Just A Phase by K.C. Everly

Author:K.C. Everly [Everly, K.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-02-11T16:00:00+00:00

There was no way to look sexy when sausaging oneself into spandex, but I did my best to make sure my ponytail was on point and doubled up on the deodorant.

My normal worries when going for a run revolved around my deconditioning, poor lung function, and whether I’d have to stop and pee along the way. Appearance was generally far down on my list of concerns. While Wes was my friend, and I shouldn’t care what he thought of me, I cared. I cared very much.

I couldn’t find Sam after getting dressed, despite searching the grounds, but it surprised me to step out to the main lawn of the inn and find him standing there, talking animatedly with Wes.

I watched for a moment, wondering what on earth the two could discuss with such passion or when they had become such fast friends, but my confusion didn’t stop the smile on my face. Cassie and Mitch were important to Sam. It had always felt a little sad to be missing Wes in there.

You dummy. He’s going to fly home in less than a week and not come back for another ten years. He’s not your kid’s new friend.

Realizing my slip into fairy tales and daydreaming, I shut the smile down and approached them. My new automatic smile replaced sincerity.

“Hey, I was looking for you,” I told Sam.

Sam stopped mid-sentence and nodded. “Yeah. Hi, Mom.” He turned back to Wes. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Believe it,” Wes said with a firm nod. “And believe it was as great as you’d imagine.”

Sam thought for a moment, pulling his knuckle to his lips in contemplation. “I just don’t understand how he got the car on the roof.”

My eyes went wide, and I shook my head when I realized Wes was telling Sam about some of Mitch’s high school pranks. “No,” I interrupted, but the ears of my companions were impervious to my horror.

“That’s the magic of your Uncle Mitch,” Wes went on. “There was this one time, junior year, when he figured out how to jerry-rig the entire sprinkler system for the school and—”

“Okay!” I exclaimed, grabbing Sam by the shoulders and turning him around. “It’s time you go back with Grandpa and Grandma.”

Wes grinned. “Ask them about the sprinklers. They were not happy about that.”

Sam’s eyes shined, and he looked up at me, grinning. “Mom, Uncle Mitch was a troublemaker.” I wasn’t sure if it was disbelief or adoration, but I didn’t like the sound of the awe in his voice.

“Yeah, well. He’s still a troublemaker,” I mumbled.

Sam giggled, high-pitched and carefree, and it made me smile. Sometimes he seemed way older than nine, and other times, like now, I was reminded of just how young he was. “Bye, Uncle Wes,” he said, waving over his shoulder. “Thanks for the stories.”

Uncle Wes.

My stomach dropped as I turned back to Wes, ready to apologize for Sam’s eagerness for friendship. To explain to him that Sam had a big heart and loved the people in his life ferociously and there was no obligation or expectation with his salutation.

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