Page 100 of Hale Yes
I pull out one of the chairs for her and gesture for her to take a seat. “Can I get you a mimosa or something?”
She sits, and her eyes light on the table, draped with a white linen cloth and displaying two mimosa glasses. “Oh, are you here with someone?”
My grin stretches across my face at the thought of Nicolette. “I’m here with my lab manager, the one we talked about before.”
“Ahhh, the ‘lab manager,’” she says, actually doing quotation marks in the air. My mother’s brown eyes twinkle. “What is her name again?”
“Nicolette.” I straighten my napkin in my lap. “She is… god, she’s so amazing. I really think—” I cut off when I notice the expression on my mom’s face has transformed from one of delight to one of… horror? “What’s wrong?”
“Oh. What’s wrong? Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all,” she says, her words tumbling over each other as her eyes dart nervously around the room. “I really should be going.”
She moves to stand, but I place my hand on the back of her chair. “I’d really like you to stay and meet Nicolette. Just for a minute. It’s really important to me.”
Mom sags back into her chair, her face softening. “It is?”
I nod with conviction. “I think I’m ready to start dating again.” My teeth sink into my bottom lip. “For the first time since everything went down five years ago.”
Her face seems to melt into acquiescence, and she reaches up to lay her hand on my cheek. “Oh, Helix, honey. That makes me so happy. I worry about you all the time.”
A sigh escapes from deep in my lungs. I hate that what happened to me still affects her. “I’m sorry, Mom, but you don’t have to worry. Nicolette is a wonderful woman. She’s the smartest person I know, and she has the best heart.” I swallowhard. “I can’t tell you much because it’s not my story to tell, and I would never betray her confidence, but she didn’t grow up with the kind of love we had as kids. I think she could really use a mother figure like you in her life.”
My mother is a marshmallow in Chanel right now. If there’s one thing she’s a pro at, it’s caring for children, and she abhors the thought of a kid being mistreated. Even when she was scolding us—and rightly so in all cases—we never felt anything less than loved.
“Oh dear,” she says, pressing her fingertips against her pink lips as tears well in her eyes. “Of course I’ll stay and meet your friend.”
I glance around and see her.Finally. Nicolette looks amazing in a pretty mint-green floral top and long white walking shorts. I stand and take two long strides to greet her.
“Hey, are you okay? I was beginning to get worried.” I link my fingers through hers.
“I’m fine. I was just… washing my hands.”
I laugh. “Well they should be plenty clean by now.” We take two steps, and she freezes in her tracks, her gaze trained on the back of my mother’s head. With her eyes popped wide, she emits a squeaky sound.
Wait, does she think I invited some random woman to sit at our table or something? “It’s okay. It’s just my mom,” I explain. “She happened to be walking by, and I spotted her. Come on and I’ll introduce you.”
“I… uh… your mother?”
“Yes, the woman who birthed me,” I clarify with a laugh. “You’re both acting really weird.”
“We are?” she asks, her voice way higher-pitched than normal.
I step in front of her to catch her agitated eyes, pretty sure I understand what’s going on here. Meeting someone’s familycan be nerve-racking, and while I don’t think my mother is intimidating, I can see where some may think so because she’s wealthy and always perfectly put-together.
“I promise this was not some kind of ambush or anything. My mother being here is completely by coincidence, though not completely unusual. She and her friend Grace come here a couple times a month.” My fingers brush along her tense jawline. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t even think that this might be awkward for you. I didn’t mean to be pushy. I can tell her we’ll catch up with her another time.”
Nicolette’s shoulders deflate, and she shakes her head, making her curls bounce. “No, that would be rude. I’m sorry. I was just… startled.” She smiles but still looks nervous. “I’d love to meet her.”
“Mom,” I say, touching her shoulder lightly while still holding onto Nicolette’s hand. I don’t want her to be apprehensive around my mother. She really is a sweetheart. “I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Nicolette Bell.”
My mother stands and turns with a big smile on her face. “Nicolette,” she purrs, “how lovely to meet you. I’m Ophelia Oakley-Hale, and I’ve heard only good things about you. Please call me Ophelia. Or Mom.”
Okay, well, that might be laying it on a little thick with thecall me Momthing, but whatever. I release Nicolette's hand when my mother pulls her close and kisses both her cheeks. And it looks like she whispers something, though I can’t imagine what. They’ve never even met before.
“Ophelia, it’s nice to meet you as well. You’ve raised such a wonderful son, and I know you’re proud of him.”
“I’m glad you’ve been enjoying him,” my mom says, and Nicolette lets out a high-pitched giggle that’s completely uncharacteristic of her. My mother joins in, and I feel like I’mmissing something. “Please, sit down. I promise I won’t stay and interrupt your date for long.”
Nicolette rounds the table and sits in the chair to my right, while Mom is on my left. I place a reassuring hand on Nicolette’s knee because she’s still acting a bit sketchy.
