Page 68 of Destined for Dreams
“Mom,” Cori dragged the word out.
Her mother kept going, but raised her voice as she reached the kitchen. “I knew your cabin would be finished soon, and that you’d be stuck here all alone with Bartol away, so I thought it would be a perfect time for me stay for the month and enjoy a vacation with my daughter—through the holidays.”
“You can’t be serious.” Cori loved her mom, but she needed plenty of notice to brace herself for this sort of thing. “I’ve got work and other things going on.”
“Yes, dear. I’ve heard all about that.”
“From Melena?” Would her friend have betrayed her and told her everything?
“She didn’t give me all the details—she can be surprisingly close-lipped despite my best efforts to pry information out of her.” Joy paused as clanging sounds came from the kitchen for a moment. “Bartol called me before he left on his trip and suggested I come out once your cabin was ready. You would be surprised how many others thought it was a great idea as well.”
Cori was going to kill everyone she knew and loved. Bartol complained about her conspiring against him, and then he did this? She’d spoken to him half a dozen times on the phone since he’d left and not once had he mentioned it—the coward.
“You’re not staying until Christmas,” Cori said, entering the kitchen.
Her mother was making a mess of the place already with pots, pans, and mixing bowls all over the counter and stove. Joy turned to face her. “My house is being remodeled. I can’t go back for a while, so you’re stuck with me.”
“What about Brenda?” Cori asked, referring to her sister who lived within a mile of her mother’s house.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Joy ducked her head into the refrigerator. “She’s going with her husband and kids on a skiing vacation to Aspen for the holidays. Unless you expect me to spend Christmas with your uncle Earl, you’re all I’ve got.”
Cori was stuck, truly stuck. They’d all made certain there was no way out of this visit.
“Alright, mom. I guess you’re staying.”
Joy gave her a pleased smile. “I knew you’d come around.”
