Page 88 of Hearts on the Table
“I’m helping Tiago with the garden next door. I got tickled with the idea of a little pathway.” She gestured to the gap she’d carved in the overgrown foliage behind R3and Molido’s. Now that it was pruned, I could see straight through to the little patio back there—the colorful umbrellas and lanterns swinging. Exotic looking flowers and fresh mulch marked June’s work.
“It’s beautiful.” Nothing like Sam’s courtyard, with the wild roses and perfumed jasmine. This was a tropical world all its own, with spicy scents and red and orange flowers I didn’t know the names of.
“Well, thank you, sweetie. That’s nice of you to say.”
I hefted a bag out of the trunk. “Just let me know where you want them.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Come dump them down by the deck.” I followed her through the foliage, ducking every once in a while to avoid a low-hanging limb. It was cooler in the shade, and quieter. The noise from the street in front of the gym and cafe was muffled here. A little oasis.
“Isn’t this nice? I like having a pathway here. The gym people can come straight over without sweating in the parking lot. Makes my heart happy to see my boys doing so well together. Two businesses, side-by-side.”
“You must be proud.” It didn’t escape my notice that she readily referred to Santiago as one of “her boys.” She beamed back at me.
“Of course I am. A heart surgeon and a handful of successful entrepreneurs? It’s a mother’s dream.”
“I told, ah, Sam as much once.” I nearly gulped his name back down my throat, but I forced it out. Even if it hurt.
“It’s nice that they’re stable, but I want them to be happy, too. Let’s set the next one a little further down.” She directed me back to the Jeep. We walked a few paces before she spoke again. “Sam’s always been the one I needed to watch, you know.”
“Oh?” I croaked. I didn’t know what June knew about me and Sam. Surely she wouldn’t be talking to me about him if she knew I’d ended things, right?
“So quiet, that one. Some people mistake it for weakness.”
“It’s not,” I supplied, softly. I’d made that mistake before, too, thinking just because he didn’t fill every silence that he was boring or lifeless. It couldn’t be further from the truth. June nodded in approval.
“Good, you recognize it. It’s not. He took on so much responsibility when the boys were growing up. Too much, I think. Maybe some of that was my fault. Put that one over in this corner and we’ll grab another one.”
“I’m sure you did your best.” It seemed like the right thing to say in the moment. I dumped the bag, thinking I should probably let her know that Sam and I were no longer together. That would be the right, if not a little awkward, thing to do. I kept my mouth shut, though.
“I did, but it was hard.” June shrugged off my comment. “Times were tough. I remember one year, I was short on cash for Will’s birthday. I hated it, but if I had to choose between paying the bills and getting them a new toy, it wasn’t really a choice. I’d gotten a few things from the thrift store for him. Some newshoes and used games. It was something, but I could tell he was disappointed. Broke my fucking heart, let me tell you. I thought we were both gonna cry.” She chuckled, like she was fond of this memory.
“Well, Sam leaves the table and comes back with this horribly lumpy package, all wrapped up with newspaper he’d found from the recycling. It was his favorite monster truck. Someone from the church had given it to him a few months before for doing some work around their house. Picking up sticks and such. All the boys were just wild over it. It made sounds and lit up. It was a big deal. And Sam just handed it over to his brother. No muss, no fuss. I think I was prouder that day than when he graduated medical school.”
I set another bag down where she pointed and wiped my brow. My heart clenched. That was just so…so…soSam. “How old was he?”
“Oh, must have been about ten. I worked my ass off the next month. Saved up enough to buy him a replacement. Conner, too. I think they all still have them somewhere stored in the attic.” We shared a smile, but her eyes grew serious. “That’s the reason I’ve always worried about him. He gives too much of himself without thinking to ask for what he needs in return.”
My smile melted off my face. Ah. This wasn’t just friendly rambling and rock-hauling. This was some sort of maternal intervention.
“Oh, don’t give me that look. I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you two. All I know is that my boy has been walking around for the last week like someone told him Santa wasn’t real, or something.” She reached out to place a hand on my arm, keeping me from grabbing the next bag from her trunk. “You’re the first thing I think he’s ever really wanted to keep for himself, Lainey.”
A lump found its way into my throat. I swallowed it down. And again, when the first attempt wasn’t successful.
“It’s not my place to get in the middle of things, and Sammy would probably die if he knew I was talking to you.” She peered up at me. “But heisquiet. I hope you see how much you mean to him. Even if he might not say it all the time.” She shot me a dry look. “Though he should.”
A weak laugh bubbled out of me. She squeezed my arm before letting go.
“Lainey? Sorry, I just got your texts.” Tess emerged from R3, ducking under the arm of a tall, insanely attractive man who held the door open for her. “You still want to talk?”
Her eyes widened, flicking from the man behind her and back to me. I couldn’t read her face. It was hard to tell if she wanted me to save her or leave her alone with the Henry Cavill look-alike staring at her with rapt attention.
“You go have fun, dear. Thank you for listening to the musings of an old lady.” June grabbed a bag of gravel and hefted it to her shoulder with ease.Sneaky, sneaky, June.
My chat with Tess was quick, mainly since her ex (the ignoring, birthday-forgetting ex who was suddenly here looking like a movie star and hanging on her every word!) followed her around like a puppy and I wasn’t willing to get in the middle of whatever was going on there. Based on the surreptitious, hungry looks she was giving him, I didn’t think she needed any borrowed relationship drama in her life. She had enough of her own.
She leaned into my car window after I ducked back into the front seat, ignoring Superman, where he leaned against the spiffy, new-model EV parked across the lot. “I’m sorry I don’t have more time to talk. There’s…a lot going on.”
“No, it’s okay.” I snuck another look at him. “Iwillneed a download on what’s happening here as soon as that work project is done.”
