Page 96 of Talulah's Back in Town

Fortunately, Mitch reached for a porcelain rose Phoebe had displayed on a side table, distracting Averil. “No, buddy. Don’t touch. That could break,” Talulah heard her say as she hurried up the stairs.

Talulahwaseager to get out of her suit, which was damp and uncomfortable, especially given the cooler temperatures at night, but she also craved a moment of privacy she could use to text Brant.

Hey, you’re never going to believe it, but Averil was sitting in my drive when I got home. She wanted to come in and talk. Do you mind holding off for a while?

Hoping for a quick response, Talulah tossed her phone on the bed while she changed.

Fortunately, he’d answered by the time she’d yanked on a pair of yoga pants and a Pike Place Market sweatshirt.

I can wait. No worries. Hope it goes well. Are you going to tell her about me? [grimace emoji]

If I tell her about you, it won’t go well. I think I’ll just see what she has to say, at least for tonight.

Okay.

Talulah pulled her hair into a quick ponytail before leaving her phone in her room—on purpose—and hurrying back down to the living room.

Averil was looking at the photographs of old relatives that lined the walls, including one of Talulah’s grandma and grandpa. “What are you going to do with the house once you get everything packed?” she asked.

“Put it up for sale.”

“That’s kind of a shame, isn’t it? This is such a cool place.”

Talulah had been so focused on burrowing through what she had to get done that she’d taken little time to consider the house itself, only the clutter inside it. She had to admit, however, that refurbished and updated, it could be as nice as some of the farmhouses depicted in decorating magazines. “It doesn’t have a master bedroom, but that could be fixed.”

“I wishIhad the money to buy it.”

Talulah went into the kitchen to get Mitch’s juice and pour them each a glass of wine. “How’s it going living with your folks again?” she called out.

“It’s not easy. I mean...it’s great that I have people around who can help with Mitch. My parents watch him while I’m working at the bank. But being home has its downside, too.”

“Itwouldbe difficult to go back once you’ve been out on your own.” Talulah knew she wouldn’t like it, either.

“Exactly. If I give Mitch a treat, I feel like they’re thinking he shouldn’t have it. If I let him stay up past his bedtime, I can feel their disapproval. If I don’t wake up to feed him breakfast right away, they jump up to do it, then get mad at me, when he would’ve been fine for thirty minutes without their intervention, you know? I hate not having my own place.”

“You’ll get out on your own again soon.”

“I hope so. For now, staying with them is helping me a lot—especially with babysitting and my finances—so I feel bad even complaining.” She threw up her hands. “There’s no winning.”

“Here you go, honey,” Talulah said to Mitch as she gave him a small plastic cup partially filled with orange juice.

Averil tapped his shoulder. “What do you say?”

“Thank you,” he murmured, mostly into the cup.

Talulah handed Averil her wine in a tumbler. “These aren’t wineglasses, but they’ll have to do.”

“No problem.” She took a sip. “This is good. So was that carrot cake you made, by the way.”

Talulah sat on a side chair and tucked her legs underneath her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Charlie came by. He had some, too.”

“He did?” Talulah said in surprise. “Did he knowImade it?”

Averil sank onto the settee across from her, and Mitch demanded to be pulled into his mother’s lap. “He did.”

“I’m sorry about the wedding, Av,” Talulah said. “I hurt Charlie, and I hurt you, too, and I feel terrible about it.”

---