial dater than to open myself up to the possibility of getting hurt again.
“Do you love her?” My mother asks.
I sigh and run my hands down my face more aggressively than I intended. “I think…maybe I do,” I admit. “God, it’s weird saying that out loud. Especially to you.”
My mother grins, no longer bothering to hide her relief that I won’t be a Casanova forever. “I have to admit, Erin broke your heart so terribly that I never thought you’d fall in love again. I’m kind of excited!”
At this, my guard falls slightly, and I crack a smile. “She is really great.” I sigh. “I will tell her. I just have to find the right moment.”
“You will.” My mom grabs my arm and hugs it to her chest. “You’re a good man, Miles.” She stands to leave and I think the conversation is over until she says, “Bring her over for dinner on Friday. I’d love to meet her.”
“Oh…Mom.” I hesitate. “It’s soon for that, don’t you think?”
“Not if you love the girl,” my mother challenges, folding her arms across her chest.
“Well, what if I haven’t talked to her about it by then? Are you going to blow up my spot?” I cock my head, raising my eyebrows at her.
My mother scowls. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She waves her hand. “I just want to meet the woman my baby is so taken with. Please, say you’ll come.”
I groan and stand up, ushering her to the door. I’ve had about all that I can take from this conversation. “Fine, Mom. We’ll be there,” I grumble.
