Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 83550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
And it wouldn’t be the first time she’s taken off for a couple days without so much as a word.
So, Vivienne being MIA isn’t necessarily something to be overly concerned about. But I still feel compelled to stop home at least once a week to make sure she’s alive and paying the bills on time. Even when I was a kid, it felt more like I was the parent and she was the child.
I’m sure it doesn’t help that she was only sixteen when she got knocked up. When she couldn’t tell her parents who the father was, they kicked her pregnant ass out of the house.
And it’s been the two of us ever since.
Every so often, someone tries to be a third wheel, but it never lasts long before they end up ditching her. Mom is a lot to handle. She’s fun for a week or so, but then it becomes a little much.
I peer through the windows but see no signs of life. My heart clenches with that familiar fear. The one that whispers maybe this time she’s really gone too far.
When I test the front door handle, I find it unlocked.
How did I end up with all the self-preservation skills and my mother got zero?
The living room tells its own story. Beer cans are scattered across end tables, there’s a half-empty bottle of Boone’s Farm—Mom’s signature drink when she’s entertaining—along with a glass smeared with bright-red lipstick.
“Mom?” I call out, my voice echoing through the quiet house. After a beat, I try again, louder.
A shuffling sound comes from her bedroom. The door creaks open to reveal my mother, hair disheveled, wearing an oversized white T-shirt.
“Holland?” She blinks at me. “What are you doing here so early?”
She steps into the hallway, carefully pulling the door closed behind her until it clicks.
“Mom, it’s almost noon.”
She glances toward the window like the sun might be playing tricks on her. “Really?”
“Yeah.” My gaze darts to the closed bedroom door. “Is someone else here?”
Her face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Oh, honey, I met the most fabulous man.” She hugs herself, practically vibrating with excitement. “I think he might be the one.”
That’s when I notice the gap in her smile where a tooth should be.
“What the hell happened to you?”
Her hand flies to her mouth, expression turning sheepish. “I had a little accident when we came home from the bar the other night.”
“Jesus. Are you all right?”
She waves off my concern. “I’m fine. It was so stupid. I tripped on the walkway and hit the cement face-first.”
“You’ll have to call the dentist—”
“Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to bother. Dale says it adds character.”
I stare at her, wondering how this is my life. “Mom, you can’t walk around like that.”
“You’re making a big deal out of nothing. You didn’t even notice at first.”
My gaze catches on a worn leather vest thrown over a dining room chair. Before I can reach for it, Mom’s voice turns sharp.
“Don’t touch that! Dale was really weird about it.”
The stone in my gut turns to lead. “Please tell me he isn’t part of a biker gang.”
Her eyes widen with childlike excitement. “How did you know?”
“Mom...”
She drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “They call him Jigsaw, but he won’t tell me why.”
When I continue staring, she bounces on her toes, making the oversized shirt ride higher. “Hey! Are you seeing anyone? He’s got some friends who seemed nice. Maybe we could double date!”
“Absolutely not.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re so judgy, Holland. You really need to chill out and live a little.”
I press my lips together, swallowing back all the things I want to scream.
About responsibility.
And consequences.
Or how I’ve spent my entire life watching her “live a little” before cleaning up the aftermath.
“Look, I need to take off.” I force my voice to remain steady. “I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything was good. If you’d answer your phone once in a while, I wouldn’t have to go out of my way to check up on you.”
She closes the distance between us, cupping my cheek in her warm palm. “Aww, but I’m glad you did. I enjoy seeing your pretty face. I love you, baby girl.”
And just like that, my anger melts into resignation. Nothing is ever going to change with Vivienne. She is who she is.
“I love you too.”
She smiles, the gap in her teeth making her look vulnerable in a way that breaks my heart.
“I’ll let you know what the dentist says. I’m sure between the two of us, we can figure out a way to pay for it.” I can already see my savings account draining, my carefully built safety net dissolving.
“Okay. And think about the double date. Dale said his friends have a real thing for curvy redheads.”