Page 97 of To Belong Together
That didn’t mean they were close to the altar.
He was the best friend she’d had in ages, and fighting the impulse to cling to him had nearly undone her earlier. But she saw no way to keep his interest, except as a friend who maintained his cars. It’d worked with the popular guys in high school, anyway.
“It’s been a rough couple of days. Especially today.” She swung the broom between chair and table legs. “I broke down, and any human with an ounce of sympathy wouldn’t let a person cry like that alone.”
“That isn’t true.” Mom dried her hands and lifted her chin. “And you want the kind of man who’ll stick around for a rough day.”
True. But still. “I’m not his type.”
“What’s his type?”
“Beautiful and dainty.”
Mom’s gaze swept to Erin’s hands. Since she hadn’t worked on a car in days, the grease that usually lined each crease had nearly disappeared. Her nails remained short and uneven, her cuticles rough. One of the first smiles Erin had seen from Mom all day lifted her lips.
“Seriously, Mom. He’s rich and famous.”
“So I hear. How can we properly thank him for everything he did?”
Erin shook her head. The opportunity to say goodbye to Dad had been priceless. “I don’t think we can. And he said not to.”
Mom gave a knowing nod. “Because he really likes you.”
“We’re friends. Period.”
Though Erin did believe what John had said about those other women, each of those ladies wanted to be with him. Erin couldn’t compete with all that beauty and poise forever. He’d eventually realize he could do better.
Besides, he’d broken up with Nicole—beautiful Nicole Deering, whom he’d dated for the better part of a year—over debt.
The foreclosure would stir distrust.
But Mom, who had no idea the thoughts swirling in Erin’s head, continued to smile.
“We’re not serious.” Erin made pointed eye contact. “We can never be serious. I’m not the one for him.”
Mom looked away, mouth pursed with disbelief.
“I’ll never regret selling to help save this house. It means a lot to me too.”
Mom’s gaze flitted her way once more. “I don’t know.”
“Mom.” Erin willed her to understand how empty this place would feel if she lived here alone, Dad’s unused chair at the table, the garage empty of all his tools, his armchair always waiting. Erin wouldn’t fill the same space in the house or in Mom’s life, but they could finally be close. “We both need the company right now.”
Besides, Mom would lose the place without Erin’s help.
Mom’s line of sight seemed to settle on Dad’s empty chair. Her nose scrunched with a sniffle, and she turned away, lifting a helpless hand. “If you’re stuck on the idea. I don’t want to tie you down, though.”
“Moving here and splitting costs isn’t tying me to anything I’m not already attached to. You’re family. I’m listing my house. We have to save this place.”
Nodding quietly, Mom retreated to her room.
Chores completed, Erin wandered the first floor. Mom and Dad had made updates over the years.
The only one Erin would undo if possible was the seating area where the wood-burning stove used to stand. She’d love to curl up beside a fire right now. The warmth and light would make her feel closer to Dad, who’d manned the stove in her childhood, and the scent of warm pine would let her doze off, so she could dream that John would never leave her.
It’d all be an illusion.
Wiping away fresh tears, she retreated to her childhood room. In a world without Dad, at least someplace still felt like home.
