Calumet, page 8
and anything or anyone in my life, but that doesn’t mean I
don’t love to teach.”
“Well put, Jaxon.” The conversation continued with the
annoying habit he had of repeating her name over and over
again as a form of intimidation. Either that or it was to
aggravate her into running out the door, so he’d never have
to see her again. “But if you love Margot so much, why don’t
I see a ring or hear about promises you’ve made?” He took
another long drink from the glass, looking at Jaxon over the
rim.
She drank with him until they drained the first glass.
Jaxon didn’t think he’d find any humor if she requested a
healthy spiking of whiskey in the second glass he was
pouring. He didn’t seem to appreciate her smacking her lips
together as she finished the glass.
“As trite as this may sound, sir, Margot knows how I feel
about her.”
“Jaxon, real men do not use the word trite, so unless you
want me to get my gun down and add another notch, refrain
from doing so.” He never looked up as he concentrated on
pouring the second glass so he didn’t spill any on the
leather-topped desk.
“Sir—”
“I know you’re not a man, bookworm, but you’re as close
as I’m going to get to a son-in-law, so I suggest you sit there
and listen to what I’ve got to say.” He handed her the glass
before picking his up and pointing at it. “Did you go in and
buy this milk?”
Folks, we apologize for any inconvenience, but we’ve left
the main highway and veered off to Crazyville. Please sit
back and enjoy your nice cold milk, so the guy with the
large weapon won’t go postal on you. Jaxon tried to keep up
with their talk. Why she was in the midst of Willy Walker’s
company hadn’t made itself clear just yet.
“Yes, sir, I went in for the milk.”
“Did the people at the store give you all this for free?” He
held up his glass again, appearing serious about the line of
questions as he tapped on it.
“No, sir, they were about four dollars each.”
He put the glass down so he could drum his fingers on
the desk with enough force to splinter the wood and gave
her a hard look. “So they weren’t free is what you’re
saying?”
She let the corners of her mouth curl slightly, finally
understanding the purpose of her trip to the woodshed,
Wilber style. A full smile would earn her a warning shot over
her head. Though, if Margot heard him, it’d be Wilber who’d
be running for his life. “No, sir, I had to pay.”
Wilber jumped up and pointed his index finger at her.
“Precisely, so what makes you think my daughter’s giving it
away for free? This bull didn’t bring offspring into this world
to be left hanging in the wind when you’re ready to move
on.”
He thumped his chest with his fist before turning an
accusing finger on her. “My suggestion to you would be to
make up your mind as far as Margot’s concerned. If your
decision is to leave her for some other young coed, I’ll be
busy carving another notch in that baby.” He pointed his
thumb over his shoulder, so there would be no
misunderstanding.
“General Drake, sir, I can understand where you’re
coming from. I also realize you don’t especially like me, but I
do love Margot. I can only hope you know how special she is
to me, and it won’t take getting me to some sort of altar at
gunpoint.”
“I don’t think I’ll have to force you, bonehead. I just want
us to be of the same mind. Now finish that glass and get out
of here before my little girl thinks I’m cutting your ears off.”
“Yes, sir.” Without Margot looking on, she couldn’t help
but salute him before turning for the door.
* * *
Nancy picked a place close to the campus of their local
university and asked the hostess for a booth in the corner.
Iris was glad to not recognize anyone. They ordered a bottle
of wine and sat back. The day had been long, and all Iris
really wanted to do, craved really, was to put her pajamas
on and sleep.
“Okay, spill it.” Nancy ran her finger along the top of the
wineglass and sounded resolute. “You’ve been down since
that committee meeting, and that means something’s not
right. Is it you and Daniel?”
“We’re fine. You know what the next month is going to be
like. Only this time there’s no way to protect Sean from all
the gossiping our neighbors like to do. She’s old enough to
understand.” She took a big gulp of the wine, but that
wasn’t the answer. “Hell, I don’t like listening to those idiots
either. It’s not like I don’t think about what I did and never
considered the long-term consequences.”
“You’ve never told even me what happened, and I
haven’t pushed because I know you don’t ever want to talk
about it. All I can tell you is that I’m here for you, and I will
be no matter what you tell me. You, though, need to cut
yourself some slack. You were young, and no one is a genius
when they’re young.” Nancy smiled at her and refilled their
glasses. “You know I’m not going to spread gossip like some
other people we know.”
“What I can admit is that I miss her. I thought it would’ve
gotten better by now, but it hasn’t. That might disgust you,
but Jaxon is hard to forget.”
