Page 59 of Hearts at Seaside
Her mother looked around the bedroom with a thoughtful gaze and smoothed her dress over her hips.
“As fun as that would probably be, there’s someone waiting for me at home.” Her mother’s mouth quirked up into a mischievous smile.
“Someone?”Oh boy. Jenna’s nerves became inflamed again.Please don’t tell me he’s a twentysomething guy.
“Do you remember Carlos? The butcher?”
Jenna’s eyes widened.
“Of course I remember him. He’s only been flirting with you since you and Dad split up. But you never pay any attention to him. You do realize he’s probably not any younger than dad?”
“Yes.”
“Or particularly fit,” Jenna reminded her.
“Yes, he does have a bit of a belly, doesn’t he?” Her mother put an arm around Jenna’s shoulder. “I’ve been thinking about everything as we’ve been talking. Maybe who I am really is the person your father left. It’s fun to act young, but honestly, it’s exhausting. Carlos is kind, he’s stable as a rock, and we have a lot in common.”
Jenna was relieved to hear her mother say that, and now, more than ever, she didn’t want her to get hurt.
“How do you know that Carlos will still want to go out with you?”
Her mom blinked her eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Because your mama isn’t a fool, baby. I might have been playing around with my clothes and how I acted, but inside I think I always knew who I was. I can’t compete with your father’syoung thing.”
“That isn’t making any sense. What does that have to do with Carlos seeing how you’ve been acting and wanting no part of it?”
“Because while I have been feeling things out with you, and with some of my girlfriends back home, outside of those who love me no matter what I do, I’ve remained the same boring person I’ve always been.”
“But I thought your closest friends had gotten tired of how you were behaving.” Jenna was totally confused.
“Yes, they have, and I’ll make that right when I go home. And I hope we’re okay now. I’m sorry things got so weird.”
“Me too, Mom. I was afraid we’d never get back to normal.”
“Honey, we survived your teenage years; we can survive anything.”
