Page 98 of The Perils of Pretending
“Do I get a hug?” I ask, needing Mom to stop talking before she says anything else about joining our family.
Mom reluctantly pulls away from Sadie. She smiles at me. Love shines in her eyes. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a twist. She’s wearing a bright flowered dress. “Hi, my Maximoo. How was your flight?”
That’s a nickname I wish Mom would forget. We hug. Mom fits under my chin perfectly. “Our flight was good. We watched last season’sBaking Spirits Brighton the way.”
“Oh, I love that show! Did you see the season with the guy who froze during the finale? Poor thing just stood there and lost a lot of time.”
“I haven’t, but Sadie’s watched every season.”
Sadie nods. “I felt so bad for Jack. He did so well earlier in the competition. I wonder if the pressure of being in the finals got to him, or if something else happened that made him stand there like a deer in the headlights.”
The sun beats down on my back. Sweat breaks out on my forehead. The show was fun while we were on the airplane, but I don’t want to stay out here sweating to death while we talk about it. “Should we head inside? I’m melting.”
“Oh, yes.” Mom nods. “I remember how hard it was getting used to the heat when we first moved here.”
“Spencer,” Mom says, “Help Max with their bags. I’m going to take Sadie in and show her where she’s staying.”
Mom and Sadie head toward the house. Mom turns around and winks at me. I roll my eyes and grin at her knowing she’ll show Sadie my baby books. I need to hurry to save Sadie from that fate and to prevent Mom from ruining my surprise.
“You really love her, don’t you?” Spencer asks, coming to stand by me as I open the trunk of the white rental car.
I smile. “I do.”
Spencer smacks my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, man. Happy too. If you can find someone willing to shackle themselves to you, it gives me hope I’ll find my forever one day too.”
“What happened with June? I thought she was coming for Thanksgiving dinner?”
Spencer kicks a pebble by the curb. “She doesn’t like the fact that I live at home. I explained to her it’s so I can save up to buy my own house, but she didn’t care about that. She wanted someone more established.”
A twenty-five-year-old living with his mommy because he’s lazy is one thing. But Spencer works all the time. It wouldn’t surprise me that saving up for a home means being able to pay at least half up front. With his finance degree, he’s always checking in to make sure I’m living within my means, saving, and planning for retirement.
“I’m sorry, man. I know it sucks right now, but when you find the one you’re meant to be with, it’ll be worth every previous relationship because you’ll know what you do and don’t want.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
I push the button to pop the trunk open. “I am.”
“Well, here’s to hoping it happens sooner rather than later for me.”
Pulling out Sadie’s suitcase, I say, “The wait is worth it. Have fun for now and stop pressuring yourself. Things don’t happen the way you want when you want.”
Spencer takes out my suitcase. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good. Ready to get inside and cool down?”
Spencer laughs. “It feels nice out.”
I point to myself. “This native Alaskan disagrees.”
“You get used to it.”
Before we head inside, I grab my suitcase from Spencer. “Trade me.”
He hands me my black carry-on. I dig to the middle of my clothes pile and pull out the item I want. We wheel the suitcases up the sidewalk.
I open the front door, stepping into the foyer. “Let’s leave the bags here for now.”
We tuck our luggage into the formal living room to the left of the foyer. Across from us is the office with the murphy bed pulled out. The bed is made with a thin white blanket and yellow accent pillows. On a side table is a vase of fresh yellow and white flowers. Mom’s gone to a lot of effort to make this multi-use space welcoming.