Nancy laughed and Iris joined in. “I’ve never been
interested in anything like that, but I could see what
attracted you. She was such a…I can’t think of a good
word.” They laughed some more. “I know a lot of people
talked behind your back, but all I saw was that she made
you happy.”
“I was, and then I stupidly threw it all away.” She took
another sip of her wine and closed her eyes, trying not to
face Nancy or the truth.
“Hey, she left. How can that be your fault?”
Iris wiped her face, surprised she was finally crying,
something she’d rarely allowed herself to do over the years.
“She asked me to go. I could’ve gone to LSU with her, but I
decided I didn’t want to leave my family. Once Jaxon left, I
knew she wouldn’t be back. That part I was right about.
There was nothing here for her, but I had some fantasy that
she’d change her mind and come back because I was
important to her. I was a moron for thinking that.” She
wiped again, hoping her mascara wasn’t smearing across
her face. “Besides, I was pregnant by then.”
“She asked you to go?” Nancy seemed totally
sympathetic. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was scared. You know what people were
already saying. I was terrified my family would turn their
backs on me, and then there’d really be no coming back.”
She clenched her hands into fists and shook her head. “I
never wanted to think about it, but a part of me always
thought I wasn’t enough for her. It was like I was the only
girl back then who was willing…”
Nancy smiled at her and shook her head. “To sleep with
her. Is that what you were going to say? I’m not that
sheltered, my friend.”
“Yes, I was very willing, but once we went somewhere
else, there’d be more willing partners, and she’d leave me
behind.”
“I wish you’d told me this a million years ago. Jaxon was
someone I thought had loyalty, and she cared about you.”
Nancy took her hand. “I doubt if she’d made you a promise,
she would’ve broken it, even if you were just teenagers.”
She nodded. “That’s true, but would you want someone
who only cares about you? I wanted someone wild about
me, because that’s how I felt.”
“That’s just it, sweetie. Jaxon was wild about you, and
she hid that because you were terrified. She loved you. I’d
bet anything on that.”
“Thank you for not judging me,” she said and smiled. “I
was young and dumb. There might be something to what I
believed, though, since she never called or tried to get in
touch. The fact that she’s now living with Margot Drake
means she’s changed dramatically from that rosy picture in
my head, and there’s no going back. How does anyone
compete with that?”
“Give Jaxon a break. It’s been years, and you’re married
with two children. Daniel can’t be all bad.”
“He isn’t, and I complain about him, but I love him. Not
as much when he’s being an ass about things, but he’s good
with Sean and Danny, and he tries.”
“You can’t ask for more than that.”
She could and often did, but her life wasn’t horrible. It
was just…basic. “No, and thanks for talking to me.”
“It might take more of these dinners for you to tell me
everything, but I’m here for you. Now that we have
teenagers, we have to stick together.”
“You’re a good friend, and you’re right. I have a feeling
we’ll be talking about Sean and Adeline for years to come
for a whole bunch of reasons.”
“They’re cute together, and I hope that doesn’t freak you
out.”
Nancy shook her head. “I couldn’t give a shit what people
think. All I want is for my kid to be happy.”
If only life could be that easy and someone like Nancy
could’ve been her mother. That was the thing about what-
ifs, though—if they were quarters, she could power every
machine in a Laundromat for a hundred years. Her chance
at passion had passed, but damn if she was letting Sean’s
chance slip away from her even if it didn’t work out. Her
daughter at least deserved the chance.
CHAPTER SIX
Get in here, girl, and leave them to their talk.” Margot’s
mother pointed to the stool at the island in the center of the
kitchen. “What are you so worried about anyway?”
“I know you’re married to him, but you have to see that
Daddy’s a little”—she put her hands up as if trying to find
the right words—“intense, when he wants to be.”
The mixer came on, and when her mother started
pouring ingredients into the bowl, it stopped their
conversation for a moment. “Sweetie, don’t take this in a
way that’ll make you believe that I think your father’s
insane. I try real hard not to think about his intensity and
why it exists. The world’s a much happier place if you try
not to dwell on that.” Her mother ran a scraper along the
side of the bowl.
“So, you don’t think he’s crazy?” Margot stared at her
mother, trying to figure out if she was hiding something,
and if she needed to run and save Jax from some life-
altering visit.
“I could lie and say it’s a law of the hills to think ill of
your spouse in that way, but the truth of it is, your daddy’s a
wee bit of a wing nut.” The blender came back on but only
for a minute.
