Page 75 of Monochrome Without You
"That’s… interesting." She tilts her head, amusement dancing in her expression. “Jules and you having dinner together.”
Of course, she’s thrilled. She’s always been Jules’ biggest fan.
She once told me that Jules softened my hard edges. Back then, I brushed her off.
Now? Maybe she wasn’t wrong.
I clear my throat, pushing past whatever the hell is stirring inside me. “Dinner?” I ask her. “You must be starving from the drive.”
Mom hums, tapping her chin. “What about that steakhouse up the road?”
Tate practically dances with excitement. “I love that place!”
***
After a heavy but satisfying dinner at Lloyd’s Steak House, we grabbed ice cream on the way home. Tate barely made it through a few licks before his head started drooping in the back seat.
By the time we pulled into the driveway, he was completely passed out.
I carried him upstairs, his arms draped limply around my neck. Even half-asleep, he managed to mumble something about brushing his teeth. After he reluctantly changed into his pajamas, he asked if Grandma could read him his bedtime story.
I took the opportunity to put on a pot of tea and catch up on some emails.
Now, Mom sits across from me at the kitchen table, her blue eyes warm and all too knowing.
“Tell me about these family dinners,” she says casually.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” she replies matter-of-factly. “We do.”
Of course we do.
I lean back, bracing myself. “Tate was having some issues at school,” I begin carefully. “His assistant principal suggested we spend more time together as a family. So I came up with weekly family dinners. It’s been good. For all of us.”
Mom’s lips press together in a knowing smile. “Does that mean you and Jules are getting back together?”
I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
Her tone is light, but I can feel the weight behind it.
I rake a hand through my hair again, my fingers gripping the back of my neck. “Because we didn’t work out the first time.”
Mom watches me for a beat. Then, she tilts her head. “But you want her back?”
It’s not even a question. It’s a fact she’s already decided on. She’s only been here for a few hours, and she’s already cutting through my bullshit.
I swallow, my jaw clenching. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
She doesn’t let me off the hook so easily.
“And why’s that?”
I shake my head, the words catching in my throat. “I’m not… she doesn’t… it’s complicated.”
Mom reaches across the table, her hand warm as it settles over mine.
