Page 41 of First Surrender
I buckle her into my passenger seat without a fight and we make the five-minute drive with no more difficulty while she talks of the importance of planting bulbs in late autumn. Luckily, she never needed a word from me because my eyes stayed glued on my rearview mirror and the man driving behind me. His seriousness reflects harshly, but I imagine it’s covering a great deal of sadness over his mother.
Unlike mine, his loved him and treated him kindly, and now she’s gone in her own way. An ideal maternal figure snatched away by a disease while my mom chose to destroy her life. And, to neglect me. His mom never chose to abandon her son.
As we pull up to the curb of the assisted living home, nurses are rushing out to greet us.
“Bye, Ms. Malec.”
“Thank you for spending time with me, dear,” she tells me kindly as she’s led inside. She has no idea of the ruckus she caused.
“Why were you with her?” Jackson spits his question at me as if I’m the scum on the bottom of his boot.
“Excuse me?”
“She wasn’t where she was supposed to be, she was missing. And, with you!” He flings his hands out toward me, theyouin question. As if I am the worst person his mother could ever be seen with.
“She wasn’t with me, you insufferable pig. She was alone and scared! I stepped in to help her because I just so happened to bein the right place at the right time. So, no. She wasn’t with me until I held her hand and walked her away from the grown man yelling at her. I held her hand while I told off the cop who was trying to trespass her. I let her cling to me while we waited for you!” I scream, embarrassingly loud.
He doesn’t flinch and no one in the assisted living center comes out to check on us. Probably a good thing because I would give them a piece of my mind too for losing Ms. Malec in the first place.
“Here is a bright idea. Instead of accusing me of conspiring against you, walk your tight ass in there and yell at them!”
His jaw locks, his teeth undoubtedly grinding together. “Sorry,” he mumbles.
“What? What was that? I couldn’t hear you because of how big of an asshole you were being.”
He exhales roughly. “I’m sorry. I am an asshole.”
I wasn’t expecting him to admit that so easily and I’m not ready with a witty comeback. I can only stare at him blankly.
“I was scared out of my mind when they said she was missing. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m still not. If something ever happened to her I’d…”
He doesn’t finish his thought. His dejected stare at the ground keeps me from badgering him anymore even though he might deserve it.
“We’re even okay. Dec and your mom are innocent. We might hate each other but neither of us is that insane. Our family is irrelevant to whatever argument you and I might be having. Okay?”
“Family ceasefire?” He suggests.
“Don’t ever use that terminology again. It’s what got us in trouble last time. Family is off-limits. That’s it.” I turn to get in my car.
“Thank you, Nat,” he calls out after me.
“Don’t call me that!” My door slams and I can only fight the urge to scream until I’m out of his earshot.
Chapter Twenty
Jackson
“Where have you been?” I ask the seething barista who saved my mom the other day.
“Will you ever leave me alone? I want to go one day without seeing your ugly mug.” Her insult doesn’t bug me because I know she doesn’t think it’s true. I think.
“I am being neutral toward you only to tell you that the judge will make his ruling tomorrow.” I don’t have to elaborate. She knows I’m referring to the decision that will mean Declan gets out of jail and back on the streets.
“Great. See you tomorrow. Bye.” She dismisses me but I don’t move my foot from the break. Instead, I put the SUV in park. She rolls her eyes at me.
“Where did you go after you left the hotel? It’s the third day I’ve wondered where you’re laying your pretty head at night.”
“Awh, you think I’m pretty,” she says sweetly, dripping with sarcasm.