Page 24 of Lone Star Longing
Lacey jolted. She’d just been thinking of Jesse and kind of thinking the same thing, that he wasn't going to come back ,that she had scared him off by getting pregnant. And she was kind of thinking that if he was scared off by that, she was best done with him.
But she wanted to know for sure.
“What?” she asked, looking up from her bag.
“Beck. He hadn’t been here in years and he won’t be back for years. He feels like his duty is done. He passed me off to someone he could pay to look out for me.”
Lacey was surprised at how the words made her stomach sink. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“Of course it is. How long have you been checking in on me? How often do you see my children come to visit?”
Lacey had never seen them visit. “Why do you suppose that is?” She hadn’t meant to say the words aloud, and she flinched when Mrs. Conover cut a sharp glance in her direction.
“Because they are ungrateful children, and honestly, who wants to come and stay at the old house, or at this ugly motel.”
“So why don't you go see them?”
“They don't want me there, either.”
“How many grandkids do you have? I mean, you don't get to see them very much, do you?”
“I have four grandkids, and no. I don’t. They’re all busy and don't want an old lady disrupting their lives.”
Maybe if she could relax and stop judging all the time, she could open herself up to being part of their lives. But Lacey wouldn't say so. God, she wanted to.
“And your mother? How often do you see her?” Mrs. Conover asked.
Ouch. Lacey hadn’t expected that question. “It’s been a while.”
“And why is that? I know she left you but...”
“She didn't leave me. She left my dad. I chose to stay behind with him.”
“I remember that. It was a very brave thing for you to do.”
Lacey was taken aback by the comment. “It didn't feel brave.”
“Nonetheless. But you don't see her? Your siblings?”
“Very rarely. About once a year. Usually Thanksgiving. Sometimes Christmas. Sometimes Mothers Day. Depends when everyone is available.”
“But even your brothers and sister? You’re not close to them?”
“We don't have much in common.”
“Why not? You were a teenager when they left. You’d think you’d have some shared experiences at least.”
“We have some. But my sister is married to a lawyer and they have a house and a lake house, and my brother Dalton is a mechanic and my other brother is married to a woman who doesn’t have much to do with any of the family, so we hardly ever see him. I’m just as happy to have me and my dad, you know?”
“I think that is fine.”
But Mrs. Conover didn't have anyone, because Lacey was afraid to admit she might be right about Beck. He wasn't coming back.
“Do you want to come to dinner at our house today? Since you’re in town and it’s not such a long drive?”
For just a moment, the older woman looked vulnerable, like she wanted to say yes, before her expression closed again.
“Why would I want to do that, when I can get delivery to my door and watch whatever I want to on the television?”
