by Marie Garner
“I would love to. I hope you don’t mind, but I made you a casserole. My husband says it’s because I can’t stop feeding people. Leftover from having five children I guess.” She continued as they walked toward the kitchen. “I haven’t been in here since your mother died. It has just been too hard.” Tears gathered in her eyes as she thought of her dear friend.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Eva glanced down uncomfortably, wondering if it was a bit weird to feel very little sadness about the fact that her mother died, only anger that she had been lied to for years.
A sad smile crossed Susan’s face, sympathy shining in her eyes. “It’s your loss too.”
Eva waved her off. “Not really. I don’t feel it as acutely as you do. For me, she’s been gone for a long time.”
“You may not have had your mother for years, but you just got a new loss, regardless of how it happened. Don’t diminish your feelings, no matter what they may be.” Unexpected tears pricked her eyes, and she impulsively hugged Susan.
“Oh, honey.” She rubbed her back as the tears flowed softly. “You have just been through it lately.”
Eva pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Thank you. I don’t really know where that came from, but thank you for everything and the casserole. I was looking for something to eat, and it will be nice to have a home cooked meal.”
“You’re welcome. And one more thing that I was debating on when to give you. Your mother gave me this letter a couple of months ago and told me I would know when it was time. I didn’t read it…” she reached into her purse and pulled out a white business size envelope “…but your mother said it explained a lot for you. I know her reasons…” she read the question in Eva’s eyes “…and I think you should read it and make your decisions about everything.”
“Thank you,” she said, sincerely grateful for everything.
“You’re welcome. I am going to go now, but I just wanted to say hey, feed you, and give you that. If you need anything at all, let me know.” She hugged her one last time before making her way back down the front hallway and out the door.
Eva walked back into the kitchen and stared at the envelope, unable to open it. All throughout the day she searched for answers, and now that she had it she was too chicken to do anything about it. So she sat down and ate the homemade casserole in silence in her mother’s kitchen as the light outside grew dim before heading up to bed alone.
The bad thing about summer vacation is that eventually you run out of things to do—not that Eva was complaining—but when you were trying to do anything but sort through your mother’s house then it left too much time with nothing to do. She had been to the salon and got a mani-pedi, cut her hair, and spent a couple of days catching up on summer reading by the pool. She spent three days doing nothing, her original time frame to be out blown to hell, but she was still trying to leave as quickly as possible. Only problem: she couldn’t leave until she went through the stuff, and going through the stuff was the last thing she wanted to do.
I can do this! Eva gave herself a mini pep talk before she went back into her mother’s bedroom. Although the clothes were fun, she wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of what her mother was like. The bedside table gave the first clue when she found an old letter that had clearly been folded and refolded several times over, the slight yellowing showing its age. She put her hand to her mouth to halt the gasp when she noticed her father’s handwriting and the date at the top, February 16, 1987.
Elizabeth,
I got the divorce papers today, and I wanted to drop you a quick line to thank you for signing them without delay. I want you to know, as I have told you before, you will always hold a piece of my heart as the mother of my child. Eva is doing amazing; she is growing so much every day. We went to her kindergarten assessment today and she aced it, just like I knew she would. She is currently in love with her Cabbage Patch dolls and Barbies, but she has enough of me to still play in the dirt and dig up worms for fishing. She is gorgeous, as you can see in the pictures I put in here with this letter. She says her prayers for you every night, and she loves your picture. I know I told you, despite your complaints, that I would let you know what was going on with Eva. Part of that includes telling you that I met someone about six months ago. Linda is an amazing woman; she is smart, funny, and I met her at the local bank where she works as a teller. Eva seems to really like her, and Linda likes Eva too. They have even had a couple of “girls’ days,” secret adventures that I am not allowed to know anything about. I know Eva really enjoys having another woman around, and she has started to look to Linda as a mother figure. She may just be a keeper, but I haven’t told her about you yet. I will at the right time. I pray that you are happy, and just know that your little girl is taken care of by people who love her. I will send you another update soon.
Sincerely,
Richard
There were no words for the emotional roller coaster that this woman put her in. Although, she was touched by her father’s words. Suddenly feeling guilty about ignoring her father, especially in light of all that he had done for her and her mother, she reached for her phone.
Eva: I love you.
Dad: Love you too.
Eva: I will call you tonight.
Dad: Ok, talk to you later.
Putting the phone away, she reached into the drawer for another letter when she heard the doorbell. Irritated at the interruption, she felt like she was just getting started in figuring out what made her mom tick. “What the hell is with these people? Don’t they ever stay at home?” No one answered, she was alone, but it made her feel better before she went downstairs to tell whomever it was to get lost.
She hurried down the stairs, not sure who could be at the door, surprised but not altogether unhappy to see Aaron. “Hello hottie, lawyer,” ran through her head as she looked at him appreciably, licking her lips instinctively. He seemed to catch the action and drew a sharp breath.
