Page 31 of Waves of Time
Hilary righted herself and leaned against the front of the restaurant, her eyes still burning through the dark in the direction of where Thaddeus had disappeared. Her face was filled with hate.
“Mom? What is going on?” Aria asked, thinking of the few accidents Hilary had had out in San Francisco— work mistakes that Aria had had to clean up quickly. Perhaps there was something wrong with Hilary’s health. Perhaps she was losing her mind. The thought terrified Aria, even as she told herself it wasn’t possible. That her mother was healthy, that she always would be.
Hilary met Aria’s gaze. “I can trust you, Aria. Can’t I?”
“What? Of course you can.” Aria shook her head, her fears falling away and leaving her with a single emotion: annoyance. “What is this about?”
“I just mean, some parents and children don’t have very good relationships,” Hilary continued. “But I always thought that you and I had something special. That we understand each other. It’s part of the reason that I wanted you to work with me. We have a unique connection.”
“Yeah? I feel the same way,” Aria said, at a loss.Why was her mother saying this now?“I mean, obviously, I feel that way.” She paused, then asked, “What was that phone call about earlier?”
She wanted to ask her mother why on earth she’d run to the restaurant that night so late and why she was here, demanding answers. This wasn’t like Hilary at all.
“I just feel like I don’t know anything anymore,” Hilary breathed, her eyes still toward the darkness, as though she could still see Thaddeus somewhere out there and wanted to ensure he stayed where he was.
“I mean, I tell you everything,” Aria said, although, even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true.
They were quiet for a moment. Aria peered through the window of Robby’s Crab Cabin to find that Violet and one of the kitchen guys were staring at Aria and her mother, Violet with a French fry raised toward her mouth. The moment Aria looked at them, they turned around, pretending they hadn’t been spying. Aria didn’t blame them for watching, though. Tonight felt different, almost cinematic.
“But, Mom,” Aria continued, too exhausted to fully comprehend what she said and suddenly overcome with a feeling that her mother wanted more of her than she could give, “I’m not even sure I should be living at home anymore. It’s probably stunting me, you know? I should try to find a way to move out on my own.” It was just as Callie had suggested out in San Francisco. Aria was living a coward’s life— but she didn’t have to be.
Hilary’s chin quivered, as though she was on the verge of tears. “I don’t want us to lose each other,” she said, then placed her hands over her eyes.
“We’re not going to lose each other,” Aria said. “It’s not in the cards, okay?”
Hilary removed her hands from her face and blinked at Aria, looking much younger than her forty-three years. “You must think I’ve lost my mind.”
Aria shook her head, at a loss. “Listen, Mom, I had a really hard night. We can talk about this at home if you want. But right now, I want to finish my dinner, clean up the restaurant, and get out of here.”
Hilary sniffed. “Of course. That makes sense.” She reached out to squeeze Aria’s hand, then added, “Wake me up when you get home, okay? I’ll make you hot cocoa.” She shook her head, then added, “And we can talk more about you wanting to move out or whatever. Okay?”
Aria nodded, although she sensed hesitation in her mother’s voice, and she’d already begun to regret bringing up the moving-out thing. She didn’t have brilliant timing. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, sweet pea,” Hilary breathed, stepping back into the night.
But something about the way Hilary walked, sloppily, as though she wasn’t sure where to put her foot next, gave Aria pause.
“Mom? Are you drunk?”
Hilary snapped around and glared at Aria. “No! I had half a glass of wine at the family party hours ago.”
Aria furrowed her brow, sensing something amiss in Hilary’s expression. There was something Hilary wasn’t telling her.
“Did you drive here?” Aria asked.
Hilary pointed out into the night. “My car’s just over there.”
Aria tilted her head, swaying between her need to get back into the restaurant and close up properly and her desire to get to the bottom of her mother’s very strange mood. “Can you wait for a few minutes? We can go back together.”
Hilary wavered, as though her feet were unsteady beneath her. “That’s not necessary, honey.”
But Aria was resolute. “I swear. Just a couple of minutes, Mom.” She glared at her, ensuring she knew she meant business and added, “Promise?”
Hilary nodded begrudgingly, and Aria hurried back through the door to speak to Violet. “Hey. My mom is acting really weird.”
Violet nodded. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” Aria confessed, stepping around the counter to collect her tips and throw her fish and French fries into a to-go container. “But I want to drive her home myself, just in case.”