Page 73 of The Good Guy on My Porch

“That sounds amazing.”

We walked back to the hangar, where we got out of our gear and Lance picked up the photos and video he’d had made of his jump. His expression in the photo was amazing, excitement and wonder mixed with abject terror. “I’m framing this and hanging it on the center of my living room wall,” he said as we walked to his car.

“What was it like?” I set my purse on the floorboard and climbed in.

“It was like falling so fast it felt like my lungs were outside my body,” he said as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “Then the parachute popped, and we started floating down to earth so slowly. It was like flying. And the views…” He shook his head. “I could do that every day and it would never get old. Never.”

“That sounds amazing.”

He glanced over at me. “Regretting you didn’t jump?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“So, this means you won’t be dragging me and Carrie out for hang gliding or para-sailing or anything like that?”

“Nope. I’m going to admit that I prefer to have both feet firmly on the ground and I’m going to be okay with that. It’s a perfectly sane response.”

He grinned.

My phone chirped from my bag and I pulled it out to see a new text from my aunt asking where the hell I was. My heart sank. My aunt had gotten in late the night before and I hadn’t seen her, yet. If she was asking where I was, it meant something was wrong with my mother.

The long list of missed texts and phone calls meant there was something seriously wrong. “I need to make a quick call,” I said.

“Go ahead. I’m just reveling in my post-jump glory. I should have done this years ago instead of waiting for you.”

“Especially since you didn’t need my support at all.”

“I was glad to have you there, though,” he said with a warm smile.

Was I actually becoming friends with Lance? “I want to see that video later, since I couldn’t see your jump from the plane.”

I dialed my aunt and put the phone to my ear. As much as I didn’t want to jump out of a plane, I’d rather be free falling through the air than making that phone call.

“Dilly. Where are you?”

“I’m on the other side of the mountains. About an hour out. What’s going on?”

“It’s my fault. Mary wanted to visit your mother. Everything was going fine, until your mom asked where you were, why you weren’t with us. She said she had a bad feeling and that bad feeling grew to her believing we were there without you because we were going to trick her into going to that home in New England. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer and then she went totally…” Aunt Mellie sighed. “Her usual mega meltdown.”

I felt sick. I was going to be sick. “Was Mary there for all of it?”

“Yes, dear. I’m so sorry, Dilly, but we’ve kept your mother’s secret long enough.”

“Let me talk to Mom.” I listened as my aunt walked through the apartment, her heels clicking firmly on the floor.

“Dilly?” My mother’s voice was raspy. She sounded broken and scared and desperate.

“It’s me, Momma. I’m sorry I missed your call. I was at the movies with Carrie and had my phone set to silent.” I ignored the look from Lance, but I could feel it burning the side of my face.

“I was so worried,” she said. “Can you come over? I need to see you. I need to know you’re all right.”

I racked my brain, but it was as sluggish as my body and in total freak out mode. If Mary knew about my mother, the whole town would know by tomorrow and my peace would be shattered. It would be like my father had died all over again, the pitying looks, the careful words, like the wrong thing said would break me. “I’m…I’m babysitting, Momma. I can’t leave the kids until Carrie gets back. I’ll come see you the minute she gets back, okay?”

“Can you call her, Dilly? I need to see you, now.”

“There was a crisis at the Inn. They need Carrie’s help and she can’t leave until everything’s been resolved. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She gasped, and I regretted my choice of words. “A crisis? Is it Nora? I’ve had such a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen.”

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