Series: Peach State Stepbros Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I have a strange relationship with my parents. They aren’t like Steve, Colin’s dad, who’s very present and attentive, and who’s been as good for me as Colin since they entered my life. Mom and Dad aren’t really affectionate or emotional people. Highly intelligent, yes, but the qualities that have made them successful in their careers have made them struggle with parenting. And that Mom sets aside this time for me means a lot.
“Yeah, no, I wasn’t meaning to criticize or joke,” Lance says quickly, like he’s horrified I might have mistaken his playful remark for anything else.
“I knew what you meant. But it’s a no on pickleball for today. Maybe next time?”
“Of course.” He starts like he’s about to come in for a hug, but after eyeing Sagan, offers his fist for a bump.
I watch some more TV before my allotted four o’clock with Mom. Usually, she calls, but she can be a few minutes late, so I give her five before ringing her up, keeping her on speaker so I can manage Darwin and Sagan.
“Lauren Fuller speaking—oh, no, it’s you, Ash. Sorry, I saw your name come up. I’m just in the middle of something and can’t think straight.”
I tense up. “In the middle of something? You remember this is our scheduled time, right?”
Yes, she has a difficult job. “Criminals don’t lock themselves up” is always her joke at a party when it comes out she’s a prosecutor with the DA.
Mom’s not one for jokes.
Obviously.
But she is one for sticking to a tight schedule, so to say I’m stunned by this would be an understatement.
“Didn’t Sarah get ahold of you?”
I grind my teeth. Sarah’s Mom’s personal assistant, who’s probably responsible for more than a few of Colin’s and my birthday and Christmas presents.
“Why would I talk to Sarah about our meeting?”
“She was supposed to call and reschedule because we have a deposition we couldn’t get to until…right now. They’re still parking, but they’ll be in soon, and I’ll have to go.”
I run my hand through my hair. “And you couldn’t text me to let me know?”
“I always get Sarah to change it. Is that wrong? Are you upset?”
It’s true. I really shouldn’t be surprised, and I can tell by the way she asks that it’s a sincere question. She cares, but sometimes there’s a real disconnect. “It’s cool, Mom. So you’ve gotta go?”
“I have a few minutes. Is it something important?”
“If it was important, I’d just call whenever. I wouldn’t need to schedule with Sarah.”
“Are you being passive aggressive again?”
“What’s passive about that?” Now I’m raising my voice. I take a breath. “I just wanted to tell you about my week. And hear how your week was going.”
“But you can see why that’s less of a priority for me than the deposition to put away a murderer, right?”
Is that even a fucking question?
“Just tell Sarah to make time to call me so that you can make time to call me.”
“With how much time we spent on this call, I feel like I should have just asked you how your week was.” She snickers, and I’m sure she thought that was funny. And it could be funny if this wasn’t typical for her.
“I’d say you could call Steve,” she says, “but he’s at the golf course with a friend from college. What about your dad?”
“He’s at a conference in Tokyo. And it’s not like I have to talk to someone about my week. I wanted to talk to you. I’ll figure it out, but thanks, Mom.”
“Okay, Ash,” she says like a goddamn robot.
“I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”
“Talk to you later. I love you too.” I can tell she’s forcing herself to say the words. Mom is not the show-your-feelings type, so fortunately, this is an area where therapy has helped us.
After we hang up, I’m on edge. I take Sagan in my hand and pet her to soothe myself.
Colin’s out of his last class, and he’s not working today, so I call him to tell him about the stunt Mom pulled. When he answers, he says, “I don’t think Marty’s gonna do well on his test tomorrow.”
“I can hear you!” Marty says, which makes me laugh.
This is typically how Colin and I answer each other’s calls. Not much “hey, how’s it going?” We jump into whatever’s going on.
“What are you guys up to?” I ask.
“Marty has a chem test tomorrow he needs to study for, and it’s not going well.”
“No offense, but he asked you to help him with chem?” I’m the unofficial tutor for all the guys at the frat, which I love, so I’m thrown.
“It’s flashcards and memorization,” Colin says. “Trust me, he’ll be hitting you up too.”
I chuckle. “Let him know I’m here when he’s ready for me. Sorry it’s not going well, though.”