Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“I choose you too. I trust you.” I might not be able to give him those big, scary words, not yet, but I could put everything into hoping that we found our path forward. I could trust him, and in that moment, my trust and those hopes were the most precious things I had to offer him.
Thirty-Six
Adam
“We have a wedding to plan!” My mom greeted me with a muffin, a hug, and boundless enthusiasm for Ramona’s big news the night before. I’d seen Quinn off to work, then headed to Mom’s to catch her post-breakfast rush and before I headed to the tavern.
“Actually, you, Ramona, and Darren have a wedding to plan.” I accepted the muffin and a mug of coffee and settled in at her kitchen table for a long-overdue chat. Tossing a wet blanket over her excitement for the upcoming wedding made my stomach go sour, but drawing better boundaries needed to start somewhere. “I’ll help where I can, but I’m going to let you all take point on planning.”
“What’s wrong?” Refreshing her coffee, Mom then took a seat next to me. “Aren’t you happy for Ramona?”
“Of course, I’m happy.” I stirred my coffee, watching the cream swirl rather than meet her concerned stare. “It’s great news, and Darren will be an excellent addition to the family.”
“But?”
“But we need to talk. Not about that. But…” I sucked in a deep breath. This was a silly thing to need courage for, but I did. Admitting that I couldn’t do everything Mom needed was hard, so hard. My voice came out all thick. “I need you to hire a handyperson. Someone to have for errands and minor fixes. Someone to delegate to.”
“Someone not you?” Her tone was gentler than I’d expected, and that loosened some of the tension in my neck and shoulders.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I love you. I love helping, I really do.” I took her hand, squeezed it. “But there are only so many hours in a day…”
“And you’d like to spend more of them with Quinn?” she prompted when I trailed off.
“That’s part of it, yeah. But the other part is that it’s taking a toll on my health.” It was important to me that I not blame this change on Quinn or our relationship, so I was careful to keep my voice steady and firm. “I need to cut back in areas where I can. And I need to do it for me, not Quinn.”
“I understand.” She nodded sagely.
“You do?” I narrowed my eyes, not sure I trusted this ready agreement, especially given how much I’d built this up in my head, anticipating all her objections, none of which seemed to be coming.
“Of course. I always knew this day would come. I’ve enjoyed having you around, maybe a little too much.” Mouth twisting, she shrugged. “I probably wasn’t the fairest to you, honestly. I’ve come to rely on how you always volunteer, and you’ve been a tremendous help, but I know that you need your own life too.”
She ducked her head to study the scarred tabletop. So many years at this table. So many memories. So much love. Maybe she had taken advantage of my willingness to do favors, but I’d also happily let her. We did need changes, but I wasn’t angry at her.
“Yeah. I do. But I also need to know that you’re taken care of.” I tilted my head so I could meet her lowered gaze. “That’s why I need you to hire someone. No more patching together assistance using favors. If money is a problem, I can try to help—”
“I don’t need your money, sweetie.” Looking up, she waved away that notion with a flick of her wrist. “Tourism has been way up ever since the resort opened. Business is good. I can afford someone. It’s more that I’ve been selfish, relying on you rather than hunting down someone else because that was easiest and meant I got to see you. And getting more help is something they’ve talked to me about at the clinic.”
“Are you okay?” Instantly on edge, I leaned forward.
“Yes, of course.” She kissed the top of my head. “But the blood pressure meds might work better if I learned to delegate a little more.”
“Delegating is good. Darren’s going to need something while he’s job hunting.” I’d thought about this idea while driving over. “Maybe while you’re interviewing possible permanent assistants, he can help some and you can pay him.”
“That’s an excellent idea. I want to help him and Ramona get a good start, but pride makes it tough to help with money. Paying him to do some work for me is a great solution. And like you said, I can put the word out, start looking for someone long-term.”
“Exactly. I hate leaving you—”
“You’re not leaving me,” she corrected like I was twelve and using poor grammar. “You’re family. I’m not at all mad. You’re my kid. You can move on without leaving us behind.”