Page 35 of The One Who Got Away
“It’s a kid’s room.” She swiped at her eyes. “Like it was twenty years ago.”
I looked around at the posters on my walls. “Okay, it’s bad enough I’m almost thirty-four living at home, let’s not age me up that much.”
She sat on my bed, her fingers tangled in her lap, her head bowed. “Because of me.”
“No, no.” I rolled my chair over to her and took her hands. “I wanted to show you what I’ve been working on. If I didn’t come home, then I never would have had the courage to work on this.”
She sniffled. “Work on what?”
I rolled back to my desk and hit preview.
The screen filled with my fictional town. The sunset over the houses inspiration from Gus’s photo started the game. And like a drone flying over the town, it showed a fictional bakery, bookstore, library, and the park. It was a bird’s eye view.
“I’ve had this idea for a cozy game where you build your own town. I call it Story Brook Valley.”
She leaned forward. “Is that our library with the fountain?”
I laughed. “Yeah, it is. I took a little bit of Indigo Valley as inspiration and twisted it a bit so it wasn’t so obvious.”
“It’s really amazing, Eloise.”
“Thanks.”
“I never really understood what you did. I’m not much for video games except for my match game.”
I squeezed my mom’s arm. “That’s okay. But you needed me and if I hadn’t come home then I wouldn’t have had the time or the courage to try making my own game.”
“So, you don’t want to go back to Everest Games?”
I shook my head. “No. I wasn’t happy there for a long time, but it was safer to stay than to go out on my own.”
Her blue eyes filled. “Are you sure?”
I turned in my chair and held my mom’s hands. “Yes, I’m positive. But I’m happy that you want to change the house. I’m sorry Dad did this to you but living in the past isn’t helping.”
“I know.” Her voice broke. “And I’m sorry I’ve leaned on you so much.”
I gathered her in. “It’s okay. I promise. I just want you to be happy again.”
She sighed before she firmly set me back. “I have to be the one to do that. Which is why I’m getting everything out of here that reminds me of him.”
“Fresh start.”
“I know he’s still your dad and for right now I need to be selfish about that part, but I don’t expect you to stop talking to him.”
“I’m mad at him too.”
“I know, but he’s still your dad.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. We’d never really been close, but she was right. “He is.”
“I’m going to be okay. I can’t promise I won’t backslide again, but you just tell me when I’m getting too clingy.”
I laughed. “I will.”
“I didn’t ruin anything with Gus, did I?”
“No.” I blushed. “We had a good day together.”
