Page 10 of Summer Affair
“Uh … no, ma’am,” Owen said, and Clay gave him a smug smile. “I’m not having him work at all.”
“Then why is he sweating like he’s working too hard? Come here.” She moved Rhett off the stool and patted it for Clay to take a seat. When he sat, she straightened his shirt. His brothers rolled their eyes. It was no secret that Clay was their mother’s favorite, with the other four fighting for second. “This is why I wanted you to move in with me.”
And this was why he was ducking to avoid her. He loved his mom, but there was no way he could live with her. She’d smother him to death. Then it wouldn’t matter if he lost his place on the team.
“Have you seen the team doctor?”
“Last week, before I flew home.”
“Huh,” she said, and suddenly he wished he hadn’t mentioned that he’d been back for a whole week without stopping by to see her. “What did he say?”
“Nothing concrete. I have another appointment with him next week.”
“I hope that coach isn’t pushing you too fast and too hard. And if he even thinks about replacing my baby, I’m going to give Lara a call.”
Clay paled. “Mom, this isn’t high school, you can’t call my coach’s wife.”
“Wasn’t that college?” Owen jabbed.
“I never called his college coach’s wife. I called the athletic director. And his wife was on a fundraising committee with me.” She looked at Rhett. “It was the year we sent all those sweaters to orphaned penguins. I sent you pictures. Did you see the pictures?”
“Yup. I even showed them to the band, Mom.”
She gave Rhett’s cheek a good boy pat, then looked. Right. At. Clay. “You don’t need to come up with an excuse to leave,” she said. “I happen to be having dinner with my two daughters-in-law and my granddaughter.”
“And you’re going to be nice to Piper, right.” Josh phrased it as a statement, not a question.
“Why do you think I’m going to dinner?”
“To give her your opinion of the house we’re looking at,” Josh said. Only he and Gage had discovered the magic to keep their mom happy while keeping her from overtaking their lives.
“I still think when the baby comes you’ll be too far away.”
“That right there is an inside thought.” Josh kissed Margo on the top of the head. “Your outside thought will be silence followed by a supportive nod of the head.”
Chapter Four
Resolutions from Jillian’s Journal
Stop looking back or you’ll trip over
what’s in front of you.
If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, then Jillian Conner was retiring her apron. She’d done that whole marriage and baby carriage thing and it didn’t really go her way.
Yet there she stood, elbow deep in biscuit batter, with bacon and morning potatoes frying on the stove top for the cute boy next door who had flirted with her. When what she should be focusing on were the million and one tasks she had to accomplish, including saying goodbye to Sammy.
Today was the day she’d both anticipated and dreaded. Sammy’s big father/son vacation. They were taking a month-long trip, sailing down the west coast in his step-grandparents’ boat. Jillian had been hesitant about agreeing—a month was a long time—but Sammy had been so excited, how could she say no?
Only now that the day had arrived, she couldn’t stop the worry from setting in. Worry that Sammy wouldn’t get the attention he needed, that he wouldn’t feel included, that he’d be a thousand miles away. Worried that she wouldn’t be able to handle him being gone for such a long time.
It wasn’t that Dirk wasn’t capable, he just wasn’t interested. At least with Sammy. From what she’d seen of his new family, Bentley was the center of their universe. Sammy hadn’t figured it out yet, but she knew that there would come a day when he was old enough to understand, and that broke her heart.
“He’s a putz,” her uncle Eddie said, speaking of Jillian’s ex.
Eddie was her grandma’s brother, who had lived with Jillian and her grandma growing up. He was crass, had a comb-over, and fancied himself a con man. But he was Jillian’s con man. He picked up where the other men in her life failed, loving Jillian like she was his own granddaughter.
And Sammy. Eddie adored Sammy. As the only extended family in Jillian’s life, when he was evicted from his home for negligent back taxes, Jillian moved him into the cottage with them. He was good with the ladies and spent his nights either gambling in the back room of the Bad News Bar or driving for Uber. Except Fridays, where he played poker at Jillian’s so Jillian could make girls’ night.