“So you do think he’s crazy.” She moved to stand up but
didn’t make it to her feet when her mother waved her back
down.
“I didn’t say that, and don’t be putting words in my
mouth. I’ve got enough with keeping up with what I come up
with on my own.” She tapped the side of her head and
laughed.
“So you don’t think he’s crazy?” Margot scrunched her
brows together in confusion. Hopefully Jaxon was having a
better time of it.
Her mother paused to flour a couple of pans and turn on
the oven. “Oh no, he’s crazier than a flock of loons in heat,
but that ain’t all bad. In fact, it can be downright useful at
times.”
“Useful in what way? Assuring that I’ll have no love life at
all?” Great, now she felt bad for pushing Jax into humoring
her father.
“That’s more of an unfortunate side effect. I was talking
more along the lines that it’s been years since one of those
religious-type people pushing fire and damnation, or a Girl
Scout peddling Thin Mints has darkened our door.” They
both had to laugh at that. No one ever wanted to interrupt
her father in the middle of something he thought important
by ringing the bell. If someone was peddling a religion he
thought was crazy, they’d pray there really was a
benevolent God waiting with open arms when he went for
the assault rifle.
Margot accepted the empty bowl from her mother and
ran her finger through the remnants of batter as her mom
put the cake pans into the oven. “He won’t hurt her, will
he?” She turned back to the door and strained to hear
something.
“Who, Jaxon?” Her mom set a timer shaped like a hand
grenade her father had bought her on one of his many trips
to the army surplus store. Instead of dinging, it made little
explosion sounds. “The thing you should realize is if Wilber
didn’t know how important Jaxon is to you, she’d be sitting
in here with us swapping recipes.” Her mom pointed in the
direction of the study. “But she’s not. She’s in there, so your
father can bend her into someone worthy of his little girl. It’s
a duty he takes as seriously as he did his commission.”
“As cute as that sounds in concept, I am more than
capable and old enough to make my own decisions.”
“In General Wilber Walker Drake’s world, you’ll always be
that cute little five-year-old we sent off to kindergarten with
her cute little Barbie lunch box, equally cute little pink
backpack, and pigtails so that kid could pull your hair.”
“Mom, I’m sure that girl is still in therapy over what
happened with my pigtails. Though it was somewhat
comforting to see the big bully scream and run out of the
room whenever she saw anything remotely resembling a
knife. But then again, the radical haircut Daddy gave her
that morning with his chilling running commentary will do
that to a person. How you two didn’t get arrested is the true
mystery.”
“Your father’s talent for persuasion is extraordinary. I
gave him my underwear on our second date.”
“Oh no.” She put her fingers in her ears and closed her
eyes. “Lalala.”
“Oh, come on. The stork didn’t deliver you in a cute pink
blanket. Your father was sexy as hell in that uniform, and he
made me hot.” Her mother affectionately patted her hand
before moving to fix them both a drink. “Is that what you’re
afraid of? That he’ll hang a good chunk of Jaxon’s hair on
the wall with the rest of his trophies?”
She nodded and put her hands over her face. Thoughts
of her parents having sex were warring with what was
happening behind the closed oak door. “My biggest worry is
Daddy will give her some sort of posttraumatic stress that’ll
cause her to react like I’m a big pile of hot coals when we’re
alone.”
“Well, honey, I kinda hope she thinks you’re hot.” Her
mother fanned herself. “I mean, if she doesn’t, we need to
be having a whole different conversation. Perhaps I could
give you some pointers on where to buy lingerie.”
“Oh my God. You don’t have to be so understanding all
the time, you know.”
“Hell, I don’t want Ellen DeGeneres’s mom to get all the
good press, but enough of that. What’s new with the two of
you? I’m guessing Jaxon should be enjoying the semester by
now. You two have any plans?” Her mother gave Margot her
full attention after she checked everything.
“We have another month to go before the breathy
messages from coeds on the machine in her home office
start.” The baby carrot she’d picked from the salad bowl
snapped in half at the confession. If she could get away with
it, she’d put a No Trespassing sign around Jaxon’s neck.
“Let’s say a quick prayer she doesn’t tell your father that
while they’re in the inner sanctum. It’d thrill him to be able
to get in some sleeper hold practice, but I don’t think Jaxon
would appreciate the headache when she came to.”
“Would it have killed you to fall in love with an
accountant?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Now stop trying to
change the subject. Breathy calls—what else?” Her mom
snapped her fingers then twirled them. “You know you’ll feel
don’t love to teach.”
