Page 12 of My Mom's Man
“We are the true definition of an age gap,” she says knowingly. “People ask him all the time if I’m his daughter or if the kids are his grandchildren. It makes him crazy. Not crazy enough to divorce me.”
“And he’s good to you?”
She beams. “Treats me like a queen.”
Because I can’t help it, I blurt out, “I’m crushing on an older man. Sorry, that’s TMI, I know. I just…I don’t know. This makes it not feel so out of reach.”
Her smile falls and her eyebrows knit together. “Trust me. I understand the appeal of a man who has experience and his life together. But…” She studies me for a beat and then sighs in resignation. “Promise me you’ll be careful. These tales don’t always end up like mine. Some men just want a young woman for the sex. Sorry to be brash.”
Tearing my gaze from hers, I nod, hoping not to show my disappointment at her words. I can’t even have the sex part. If only she knew the older man I’m obsessed with was my mom’s boyfriend. I highly doubt she’d want me to babysit her kids. That’s pretty messed up.
“Anyway, I’ve got your number now,” Ava says, “so I’ll shoot you a text the next time we need you. Quinn mentioned wanting to take me out this weekend, so I’ll let you know.”
I tell her and June bye and then slip out of the house to wait for Mom. A few minutes later, she rolls up in her beat-up used car. One of the tires has a donut on it.
“Tire problems?” I ask in greeting as I climb into the car.
“Nail.” She shakes her head in frustration. “I hadmy client put the donut on for me. It’ll have to do until I can get Reid to buy me a new one.”
Her words needle me. “Why Reid? You’ve been cleaning so much. I would’ve thought you had a lot saved.”
“Of course I do,” she says with a chuckle as she puts the car into drive. “You know Reid, though. He just likes to do manly things like that. If I went off and got my own tire, he’d get his feelings hurt.”
Is she delusional?
“I thought I’d take you to your favorite burger place tonight,” Mom says, reaching over to pat my leg. “I’ve missed you, sweetie. I want to catch up. Tell me about track.”
My stomach growls and I do love my mom, even if she irritates me sometimes. I fill her in on what a hardass Coach Long is and how we’re just in training right now. The season won’t officially start until after the new year.
At the burger place, we order our usual and settle into one of the ancient booths. I sip my chocolate milkshake and study my mother as she tells me about an extra filthy shower she tackled today. Her green eyes that match mine always light up and gleam when she speaks passionately about something. She’s beautiful and kind and works hard.
But she can be flighty and helpless.
At times, manipulative.
I hate that I feel like she uses Reid and everyboyfriend before him. No one wants to think of their mother as a hybrid predator and leech, yet that’s exactly what she is.
“I think you should pay for your own tire,” I bite out, interrupting her story. “Sorry, but I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Her smile falls and her eyebrows push together. The jut of her lip is the pitiful thing she does when she wants you to know you’ve upset her. I force my gaze to my milkshake, so I don’t lose my nerve. She needs tough love. Each time I go to give it to her, though, she ends up crying and I back off.
“I already told you why I won’t do that,” she says, voice wobbly. “Wait, do you think I’m hustling Reid or something?”
I jerk my gaze up to meet her eyes, needing to see the truth in them. Hurt pinches her expression which is a punch to my gut. “What? Uh, no. I just really like it here. Don’t want to mess things up.”
She nods as if she understands. “Reid’s a good man. Way better than your real father. In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. What’s good for you—for us.”
The milkshake curdles in my stomach.
There’s an undeniable energy crackling between us and I don’t like it. Mom has a “great idea” and those always end badly for us. Since it involves Reid, I really don’t want to hear it.
We’re interrupted when the server brings us ourburgers. Mom’s is a veggie burger plain. Mine, on the other hand, is a greasy bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings. I inhale half the burger, juice running down my hand and wrist, in an effort to avoid this inevitable conversation.
“You know I can’t afford to send you to college,” Mom says, giving me a regretful frown. “I’ve been busting my butt to save, but there’s no way I’ll ever come up with that much for tuition.”
My heart tightens in my chest. “Is that why you’ve been working so much?”
Her eyes dart away from mine. “Mmhmm.”
