Mother of the Bride by Kim Hartfield

Author:Kim Hartfield [Hartfield, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

Fifteen – Bethany

I sat in the waiting room, checking my watch as the last patient in the room was called. The gray-and-white husky frolicked into the examination room, making me smile. There was nothing wrong with that little guy, I’d bet my life savings on it.

When the dog left a few minutes later, George emerged as well. “Mom? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Sit here with me,” I said. “I’d like to talk to you.”

The receptionist gave him a look of concern. “Everything okay, Dr. Farmer?”

“More than okay. This is my mother.” He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. “You go on home, I’ll lock up.”

Once she was gone, he turned to me. “What’s going on? I didn’t expect you to come to town for another week or two.”

“I know. I’ve been wanting to have a chat with you for a while, and I thought I might as well bite the bullet and come into town.”

“On a Monday afternoon?”

“I didn’t want to wait any longer.” In case I chickened out again, I added silently.

I’d left work early in order to come here. Normally I didn’t like asking my boss for allowances like this for any reason. Kissing Gloria had emboldened me. Why should I care what my boss thought? Why should I be afraid of what George might say? I’d kissed a woman, and I hadn’t cared about what anyone would think.

Ever since that day, I’d been walking with a new swagger. I felt twenty years younger. Lighter. Vibrant. We’d talked on the phone a few times since our visit, chatting and mildly flirting, although we hadn’t made any decisions about our relationship. Making my move on her without worrying about the future or what anyone else thought was the kind of thing I would’ve done as a carefree teenager, and I hoped it was only the first step toward becoming my old self again.

“What’s going on?” George asked, sitting in a chair beside me. “Is it about Dad?”

Just like that, all my carefully-constructed poise shattered. He knew why I was upset. He hadn’t been oblivious – he’d deliberately chosen to make me feel this way.

How had I ever been so self-assured and outspoken as a teenager? I had vague memories of not paying attention to what anyone thought, but somewhere along the line, that ability had left me completely.

“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s about your father.”

“I know you were surprised to see him at the engagement party.”

More like blindsided, but okay. “Yes, I was.”

“I should’ve told you he’d be there.” George looked repentant. “I kind of thought you’d both just stay with the people you knew and not go near each other.”

“The fact that he came up to me… that was out of your control.” I tensed more as I came to the part I’d really been dreading. “Why would you invite him? Have you two been in touch?” Do you spend time with him, too? Do you love him more than me?

“We do speak from time to time,” George said, carefully measuring his words.

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