Page 40 of Reckless

“Thank you,” she said, desperately wanting to ask what had happened, but also not wanting to overstep in what had already been a really nice departure from her usual interactions with them.

“It needs to be said. Hector and I argue about this a lot more since Lulu came along. I’d like to talk more openly about the situation. Obviously not right now as this isn’t the place. But when you get off this tour maybe?”

Harlow ruthlessly tamped down any embers of hope that there’d be a happy solution to the distance between her brothers and herself. She wanted to keep trying, but it hurt too much to have those hopes dashed over and over.

“I’d like that,” she said.

“Oh shit,” Mindy muttered as she looked up at the doorbell alarm monitor on the nearby counter. “Heads up, she’s here.”

“She? No. You didn’t invite her too? Hector didn’t mention that.” Harlow should have gotten an explicit promise, but she hadn’t wanted to rock the fragile life raft they were all on. Still, she wasn’t surprised. Not really. Gloria would not pass up a chance to stir up some drama.

“Wedidn’t. But Luis wants his mother’s approval so much, he invited her. I’m sorry. I was hoping she wouldn’t show up. Hector called and told her not to.”

“He did?”

Harlow’s head spun. There was a missing piece of information here. Had something gone down between her mother and Hector? Or Mindy given the way her sister-in-law just sounded?

“Yes. Like I said, this has been a topic of arguments between us,” Mindy said.

Before she could ask, the doorbell rang, interesting, as her mother had just waltzed into her sons’ homes on the other times Harlow had been there. Luis jumped up and headed to answer it. Mindy sent a scorching look to her husband, who nodded and held a hand out, indicating he had it under control.

Harlow knew that was impossible when Gloria Martin was in the mix.

Mindy turned back to her and said, “Hold your head up, Harlow. You don’t deserve any of what she throws your way.”

Well now. Somethinghadhappened.

“Let’s get everything to the table,” Mindy said, grabbing a platter. Harlow followed suit and took another with all the meat on it.

“I’ll help,” Miles said, moving into the kitchen as the sound of Harlow’s mother carried from the entry.

“What do you mean she brought a man?” Gloria demanded. Not in a whisper or even a slightly lowered tone. “The one from the pictures where she’s rubbing all over him?”

Hector growled as he looked toward his wife and then back to the entry where Luis still stood with their mother, explaining something. His voice was lowered, but that wouldn’t stop Gloria from making a scene if that’s what she wanted.

“Harlow, can you please go get Lulu? I hear her on the monitor so she’s awake.” Mindy glanced at her mother-in-law quickly. “She’ll be hungry.”

Harlow scooted from the room to head down a short hallway. Her niece sat up, rubbing her eyes. When she saw Harlow she put her hands up in entreaty and Harlow said, “Hey punkin’, you hungry? Your mom just finished making dinner.”

Lulu nodded so Harlow swung her up to rest on her hip as she headed back out to the dining room.

Her mother had all her grandsons in her lap as she got kisses from them but didn’t bother to look up when Harlow returned with Lulu.

At the sight of her grandmother though, Lulu didn’t clap for joy, she burrowed deeper into Harlow’s hold.

“Mom’s here,” Luis said to them like their mother wasn’t right there not bothering to acknowledge them.

“Lulu, you want to see your grandmother?” Luis asked her and the eighteen-month-old looked over to where her grandma sat and then her whole face screwed up as she wailed, grabbing onto Harlow with all her might.

Miles moved to stand next to her and Harlow figured she needed to introduce him. For her manners, not her mother’s.

“Miles, this is Gloria Martin. Gloria, this is Miles Brown,” Harlow said as she swayed back and forth, running a hand up and down Lulu’s back until she stopped crying.

Mindy mouthed a thank you behind Gloria’s back and Harlow vowed to get whatever story was behind this situation.

“Some babies need to cry it out. If you spoil them with too much attention it’s not good,” Gloria said to Harlow, who continued the sway and soothing touch that had calmed Lulu down.

“Lulu is just fine, isn’t that right?” Harlow asked her niece who gave her a smile. “Love isn’t spoiling. It’s letting her know the big people in her life listen to her moods and want to help.”

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