Page 16 of Speeding Hearts

She was right, in a way. Dad was no happier and, in fact, was in worse shape than Mom, quality-of-life-wise.

Mom believed in letting your feelings guide you—being happy even if it meant going without some creature comforts. I didn’t think Dad knew what feelings were at all, except for bitterness and spite.

“Mom have you given any more thought to selling the place?” I asked as I removed the closet door from its track.

Mom huffed. “I don’t need to sell. I don’twantto sell. I want you to move in here one day and fill it with grandbabies.”

I couldn’t help laughing as I set the door aside. When she scowled at me, I sighed.

“Sorry, Mom. Just… Don’t hold your breath, alright? You have as much chance of getting grandkids out of me as turning this place into a bed and breakfast.”

That had been another idea of Mom’s a couple of years ago, until she’d found out from the owners of a struggling one in town just how much work it was.

But her face spread with another grin. “Speaking of vacation accommodation,” she said.

“Oh, no.” I didn’t like the conspiratorial look on her face.

“I almost forgot to show you what I got my hands on recently! Betty was just giving it away.”

Betty was Colin O’Malley’s wife, my aunt. While Mom didn’t speak to her brother, she was still in touch with his wife. In fact, they were close.

Mom took me by the elbow and dragged me to the back deck, which, incidentally, needed a complete redo. Good—fixing Mom’s place up could fill up any spare time outside of work and looking after Dad.

“What am I looking at?”

She pointed down into the little copse of trees down by the creek at the far end of the property. There, in the low afternoon sun, something metal glinted at me from between the leafy brush.

“Is that a…”

“A trailer!”

It was one of those sleek silver bullet trailers popular in the 1960s.

“What are you going to do with that?” I exclaimed.

“I thought I’d run it as a… a what do you call it?”

“Campsite?”

“No, a vacation property! You’re always telling me I need to think about my finances.”

“By downsizing, not adding more things to look after!”

“Come on, don’t you think people would want to rent a creekside trailer? Don’t you think it’s kind of hip? Colin and Betty never used the damn thing, so it’s in mint condition.

I sighed, wrapping my arm around my mom. “You’re crazy, Mom,” I said.

“That’s why you love me, isn’t it, Dear?”

I laughed. Then my phone buzzed.

It was Stella. Just the sight of her name on my phone had my stomach jumping.

STELLA:We still on for this weekend?

“That’s her, isn’t it?”she asked softly.

I jerked my gaze to Mom, who was looking directly at my phone.

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