Page 33 of The Secrets We Treasure

The instant Treasure did so, Cherry caught her in a bear hug, giving Treasure a whiff of exotic spices and tangerines.

“How’s Mom?” Treasure asked quietly.

The edges of her mouth tightened. “She’s hanging tough. A little tired, but I think she’s gonna be okay.”

“Do the doctors think it’ll happen again?” Treasure had looked up mini strokes online. From what she’d read, one in three people who’d had a mini stroke went on to have a stroke at some later point. However, one couldn’t take everything on the internet as fact. Treasure knew that first-hand. Anyone following her on social media or looking her up online would think she was engaged.

“The doctor didn’t mention anything about that, only that Barbara needs to watch her salt intake, lose a few pounds, and get more exercise.” Cherry held up a finger. “Oh, the doc did adjust her blood pressure medicine. We picked up the new bottle on the way home from the hospital.”

“Thanks so much for all that you’re doing for Mom.”

“Of course. Barbara’s like a sister to me.” She gave Treasure a tender smile. “Your being here will help Barbara more than anything. She misses you.”

The faint note of reproof in Cherry’s tone pricked at Treasure’s conscience. “I miss her too.”

Cherry nodded and looked like she might say more, but she took in a deep breath instead. “Let’s go see her.” She ushered Treasure into the kitchen to where the smell of cornbread wafted through the air. “Look who’s here,” Cherry boomed.

Barbara looked up from where she was playing a game of solitaire. Her entire face blossomed with radiance when she saw Treasure. “Hello, darling. Thanks for coming.” She held out her arms as Treasure crossed the distance with quick steps. She leaned in and enfolded her mom in a hug as tears prickled her eyes. The familiar scent of baby powder and fruity shampoo engulfed her senses. She’d not realized until this very moment how much she missed her mom.

“How ya doing?” Treasure asked as she pulled back, taking an assessment. In her younger years, Mom wore her dark hair to her shoulders. However, she now kept it cut in a short cap that fluffed on top. Wispy bangs softened her high forehead. It had been a year since Treasure had seen her mom. She’d kept her hair colored before, but now it was threaded in silver.

“You’re letting your hair go gray?”

“Yeah,” Barbara chuckled hesitantly as she touched her hair. “What do you think?”

“I like it,” Treasure said decisively. “You look beautiful as always.”

“Amen,” Cherry chimed in. “I’ve been telling Barbara that there ain’t no sense in wasting her money and time going to the beauty shop to get her hair colored every three weeks.”

Barbara rolled her eyes. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have a single gray hair.”

“I have one or two,” Cherry chuckled. “I just pluck them out.”

“See what I’m talking about?” Barbara turned to Treasure, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Treasure grinned. The way that her mom and Cherry bantered back and forth was reminiscent of her and Laci. She turned her attention back to her mom. Barbara Sherman was a striking woman, even in her early sixties. It was no wonder that she’d turned Oliver Chasing’s head back in the day. Treasure wondered how her mother would react if she knew that Treasure had seen her with Oliver at the remote cottage. She’d probably be appalled … humiliated. Maybe Treasure should’ve confronted her instead of emotionally pulling away. She brushed aside the thoughts of the affair, wondering why they were surfacing now. Maybe it was because she was feeling the need to correct the damage her own treachery had caused.

Cherry motioned to a chair. “Have a seat. The cornbread’s almost ready, and we’ve got pinto beans and collard greens on the stove. We’ll have us a nice lunch. Then tonight, we’ll have jerk chicken and rice.”

“You’ve been cooking up a storm. I hope you didn’t go to all this trouble on my account.”

“You’re worth it, sugar,” Cherry winked.

Treasure sat down across from her mom. She removed her purse and placed it at her feet. Her mom did look tired, and her face was a tad puffy. However, she’d taken the time to put on makeup and fix her hair, so she must be doing fairly well. Also, her speech wasn’t remotely slurred, and she was playing a card game that required concentration. Those were all good signs.

“How’s Tray doing?” her mom asked as she sat back and pushed the deck of cards aside.

“Great,” Treasure chimed. “He’s excited about going to Disneyland this weekend with Helen and Kevin.”

Barbara’s features tightened. “I hate that you’re not able to go with him. I know you were looking forward to it.”

Treasure reached across the table and caught hold of her hand. “There’s nowhere that I’d rather be than right here with you.” She held her mom’s gaze. “I mean that.”

Barbara’s eyes glistened. “Thank you,” she breathed.

The ringing of her phone prompted Treasure to release her mom’s hand. She leaned down and retrieved it from her purse. It was Ethan … again! She tightened her jaw. “I should probably get this. It’s my manager. He keeps calling. Hello.”

“Treasure,” Ethan began, “did you get there okay?”

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