“Hey,” came out breathlessly, from her quick walk from the bedroom as well as her mental walk through all the X-rated scenes that raced through her head. “Come on in.” She stepped to the side as he walked in. That man was gorgeous, she couldn’t help but continue to think as she watched his ass on his way to the living room. As he turned around with hands on his hips, all she could think about was kissing him.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, and it took every amount of self-control she had to avoid the inward cringe she felt coming. Way to make herself sound like a horny little thing right off the bat.
“I was coming over to talk to you about the house. I forgot to tell you yesterday, and although you said you were selling it, I didn’t know how set in stone that was.”
“I am still planning on selling the house, but I am curious about what warranted a visit instead of a call.”
“Well, the main reason I came was for my brother, Conner. He was about to start remodeling the bathroom upstairs before your mom died, and now he has plans but doesn’t know what to do with it.”
“What was he going to do?” A new bathroom could be nice, as long as she didn’t have to foot the bill for it.
“From my understanding your mom wanted him to redo the entire bathroom. My brother said it shouldn’t take too long, but he wants to know if you still want to do the renovations. In my opinion, although it would be a mistake to sell the house, your resale value will be higher when you actually try to sell it. It’s already been paid for by the way.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, your mom was fanatical about paying for stuff ahead of time. All you have to do is give the ok.”
“Sure, why not? But does he need me here to do the renovations?”
“No, he actually has a key, but he said he can call you before he comes.”
“What the hell? How many people have a key to this house?”
“Besides you? Just three people in my family: my mom, my brother, and me.”
“You don’t happen to know a locksmith?”
“I am not that worried…” she waved him off “…but thanks for telling me.” She stared at him as she fidgeted from foot to foot, unsure where to go from here.
“Look …”
“I just wanted …”
They laughed, each gesturing for the other to speak first.
“There was another reason why I came over here.” Aaron smiled at her with a sparkle of lust in his eyes. “I also came to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I can’t stop thinking about you. When I saw you in my office all I thought about was what you would taste like.”
“Uh …” Talk about fast. She was thinking she was in lust, but damn that boy went after what he wanted. She didn’t know if she liked that but didn’t really have time to think when he moved closer, cupping her face and rubbing his thumb along the cheek. “I know that I just met you, but I don’t care.” He leaned in, staring at her lips. She licked them, opening her mouth slightly as he dipped his head and tasted her.
“Just. One. Taste,” he murmured against her lips as he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her open mouth. Peaches, was all he could think as he finished the kiss, nibbling on the corners of her lips. He opened his eyes and he lifted his head, staring intently as she slowly opened her own eyes, the haze of lust still evident. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Huh?” It took her mind a minute to process what he was saying. “Tonight, nothing. Why?”
“Good, I will see you at seven.”
“For what?”
“I’m coming over. I want to take you to dinner.” Sensing her hesitation, he smiled. “Just dinner. I want to get to know you a little better, and you can’t deny there is some serious chemistry between us. You need to have a good time for the little time that you are here.”
“I can’t. I mean, I like you, and that was an amazing kiss, but I am not going to be here for very long and I am not trying to start something with you.”
His smile widened. “Who said we had to start anything crazy. I am just asking you to dinner.” He kissed her quickly before turning around and walking down the porch steps. “I will have my brother call you.”
“I’m not staying! You need to remember that!” she yelled.
“It’s dinner, princess. All it is dinner.”
“And don’t call me princess!” His answering laughter was all she heard.
OMG, was all she thought as she went back inside. What the hell was that? He just kind of grabbed her, not that she was complaining, but damn. He just went right into it, whereas she was more of a slow and steady wins the race kind of person. She stood against the door, unable to process everything, before she remembered that she was in the middle of reading her father’s letters to her mother. Going back to the task at hand, she went to her mother’s bedroom, eager to read the rest of the letters. She saw a photo album in the drawer, the other letters having been encased in the album with the pictures her father must have compiled. With over forty in all, her father had written her mother faithfully about every six months.
The photos were like a montage of all the moments of her life, captured for her mother to see everything she missed out on. There was her fifth birthday party, where she got her golden retriever Bella, who loved her faithfully for fifteen years. She had chocolate cake smeared on her face, her eyes glowing as she held up the puppy with the bright red ribbon tied to her collar. The picture was taken right before the puppy got so excited she peed all over her.
There was her high school prom, where she stood with Josh Blackstone, who broke her heart after he took her virginity, the bastard. She looked gorgeous after spending hours shopping with her stepmother who then helped her get ready. The diamond earrings were a gift from her father on her sixteenth birthday, the diamond necklace borrowed from her stepmother. Everything spoke of the amazing life her parents had built for her. Beside the picture, scrawled in what she now knew to be her mother’s handwriting, said “Eva at senior prom looking gorgeous!”