“Well put, Jaxon.” The conversation continued with the
annoying habit he had of repeating her name over and over
again as a form of intimidation. Either that or it was to
aggravate her into running out the door, so he’d never have
to see her again. “But if you love Margot so much, why don’t
I see a ring or hear about promises you’ve made?” He took
another long drink from the glass, looking at Jaxon over the
rim.
She drank with him until they drained the first glass.
Jaxon didn’t think he’d find any humor if she requested a
healthy spiking of whiskey in the second glass he was
pouring. He didn’t seem to appreciate her smacking her lips
together as she finished the glass.
“As trite as this may sound, sir, Margot knows how I feel
about her.”
“Jaxon, real men do not use the word trite, so unless you
want me to get my gun down and add another notch, refrain
from doing so.” He never looked up as he concentrated on
pouring the second glass so he didn’t spill any on the
leather-topped desk.
“Sir—”
“I know you’re not a man, bookworm, but you’re as close
as I’m going to get to a son-in-law, so I suggest you sit there
and listen to what I’ve got to say.” He handed her the glass
before picking his up and pointing at it. “Did you go in and
buy this milk?”
Folks, we apologize for any inconvenience, but we’ve left
the main highway and veered off to Crazyville. Please sit
back and enjoy your nice cold milk, so the guy with the
large weapon won’t go postal on you. Jaxon tried to keep up
with their talk. Why she was in the midst of Willy Walker’s
company hadn’t made itself clear just yet.
“Yes, sir, I went in for the milk.”
“Did the people at the store give you all this for free?” He
held up his glass again, appearing serious about the line of
questions as he tapped on it.
“No, sir, they were about four dollars each.”
He put the glass down so he could drum his fingers on
the desk with enough force to splinter the wood and gave
her a hard look. “So they weren’t free is what you’re
saying?”
She let the corners of her mouth curl slightly, finally
understanding the purpose of her trip to the woodshed,
Wilber style. A full smile would earn her a warning shot over
her head. Though, if Margot heard him, it’d be Wilber who’d
be running for his life. “No, sir, I had to pay.”
Wilber jumped up and pointed his index finger at her.
“Precisely, so what makes you think my daughter’s giving it
away for free? This bull didn’t bring offspring into this world
to be left hanging in the wind when you’re ready to move
on.”
He thumped his chest with his fist before turning an
accusing finger on her. “My suggestion to you would be to
make up your mind as far as Margot’s concerned. If your
decision is to leave her for some other young coed, I’ll be
busy carving another notch in that baby.” He pointed his
thumb over his shoulder, so there would be no
misunderstanding.
“General Drake, sir, I can understand where you’re
coming from. I also realize you don’t especially like me, but I
do love Margot. I can only hope you know how special she is
to me, and it won’t take getting me to some sort of altar at
gunpoint.”
“I don’t think I’ll have to force you, bonehead. I just want
us to be of the same mind. Now finish that glass and get out
of here before my little girl thinks I’m cutting your ears off.”
“Yes, sir.” Without Margot looking on, she couldn’t help
but salute him before turning for the door.
* * *
Nancy picked a place close to the campus of their local
university and asked the hostess for a booth in the corner.
Iris was glad to not recognize anyone. They ordered a bottle
of wine and sat back. The day had been long, and all Iris
really wanted to do, craved really, was to put her pajamas
on and sleep.
“Okay, spill it.” Nancy ran her finger along the top of the
wineglass and sounded resolute. “You’ve been down since
that committee meeting, and that means something’s not
right. Is it you and Daniel?”
“We’re fine. You know what the next month is going to be
like. Only this time there’s no way to protect Sean from all
the gossiping our neighbors like to do. She’s old enough to
understand.” She took a big gulp of the wine, but that
wasn’t the answer. “Hell, I don’t like listening to those idiots
either. It’s not like I don’t think about what I did and never
considered the long-term consequences.”
“You’ve never told even me what happened, and I
haven’t pushed because I know you don’t ever want to talk
about it. All I can tell you is that I’m here for you, and I will
be no matter what you tell me. You, though, need to cut
yourself some slack. You were young, and no one is a genius
when they’re young.” Nancy smiled at her and refilled their
glasses. “You know I’m not going to spread gossip like some
other people we know.”
“What I can admit is that I miss her. I thought it would’ve
gotten better by now, but it hasn’t. That might disgust you,
but Jaxon is hard to forget.”
