Page 7 of Always Be Mine

She was almost finished updating the details when her phone rang.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Lou Lou.”

Lucy rolled her eyes at her mother’s nickname for her.

“I got your message. What’s this about you going on vacation?”

“Not a vacation, Mom. I told you I was?—”

“Going away.”

Lucy swallowed back her impatience. Audrey Willis had a way of only hearing what she wanted to hear. “No, Mom. I said I was leaving town.”

“Right. That’s what I said.”

Lucy put her laptop on the coffee table and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Right, well. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to come by and see you before I left but?—”

“You’re already gone?”

Lucy winced at the hurt in her mother’s voice. For as frustrating as she could be, Audrey did love her very much, and Lucy could probably work a little harder to be a better daughter. Truthfully, she hadn’t even considered her mother until she was almost in Trickle Creek. She’d fired off a quick text message when she stopped to get gas.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It was all kind of last minute, to be honest. Something came up and I just needed to go.”

“But it’s not a vacation?” Worry laced her mother’s words. “What’s going on, Lou Lou? Where are you?”

“I’m in a little town called Trickle Creek. It’s really cute and quiet at this time of year.”

“Trickle Creek?”

Lucy realized her mistake too late.

“Wasn’t that the place you said that boyfriend of yours was going to take you?” Before she could say anything, Audrey continued. “Yes. It was Trickle Creek.”

Lucy could almost see her mother nodding and smiling at herself.

“Don’t tell me you let him take you on a holiday before you’d let me meet him. I keep telling you, it’s not normal for a mother not to meet her daughter’s boyfriend after so long. Why don’t you?—”

“We broke up.” Her choice of words was woefully inadequate considering what had actually happened between her and Ross, but her mother definitely didn’t need to know any of the details. Audrey would lose her mind if she knew the truth about her relationship. Which only reaffirmed to Lucy that she’d done the right thing by ending it once and for all.

“I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What?” Of all the reactions she’d expected her mother to have, righteousness had not made the list. “What do you mean?”

“Lucy.” She heard her mother blow out a breath. “Think about it. If a man cannot make it a priority to meet his girlfriend’s family, after over a year of being together, then it’s clear that she is not a priority.”

Lucy couldn’t argue with that, but she almost choked when her mother added, “Either that or he’s married.”

It took her a moment to recover, and she hoped like hell her voice sounded normal when she finally spoke. “Well, it doesn’t matter. We’re not together now.”

“Well, that gives you a chance to find a new young man who is more suitable for you.”

Right.

The last thing she wanted to do was date for a while.

Lucy flashed back to the look on the man’s face after she’d kissed him. She knew exactly what Mandi would say aboutthatsituation. Right after telling Lucy how proud of her she was, she’d tell her to get him into bed if she really wanted to move on.

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