Page 116 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“Oh Aidan,” she said, and he could practically see his sister working it out in that hard head of hers. “Wow! I’ve been a bitch. What do you want me to do about Sue?”
He could hear his ex moving around in the kitchen and lowered his voice. “Help me get her home.”
“I’ll be right over.”
* * *
Dana checked into the Lumber Baron, grateful to get a room on a Friday night. Maddy had been polite enough not to ask too many questions. But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize she and her roommate weren’t working out so well. Sloane, being Aidan’s brother, probably had the full 4-1-1 by now and had passed it on to Rhys, who’d told Maddy. Small-town life.
C’est la vie.
At least she and Gia had plans to grab takeout from the Ponderosa, a couple of bottles of wine from the Nugget Market, and hang out in one of their rooms, watching HBO. She’d deliberately turned off her phone; if it wasn’t on, she couldn’t be disappointed when he didn’t call. In ten minutes she had to fetch the food, so on a whim she picked up her room phone and dialed.
It rung a few times, and Dana nearly hung up. But then a scratchy, low voice came through the receiver. Suddenly she didn’t know why she’d called in the first place.
“Hi, Mom. It’s me. It’s been a few days and I wanted to see how you and Dad are.”
“We’re fine, dear.” Betty sounded groggy, like she’d been sleeping. It wasn’t even six thirty yet.
And then there was silence. Nothing, just dead space.
She waited futilely for Betty to ask how she was. “Mom, don’t you want to know about me? My house burned down, someone set fire to my office, and the man I love is poised to go back to his ex.”I need my mother.
“I’m sorry, dear. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”
“What if it doesn’t?” There was a long pause and Dana exhaled, feeling an ache in her heart so strong she put her palm over her chest and pressed.
“Can we talk about this later, Dana? I’m not feeling well today.” Just a few minutes ago she’d said she was fine. Fine for a corpse.
Oh, what was the use? Paul had been dead a long time and her parents were never getting better. They were past accepting that they still had a living child. Why did she even bother?
“Sure, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.” But before she hung up, she couldn’t stop herself. “Paul is never coming back, but I’m still here.”
There was more silence, soon accompanied by the sound of quiet weeping. Dana felt awful. How could she have been so heartless? “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just . . . I miss you.”
“I’m here, dear.” Betty said it so softly, Dana could barely register it.
She sat at the edge of the bed, bowing her head in sadness. By now, she too was crying, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. That pain in her heart had moved to her stomach. “The thing is, Mom, you’re not. I want us to talk . . . to be close again.”
There was a scuffling on the other end and suddenly the faint background of the ever-present television went silent. “Is this the young man you had at the house? The firefighter?”
“Mm-hmm. I love him, Mom, but I don’t know if he loves me.”
“What has he told you?” Betty asked, her voice sounding less dejected than Dana could remember in recent history. Gone was that chronic throbbing that saidIf only I could’ve died with Paul.
“Nothing.” Despite there being no declaration of everlasting love, their feelings for each other had felt intense. Perfect and breathless and deep. Or might she have imagined it?
“Who wouldn’t love you?” her mother said, and for a second Dana couldn’t believe her ears. Her throat clogged and hot tears poured down her face. “Come by the house tomorrow. We’ll sit and sample these new truffles your father brought home.”
“Okay.” Dana’s voice broke, and in that moment she knew her mother was truly trying. A little band of hope squeezed her insides. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Dana got up, went inside the beautifully appointed bathroom, and powered through a wad of tissue, staring at her puffy, red-rimmed eyes in the mirror.Shit!The food. She splashed water on her face, grabbed her purse off the chair, the room key off the table, and raced down the stairs all the way to the Ponderosa.
Sophie was there, working the bar. “Hey there, Dana. Tater has your order ready. Let me go back and get it for you.”
“Thanks, Sophie.”
A few minutes later Sophie returned with a large paper bag. “Napkins and utensils are inside. You and Aidan planning movie night at home?” She smiled in that sly, knowing way.