Nancy laughed and Iris joined in. “I’ve never been
interested in anything like that, but I could see what
attracted you. She was such a…I can’t think of a good
word.” They laughed some more. “I know a lot of people
talked behind your back, but all I saw was that she made
you happy.”
“I was, and then I stupidly threw it all away.” She took
another sip of her wine and closed her eyes, trying not to
face Nancy or the truth.
“Hey, she left. How can that be your fault?”
Iris wiped her face, surprised she was finally crying,
something she’d rarely allowed herself to do over the years.
“She asked me to go. I could’ve gone to LSU with her, but I
decided I didn’t want to leave my family. Once Jaxon left, I
knew she wouldn’t be back. That part I was right about.
There was nothing here for her, but I had some fantasy that
she’d change her mind and come back because I was
important to her. I was a moron for thinking that.” She
wiped again, hoping her mascara wasn’t smearing across
her face. “Besides, I was pregnant by then.”
“She asked you to go?” Nancy seemed totally
sympathetic. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was scared. You know what people were
already saying. I was terrified my family would turn their
backs on me, and then there’d really be no coming back.”
She clenched her hands into fists and shook her head. “I
never wanted to think about it, but a part of me always
thought I wasn’t enough for her. It was like I was the only
girl back then who was willing…”
Nancy smiled at her and shook her head. “To sleep with
her. Is that what you were going to say? I’m not that
sheltered, my friend.”
“Yes, I was very willing, but once we went somewhere
else, there’d be more willing partners, and she’d leave me
behind.”
“I wish you’d told me this a million years ago. Jaxon was
someone I thought had loyalty, and she cared about you.”
Nancy took her hand. “I doubt if she’d made you a promise,
she would’ve broken it, even if you were just teenagers.”
She nodded. “That’s true, but would you want someone
who only cares about you? I wanted someone wild about
me, because that’s how I felt.”
“That’s just it, sweetie. Jaxon was wild about you, and
she hid that because you were terrified. She loved you. I’d
bet anything on that.”
“Thank you for not judging me,” she said and smiled. “I
was young and dumb. There might be something to what I
believed, though, since she never called or tried to get in
touch. The fact that she’s now living with Margot Drake
means she’s changed dramatically from that rosy picture in
my head, and there’s no going back. How does anyone
compete with that?”
“Give Jaxon a break. It’s been years, and you’re married
with two children. Daniel can’t be all bad.”
“He isn’t, and I complain about him, but I love him. Not
as much when he’s being an ass about things, but he’s good
with Sean and Danny, and he tries.”
“You can’t ask for more than that.”
She could and often did, but her life wasn’t horrible. It
was just…basic. “No, and thanks for talking to me.”
“It might take more of these dinners for you to tell me
everything, but I’m here for you. Now that we have
teenagers, we have to stick together.”
“You’re a good friend, and you’re right. I have a feeling
we’ll be talking about Sean and Adeline for years to come
for a whole bunch of reasons.”
“They’re cute together, and I hope that doesn’t freak you
out.”
Nancy shook her head. “I couldn’t give a shit what people
think. All I want is for my kid to be happy.”
If only life could be that easy and someone like Nancy
could’ve been her mother. That was the thing about what-
ifs, though—if they were quarters, she could power every
machine in a Laundromat for a hundred years. Her chance
at passion had passed, but damn if she was letting Sean’s
chance slip away from her even if it didn’t work out. Her
daughter at least deserved the chance.
CHAPTER SIX
Get in here, girl, and leave them to their talk.” Margot’s
mother pointed to the stool at the island in the center of the
kitchen. “What are you so worried about anyway?”
“I know you’re married to him, but you have to see that
Daddy’s a little”—she put her hands up as if trying to find
the right words—“intense, when he wants to be.”
The mixer came on, and when her mother started
pouring ingredients into the bowl, it stopped their
conversation for a moment. “Sweetie, don’t take this in a
way that’ll make you believe that I think your father’s
insane. I try real hard not to think about his intensity and
why it exists. The world’s a much happier place if you try
not to dwell on that.” Her mother ran a scraper along the
side of the bowl.
“So, you don’t think he’s crazy?” Margot stared at her
mother, trying to figure out if she was hiding something,
and if she needed to run and save Jax from some life-
altering visit.
“I could lie and say it’s a law of the hills to think ill of
your spouse in that way, but the truth of it is, your daddy’s a
wee bit of a wing nut.” The blender came back on but only
for a minute.
