Page 6 of Ten Rules for Faking It
Locking the door, she followed her mom to the kitchen, amused by the overflowing grocery bags.
“I have food, Mom.”
Her mom glanced over her shoulder. “Not mom food.”
Unable to suppress her grin, Everly teasingly pointed at her mom. “You’re right. Is there a special store where you get food sold only to mothers?”
Setting the bags on the counter, Jessica closed the distance, pulling Everly into a hard hug. “Your father called me at theoffice to tell me what happened. I’m sorry. I’m just glad we never met him. I’d hate to have gotten attached to one of your boyfriends only to have him treat you like this.”
It finally worked in her favor that she opted never to introduce her parents to the guys she dated. Not that there were all that many.At least you saved Mom from getting attached.Everly held in the sigh, which made her chest ache.
Her mom leaned back, then cupped Everly’s cheeks the way she’d done for as long as Everly could remember. “Any chance you’ll let him grovel and make it up?”
That her mother would even ask said a lot about the differences between them. “No.”
The corners of her mom’s lips tilted down, but she nodded and patted Everly’s cheeks before going to the bags and beginning to unload.
Everly tracked the items getting put on the counter: kale—no, thank you; orange juice—sure; salad fixings—fine without the kale; cupcakes—now we’re talking. And one, two, three issues ofCosmo.
Everly arched her brows. “Really?”
Her mother had a long history of attempting to “educate” Everly about being a sexually fulfilled woman. While she appreciated the sentiment, Everly strongly believed these discussions were best between girlfriends. Sometimes her mother forgot the rulesandtheir roles. She’d been sure, once they’d had “the talk” when Everly was twelve, her mother would let it go. They could avoid the conversations much like the STDs she’d warned against.
By sixteen, her mother stuck just-in-case condoms into the pockets of Everly’s handbags. Once Everly discovered that, she’d taken to tucking them away in the piñata that, to her knowledge, still sat in the back of her childhood closet.
Mom shrugged as she loaded the fridge. “The articles are top-notch, honey. Let me tell you—”
Everly covered her ears. “Oh God, please don’t. Don’t tell me anything you learned inCosmo.”
Her mother laughed and waved a hand at her. “Stop it. Now, we’re going to turn this birthday into a happy one. I know your dad asked you to come over, and I also know you won’t. That’s okay. You’re a grown woman and can make your own choices. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let you sit here and wallow.”
Because she knew she’d be eating more than one of those cupcakes, Everly pulled a banana from the bunch her mom brought to even things off right out of the gate.
“I’m not wallowing. How’d you know I was home?”
Her mom’s chin tilted down, and she looked at Everly the way someone would if they were peering over the tops of their glasses. Only she wasn’t wearing any, so it seemed strange. But Everly knew the looks; this one was “I’m your mom. I’m supposed to know.”
“You went to the station?”
A quick nod, and she finished loading up the fridge.
“I did. Stacey told me you’d been sent home. I’m sorry, honey. You aren’t in any trouble, are you?”
Everly broke off a chunk of the banana, ignored the instant stomach swirl even the thought of trouble brought, and said, “Don’t see why I would be,” before popping the bite in her mouth. She was happy her voice sounded more positive than she felt.
“Good. Because you don’t want to start looking for a career at your age. Especially since you should be focused on finding a husband.”
Everly rolled her eyes twice because she was sure it would be warranted by the end of the visit, but at the moment, her mom’s back was turned.
Possible rule seven: Take the opportunities presented to you.
Ha! See, she could totally come up with a cool list. Pitchingprojects and seizing moments was exactly what she needed to get thirty off the ground. Even if those moments included behind-the-back eye rolling.
“Not sure if you’ve heard, but they no longer require you to get married to keep your woman card. You should bring that up next time you’re at the Mom Food Store.”
Laughing as she grabbed a banana of her own, her mom tilted her head. “Sharing your life with someone makes it more meaningful.”
Everly’s heartstrings tightened—like someone gave one quick, hard tug. They were both right; she didn’t need a husband to make her life better, but sharing her life with someone would make things more special.That’s what Stacey’s for; you can share plenty with her tonight.
