Page 9 of A Little Crush
“Yup,” she confirms. “Poor guy. He hates the groomer.”
“I don’t know a dog who doesn’t.”
“Hey, Kovu didn’t mind, and Nala was an angel,” she adds, mentioning the puppy who started it all. The one my dad gifted her with when they first started dating.
“Yeah, well, they can’t all be like Nala, now can they?”
She chuckles softly and stands. “I guess not. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, but I can make something?—”
“Don’t even think about it. I’m your mom, and I haven’t seen you in what feels like forever. Take a seat and tell me about your plans for after the wedding.”
Slipping onto one of the bar stools tucked under the center island, I rest my elbows on the cool surface and ask, “Is it bad if I tell you I don’t have any yet?”
“You? With no plans?” She rifles through the fridge, pulling out mayo, mustard, turkey, and a few more toppings for sandwiches. “Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?”
I stick my tongue out at her for good measure, despite knowing she’s not wrong. I’m a sucker for a plan. Theproblem is, plans mean commitment, and with the whirlwind of graduation and traveling home for the wedding, I wasn’t ready to jump into anything with both feet. “I mean, I have a couple feelers out,” I tell her.
“There she is,” my mom teases.
“Nothing concrete, though,” I clarify. “It wasn’t really worth applying anywhere when I knew I’d have to ask for a few weeks off for the wedding. Besides,” I steal a pickle from the jar and pop it into my mouth, “I love Harden Heights, but if I accept a job there, I’m officially committing to stay there for at least a couple years, so I’m kind of playing things by ear.”
“Well, if moving’s on the table, I’m pretty sure your dad could find you a good deal at my old place.”
Yeah, I’m pretty sure herpretty sureis an understatement. My family owns a few buildings around Lockwood Heights, one of which is an apartment complex by LAU’s campus. He used to live in the penthouse, and my mom lived in the apartment beneath his. It also happens to be where my most embarrassing moment transpired. The thought of going back there, let alone living in those four walls, is enough to make me break out in hives.
Yeah, no thank you.
However, admitting that little tidbit to my mom is a different story, so I lie, “I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.”
“Mm-hmm.” Giving me the side-eye, she pulls out a few pieces of bread and untwists the lids on the condiments. “So, I assume that means you aren’t seeing anyone?”
Seeing anyone? The thought alone is laughable. If only it were so easy.
“I think we both know the answer to your question.”
“You know, I thought I knew the answer until receiving your RSVP,” she notes.
I peek up at her but stay quiet.
“You and Dodger, huh?”
So that’s what this is about?
I fight the urge to snort. “We’re just friends.”
Her eyes thin. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent positive, yes.”
“And Dodger?” she prods. “Does he know you’re just friends?”
“I repeat, a hundred percent, yes.”
“And you want it to stay that way?”
“Moooom,” I drag out.
