Five Months or Forever by Jaye Robin Brown

Author:Jaye Robin Brown [Brown, Jaye Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two Fox Fiction

Chapter 15

HANNAH

Seeing Blythe knocked me off my mother game. I’d come up the stairs with my defense mechanisms locked and loaded, but now, after seeing the woman I had a massive yet unfortunate crush on, I felt vulnerable.

“She seems like a lovely person.” Mom was pouring us large glasses of her favorite Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, which we would both need as the night wore on.

“Yes. She’s an architect. Right now she’s on some type of hiatus and works with her sister at the rental agency.”

“Blythe’s cool.” Jordan reached across the kitchen island for a handful of grapes. “Her new cat is amazing. When can I get a cat? You promised.”

“We can’t in the rental. Once we find a permanent place, I promise you.”

“So, you’re staying.” Mom had the tone, and though I knew there was no getting out of a deep discussion about my ‘mental health,’ I really didn’t want to do it in front of Jordan.

“At least until the end of Jordan’s school year.”

“Yeah.” Jordan’s hand stopped just shy of her mouth. “Four months, a little change, and we’re out of here. Back to Asheville for something more permanent.” She popped the grape in her mouth and watched me as she chewed, her eyes challenging me to say anything else on the subject.

I kept my face neutral, not letting my disappointment that the beach hadn’t yet won her over show in my expression.

Thankfully, Mom turned her attention to Jordan and didn’t press for details. “And your school?”

Jordan shrugged. “It’s good enough. It’s a charter school, so the kids are pretty motivated. But a lot of them have known each other a long time. I miss Tilda.”

“Ah, yes. How is your best friend?”

As Jordan chattered about her life, I pulled out my phone and shot a quick text off to Blythe.

Are you sure you want to do this? I hate for you to give up your day for us.

She answered immediately.

I’m sure.

Well, I have to be honest. I’m really thankful. It will be nice to have someone around to keep Mom from using me as her scratching pad all weekend.

That bad, huh?

That bad. I hesitated a moment. Thanks, friend.

I didn’t want things to be weird between us. We’d left it that we would be friends but then she’d avoided me. And okay, fair enough, but I really did need friends. I loved my kid and my job, but I was human. I respected Blythe for knowing what she wanted, and I wouldn’t step across that boundary again, but I liked her as a person. She was funny, kind, generous, and—from what I could tell—passionate and smart about her design career. Which might come in handy for my own career ideas. I needed to make her feel comfortable that we could hang out without it devolving into me trying to get laid.

Her response came in the form of a smiling selfie with Larry in her lap, her hand making him wave at me.

If we’d not discussed boundaries, I’d have answered with a simple Nice pussy.

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