Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Why don’t you ever buy me the stuff you think is ‘stinkin’ cute’?”
She rolls her eyes. “Because I buy that stuff for me. Buy your own shit.”
I roll my eyes back at her, making her giggle.
Mom and I have a good relationship, for the most part. It’s definitely gotten better over the years. We have dinner together once or twice a week, share clothes—mostly, she steals mine—and talk daily. But our interactions aren’t exactly typical.
I pick her up from bars more frequently than she’s ever received a drunken call from me. She asks me for advice more often than I go to her. I know her favorite color, band, and the results of her last mammogram. Does she know mine? Probably not.
This fact bothered me for a long time, but I’ve learned to live with it. It’s just who she is as a person. I think my father struggled with this aspect of her, and the divorce really stole her sparkle for a while. She’s back now, though, and sparklier than ever.
“How was work?” she asks as her fingers fly across her phone screen.
I stare at her. It takes almost a full minute for her to realize I didn’t respond.
“What?” she asks, looking up. “What did I say?”
“You do remember that I haven’t worked in two months, right?”
Her phone drops to her lap. “But I thought you started work at a music studio downtown?”
“No, I interviewed at Mason Music but didn’t get a callback.”
“I swear you told me you were hired.”
“Well, I didn’t. I promise.”
Her face twists in confusion. “So what are you going to do? Do you have any leads?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, struggling to keep my annoyance at bay. “I’m looking for a job. My job right now is finding a job.”
“I know that. I’m just wondering if you’ve found anything promising. Two months is a long time, Georgia.”
No shit.
I swallow my response, knowing it would undoubtedly be thick with sarcasm. That would trigger a melodramatic reaction from her, and I don’t have the time or emotional reservoir to deal with a dramatic Felicity Hayes tonight. I have bigger fish to fry … like finding a job.
The oven buzzes, alerting us that the pizza is ready. I glance back at my mother and find her busy typing away once again. Figures.
“I’ll get that,” I say, dropping my feet to the floor.
I set my glass on the coffee table and head to the kitchen. The wonderful aroma of tomatoes and spices fills the air, making my stomach rumble. I find my oven mitts and remove our dinner from the oven.
Just as I place it on the trivet, my phone rings on the other side of the counter. Sutton’s name glows on the screen, instantly lifting my spirits.
“Hey,” I say, stacking the mitts next to a vase filled with flowers that died last week. Then I turn off the oven.
“Hey, what are you up to?”
“I just took a pizza out of the oven for me and Mom. I thought you were going for Thai?”
“We’re on our way home. I’m in the car with Jeremiah.” The phone rustles. “You’re on speaker. Say hi.”
“Hey, Jeremiah,” I say, leaning against the island.
“Hey, Georgia. Thanks for getting my girl out of The Swill on time. Ten more minutes, and we wouldn’t have made our dinner reservation.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” I say.
They exchange words that I can’t quite make out. Sutton’s giggles are the only clear sounds.
“So Jeremiah has to work all day on Saturday, and I was thinking you could come over and hang out by the pool with me,” Sutton says. “We could talk about wedding details and make cocktails. It would be fun.”
I smile. “Sounds like a plan. What time do you want me to come over?”
The phone disconnects from the speaker, and Sutton’s voice is crisp again. “How does noon work?”
“You know I have absolutely nothing going on right now. Whatever time works for you works for me.”
“Cool. I’ll see you at noon then. And if you happen to be online looking at wedding stuff, I’m thinking about going with peach and gold. I think that would be beautiful in the fall.”
I laugh. “Is that a hint that I should start looking for ideas?”
“That was definitely a hint that you should start looking for ideas.” She laughs. “I’m a terrible decision-maker about things like this.”
“Don’t worry. I got you.”
“I know you do. It’s one of the million reasons I love you most.”
“Hey!” Jeremiah objects.
Sutton giggles again. “I’ll see you Saturday, Georgia.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
“Who was that?” Mom asks, making me jump.
“Dammit.” I suck in a hasty breath. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry.” She moseys to a drawer and pulls out a pizza cutter. “Was that Sutton?”
I grab two plates from a cabinet. “Yes. She wants me to hang out with her this weekend since Jeremiah will be working. Guess we’re going to have a pool day.”