That was a surprising admission. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “You did your best.”
“I tried. Although what would have been so bad about letting you pick some roses?”
“Mom, are you okay?”
She sighed. “I suppose I’m just feeling nostalgic. How was your week?”
“Honestly? Ups and downs. Someone’s trying to get me fired.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“My boss got a call from someone claiming that I lied about my last job. That I’d been accused of theft and fired.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“I know but try telling that to my boss. He sent me home until he can do his own investigation.”
“Is he going to fire you?”
“At this point, I don’t know what’s going to happen. My other two co-workers walked out over it, so I don’t know if the newspaper will even come out this week. For all I know, this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and Lou will just close the paper entirely.”
“Oh Audrey, that’s terrible.”
“It’s definitely not ideal. But don’t worry about me. I’ll figure it out. I don’t have another job lined up but if there’s one thing I have a lot of experience in, it’s job hunting. I’ll find something else.”
She didn’t reply. I fiddled with a string on the hem of my tank top, trying not to get upset. But the last thing I needed right then was a lecture about how it was up to me to uphold the family reputation for excellence and another stint with unemployment was unacceptable.
“Mom, I know this isn’t a great situation, but—”
“I think I should come over.”
“Wait, why?”
“You’ve had a hard week and I haven’t seen your house yet. That seems like a good enough excuse. Do you mind?”
The woman was going to give me a serious case of emotional whiplash. “No, I don’t mind. What time?”
“What works for you?”
“Maybe give me a couple of hours? I haven’t showered or anything and I need to run a quick errand.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the call and let my phone drop onto the cushion next to me.
“Well, Max, I guess our lazy morning is over. Grandma’s coming.”
His only acknowledgment was to crack open an eye, then close it again.
“Yeah, I know, not very exciting news for you. I just hope she’s not coming down here to lecture me in person.”
Leaving Max to enjoy his couch nap, I got up to shower and get dressed.
I had about an hour before my mom would arrive. Plenty of time to run to the pet store for dog food. I probably would have had time in the afternoon before my plans with Marigold, but I wanted to get it done. Plus, if I stayed home I’d just stress about the state of my house. It was decently clean and neither Josiah nor I were all that messy, so a quick tidy had done the trick. And to be fair, my mom was a lot of things, but judgmental about cleanliness wasn’t one of them. She had a blind spot for pet hair at least, probably because of her affection for long-haired felines.
Josiah was still next door, so I decided to pop by and let him know I was heading out—and get a sneak peek at the kitchen.
I found him in the garage, shirtless and sweaty.
“Hey,” I said, trying not to salivate too much. “How’s it going over here?”
“It’s hot. AC stopped working and my guy can’t get over here to take a look until tomorrow.”
“That sucks.” I moved closer and, heedless of his sweaty body, threaded my arms around his waist.
“Don’t do that. I’m gross.”
“I really don’t care.”
He leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine. I tasted the hint of salt and flicked out my tongue to lick his lower lip.
The low growl in his throat gave me a swirl of desire.
“Ugh, gross,” a voice said behind him.
“Shut up, Z,” Josiah said and kissed me again.
“Dad, Josiah’s making out with his girlfriend in the garage,” Zachary called.
Josiah just chuckled and kissed me again. “Ignore him.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I’ll let you get back to work. I just wanted you to know I need to run to the pet store.”
His brow furrowed. “Can you wait? I’ll go with you later.”
“My mom is coming over for a surprise visit in about an hour and I have plans with Marigold after that. It’ll just be a quick trip.”