“So you do think he’s crazy.” She moved to stand up but
didn’t make it to her feet when her mother waved her back
down.
“I didn’t say that, and don’t be putting words in my
mouth. I’ve got enough with keeping up with what I come up
with on my own.” She tapped the side of her head and
laughed.
“So you don’t think he’s crazy?” Margot scrunched her
brows together in confusion. Hopefully Jaxon was having a
better time of it.
Her mother paused to flour a couple of pans and turn on
the oven. “Oh no, he’s crazier than a flock of loons in heat,
but that ain’t all bad. In fact, it can be downright useful at
times.”
“Useful in what way? Assuring that I’ll have no love life at
all?” Great, now she felt bad for pushing Jax into humoring
her father.
“That’s more of an unfortunate side effect. I was talking
more along the lines that it’s been years since one of those
religious-type people pushing fire and damnation, or a Girl
Scout peddling Thin Mints has darkened our door.” They
both had to laugh at that. No one ever wanted to interrupt
her father in the middle of something he thought important
by ringing the bell. If someone was peddling a religion he
thought was crazy, they’d pray there really was a
benevolent God waiting with open arms when he went for
the assault rifle.
Margot accepted the empty bowl from her mother and
ran her finger through the remnants of batter as her mom
put the cake pans into the oven. “He won’t hurt her, will
he?” She turned back to the door and strained to hear
something.
“Who, Jaxon?” Her mom set a timer shaped like a hand
grenade her father had bought her on one of his many trips
to the army surplus store. Instead of dinging, it made little
explosion sounds. “The thing you should realize is if Wilber
didn’t know how important Jaxon is to you, she’d be sitting
in here with us swapping recipes.” Her mom pointed in the
direction of the study. “But she’s not. She’s in there, so your
father can bend her into someone worthy of his little girl. It’s
a duty he takes as seriously as he did his commission.”
“As cute as that sounds in concept, I am more than
capable and old enough to make my own decisions.”
“In General Wilber Walker Drake’s world, you’ll always be
that cute little five-year-old we sent off to kindergarten with
her cute little Barbie lunch box, equally cute little pink
backpack, and pigtails so that kid could pull your hair.”
“Mom, I’m sure that girl is still in therapy over what
happened with my pigtails. Though it was somewhat
comforting to see the big bully scream and run out of the
room whenever she saw anything remotely resembling a
knife. But then again, the radical haircut Daddy gave her
that morning with his chilling running commentary will do
that to a person. How you two didn’t get arrested is the true
mystery.”
“Your father’s talent for persuasion is extraordinary. I
gave him my underwear on our second date.”
“Oh no.” She put her fingers in her ears and closed her
eyes. “Lalala.”
“Oh, come on. The stork didn’t deliver you in a cute pink
blanket. Your father was sexy as hell in that uniform, and he
made me hot.” Her mother affectionately patted her hand
before moving to fix them both a drink. “Is that what you’re
afraid of? That he’ll hang a good chunk of Jaxon’s hair on
the wall with the rest of his trophies?”
She nodded and put her hands over her face. Thoughts
of her parents having sex were warring with what was
happening behind the closed oak door. “My biggest worry is
Daddy will give her some sort of posttraumatic stress that’ll
cause her to react like I’m a big pile of hot coals when we’re
alone.”
“Well, honey, I kinda hope she thinks you’re hot.” Her
mother fanned herself. “I mean, if she doesn’t, we need to
be having a whole different conversation. Perhaps I could
give you some pointers on where to buy lingerie.”
“Oh my God. You don’t have to be so understanding all
the time, you know.”
“Hell, I don’t want Ellen DeGeneres’s mom to get all the
good press, but enough of that. What’s new with the two of
you? I’m guessing Jaxon should be enjoying the semester by
now. You two have any plans?” Her mother gave Margot her
full attention after she checked everything.
“We have another month to go before the breathy
messages from coeds on the machine in her home office
start.” The baby carrot she’d picked from the salad bowl
snapped in half at the confession. If she could get away with
it, she’d put a No Trespassing sign around Jaxon’s neck.
“Let’s say a quick prayer she doesn’t tell your father that
while they’re in the inner sanctum. It’d thrill him to be able
to get in some sleeper hold practice, but I don’t think Jaxon
would appreciate the headache when she came to.”
“Would it have killed you to fall in love with an
accountant?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Now stop trying to
change the subject. Breathy calls—what else?” Her mom
snapped her fingers then twirled them. “You know you’ll feel
