Page 4 of SEAL Mates

Paula

The last few days had been intolerable. I’d ignored every call from Steph. I’d pretended that I hadn’t read none of her messages and I’d officially dived into my cage.

I hated myself for doing it, but as Steph’s calls and messages stopped, I knew she knew the best thing to do was to leave me alone.

I sighed as mom walked into the living room and she had that look in her eye. The critical type, which meant she was going to speak her mind.

“The book is not going to write itself!”

Mom said as she caught me watching Netflix. Well, it was on, the laptop was by my side and I could pretend that I was writing, but I wasn’t. I hadn’t been for the last five years.

“Mom, it’s hard.” I sighed, avoiding looking at her. She was no doubt dressed to go out on the town and I was still in my Pj’s, which technically was my work clothes. I wore them all day and even on my school run at times. Thanks to my comfy clothes. They fitted nicely under my sweatpants and top.

She turned off the tele and stood in front of the tele. Her dark hair now had blonde streaks. She had high heels on, something I recognized from women I watched on tele. No more was I in possession of anything stylish, including the off the shoulder shirt she was wearing and her mini skirt.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing this and me that?”

She laughed, “If I was bored and chained to Netflix then I would do it.”

“It helps with my writing.” A line I’ve read so many authors post in groups, and the only thing I knew for sure was that it was helping with my exceedingly growing waistline. I tended to just sit and eat. Hence why the bowl of popcorn was on my lap and not my laptop.

“You can’t live with me forever.”

Here we go, she was ready to throw me out again. I’d been divorced from my second husband for the last four years. He paid maintenance for my daughter, but my son. I had no idea where his father was, at times I didn’t care until I saw his face and disappointment the few times my daughter’s dad came to the house.

“Why? There’s Tina, Becca and Stacey, they all live with their parents. I mean they never threatened to throw them out.”

It was a cheap shot naming people in town, who lived with their parents. I went to school with them and we both knew why they were still with their parents.

“They live in mansions. They’re as rich as the Kutcher’s. We’re not.”

She sighed as she slumped down on the sofa next to me.

“What you need is a hit? A bestseller.”

I nodded, thinking she was telling me something I already knew. Nothing new, I knew what I needed, but as much as everyone thought that writers sit there and all the inspiration just falls on our plates. It didn’t. At times the words got stuck and completely jumbled; I hated procrastination and writer’s block even more.

“And you said that military romance was hot right? You said if you hit a trope that everyones’ writing at the moment then maybe, just maybe you will get to the top. Then if you get to the top, you’ll…”

“Move out of your house.”

I finished her sentence for her, rather coldly. I didn’t meet her eyes as she stared at me.

“You’ll get your life back together again. Do you think I want to see my only daughter like this? It’s affecting the kids.”

I choked, “Please. All you’re thinking about is your toy boy.”

She shook her head, “Not my toy boy, but my boyfriend and no, that’s him. It’s you. The other day, Ray asked if you are going to die.”

My seventeen-year-old son asked her that. She was exaggerating, but then the look on her face. The frown. Her hands on her hips told me otherwise. She was deadly serious.

“What?”

I was shocked by what she was saying to me. I turned to face her, thinking I was being childish so I would stop ignoring her and just find out what’s been going on in the house. I lived here, but appeared to be completely ignorant to what was going on inside of it.

“Well, he said you sit around all day in your pajamas. Then, you drop them at school, and pick them up again in your pj’s. Kylie thinks that you’re just lazy, but Ray. He’s really worried.”

Kylie was only ten and judging my appearance and assuming that I was lazy, Ray on the other hand was older and already thinking the worst.

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