Mixed feelings came over her: happiness that her mother was proud of her, but anger that she wasn’t there to see it herself. She knew where the answers were—that damn envelope that Susan gave her that she couldn’t bring herself to read.
She looked through the rest of the album, seeing herself grow from toddler to an adult in the album her mother had lovingly put together. Looking at the letters were even harder than looking at the photos because she heard the joy and love that her father clearly had for her and his wish that Elizabeth get in contact. Without fail, he told Elizabeth that he wanted to tell Eva, and he always enclosed the pictures that couldn’t begin to explain the memories that were made with the click of each camera. Emotionally exhausted and more confused than ever, she went downstairs for a nice glass of dry red wine to get her through the onset of emotions.
She called Gwen to tell her about the latest development but was only able to leave a message when she got a voicemail. Looking at the envelope still sitting on the counter, she grabbed it and went into the living room, sinking into the soft couch with her bottle of wine. She starred at the envelope, making a decision to rip it open when her cell phone rang with an unknown number. She answered the phone, curious about who could be calling her now, to hear one of the sexiest voices she had in a while.
“Hello, is this Eva?” his slow drawl sounded like a smooth glass of whiskey.
“This is she.”
“This is Aaron’s brother, Conner. Aaron said he talked to you about the bathroom renovations that your mom was in the process of doing?”
“He was telling me about it today. I told him that it was fine if you finished the renovations.”
“Great! When do you want me to start?”
“Whenever you want to. I don’t know what your schedule looks like but I will be here for the next couple of days at least.”
“Your mom was the next one on my list, one of the reasons that I had Aaron get in touch with you today. I can actually start tomorrow morning if you want. I have all the supplies, and it will only take me a few weeks.”
“Weeks? Do I need to be here the whole time?”
“Not necessarily, but it definitely makes the process smoother. Although I have all the stuff there, there may be a couple of decisions I still need you to make.”
“You have got to be kidding me! Aaron said this was going to be quick. He knows I am leaving soon.”
“I’m not kidding, but it is actually not a long process considering everything that goes into it.”
“So you say now. Fine.” She was aggravated but resigned. Of course there was something else she would have to deal with. Thanks, Mother. “When can you start?”
“How ’bout I come by tomorrow? We can start in the morning.”
“Can’t wait,” she answered sarcastically. She just wanted to be done and gone, back to her life.
“I will see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks!” She threw the phone on the other side of the couch and cursed her luck. Two months—hell, two weeks ago—she would have said that she was at the prime of her life, and now it was all going to hell. All because that damn woman decided to make her presence known, something she neglected to do in real life. Now she was stuck in this house for the next couple of weeks, where everywhere she looked had images of her mother and memories of her mother’s own life, which she decided to take and make her own. Frustrated with the sudden change of course her life had taken, Eva went upstairs to lie down for a bit, leaving the letter on the couch.
Aaron typed furiously, trying to finish the brief so he could leave for the night. Sometimes he loved his job, but tonight he just wanted to be done with the paperwork quickly. He glanced at the clock again, noting the time. He couldn’t get Eva off of his mind, and although he had only met her a couple of days ago, he really wanted to get to know her better. She turned down
his offer of dinner yesterday, but that just meant he would have to find another way to get her to go out with him. And he needed to find a way to get her to work through the issues with her mother.
“Not staying my ass,” he muttered as he organized his files and cleaned off his desk. She wanted that house so damn bad; she was just scared to reach out and take it. The fact that Aaron was attracted to her made him all the more willing to help her figure out what was going on with her mom and convince her to stay. He loved helping people, one of the main reasons he became a lawyer. She seemed so lost the other day when he mentioned her mom, he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t see someone that was hurting and not help; it wasn’t in his nature. But he knew to back off when he saw it, and she had been sending those vibes when he initially asked her if she needed help.
Indecision plagued him as he left the office for the evening, stuck wanting to be there for a girl who didn’t want him. It caused an almost psychical ache inside of him, and his attraction to her didn’t help the situation. He figured a summer fling never hurt anyone, especially after he felt those marvelous breasts pressed again his chest during their kiss yesterday. He wasn’t usually so forward, but if she didn’t like it, he figured she would have told him to back off, which she didn’t. If anything, she pulled him closer.
Pizza, he thought, as an idea finally came to him. If he brought her dinner, she would have to let him in. Who doesn’t like pizza? And if he happened to ask her how she was doing, then there was no shame in that. Not to mention he was going to spend some time in her company, which could lead to spending time in the bedroom.
Forty-five minutes later, he knocked on her door with a pepperoni pizza and cheesy breadsticks, hoping this didn’t blow up in his face. She opened the door quickly, and he registered the flash of surprise before she seemed to cover it up with wariness.
“Hey …” She leaned against the open door. “What’s up?”