“I guess so.”
Frustratingly, he gave away nothing. Not displeasure about Lori leaving or the hope that she’d stay. She wanted to ask. She had so many questions. But she couldn’t.
None of my business.
She picked up her fork and dug back into her eggs. “Let’s talk about your mom. What can you tell me about her?”
“Well, first of all…” He looked uncomfortable. “She doesn’t know you’re coming.”
That’s not good. “Because you think she’s happy with her life the way it is?”
“I’m about ninety-nine percent sure she isn’t happy, but she won’t do a damn thing to change it.”
She wished she had better news for him. “So, the thing is, my clients come to me. They want change. They’re desperate for it. There’s nothing I can do for someone who wants to keep things the same.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. It’s not that I’m looking for a miracle. I don’t think she’s going to meet you and suddenly discover a lust for life.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I just want you to be around her.”
She cocked her head. Why?
“You’re a positive person. You’re strong and you give off this…this energy…like anything’s possible. No matter how down you are, no matter how many wheels are stuck in a ditch, you make people feel like there’s a way out. Like they’ll be back on the road in no time.” He paused. “You did that for me.” He said it quietly, almost like he didn’t want her to hear.
Everything in her went soft and warm. “Jinx.” Sorrow…frustration…sat heavily on her chest. “I wish I’d been nicer to you. You have no idea.” But there was no point in dwelling on the past. “Okay, so, here’s what I think. I think we don’t push her to do anything. We just hang out with her and see if we can interest her in trying some new things.”
He looked relieved. “That sounds good.”
“What’s she like? What concerns you the most?”
Hope shone in his eyes, and the table trembled from the knee jackhammering beneath it. “When I was a kid, my mom was great. She’d work all day, but when she came home, she’d make us dinner, sit with us while we did our homework. But, every time my dad came home from a deployment, they’d fight. She didn’t want him re-upping, but he always did it anyway. Over time, I guess, she lost some of her spirit. There was this one fight, though, that changed her—I might’ve been ten, eleven? It was a blow-out. She said she couldn’t do this on her own anymore, that she wanted to move back to Oregon, where she at least had family to help her. After that, she took on more hours, stopped making us dinner. She was too tired to read to Zach before bed. She stopped taking care of herself. A couple years ago, I asked her what she’d have done if my dad had left the Army.”
“What’d she say?”
“That she’d wanted to work less. There’s an agency that matches nurses with temporary assignments. Like, someone has a heart attack, and they need an in-home nurse for a few days. She wanted to travel. And the big thing I remember her saying is that, once he was home for good, they could finally make some friends. With Dad gone, and Mom working and taking care of us, she didn’t have time to join…I don’t know…bunco groups or book clubs, whatever things married people do. She didn’t have the energy to go out for drinks with her coworkers. And she really wanted friends.”
Her heart hurt for this woman who’d not only lost her husband and son, but the kind of life she’d envisioned for herself. “So, maybe she’s a little introverted? Plenty of single, working moms have active social lives. Maybe your dad had a big personality? She relied on him for their social life?”
First, he seemed surprised. “Yes.” But then he looked mostly relieved. “That’s exactly right.”
“Okay, so, this is really good information. Let’s not take her to casinos or clubs. We can start out in places where she can have real conversations, make meaningful connections. Now, I obviously don’t know her at all, but I’m guessing she’s not going to jump up and down at the offer of a make-over or a new wardrobe. But, at the same time, she could probably use both of those to see herself in a new light. She’s stuck in a rut, and we have to give her a little nudge.”
“Yes, to everything you just said.” He slid lower in his seat. “You think this is going to work?”
“Well, the hard truth is that people don’t like change. If they’re doing just fine with what they’ve got, they really don’t want to rock the boat to go after something that could end disastrously. And now, hearing that your mom’s introverted, we definitely want to go at her pace and find things that will appeal to her.”
“I don’t think she knows what appeals to her. It’s been over a decade since she’s done anything. And with only five days…”
“Remember Helen, that woman you met in my salon yesterday? Her friends knew she was depressed and in a rut, so they tried to get her to do yoga, like they do, but it doesn’t interest her at all, so it didn’t work. So, in our initial conversations, I found out she’d played tennis in college. In fact, that’s how she met her ex-husband. They were both on the tennis team, but she was better than him, and so they eventually stopped playing together. Because, yeah, his ego is that fragile. So, instead of yoga, she’s back to playing tennis, and it’s something she really enjoys, which means working out isn’t a chore for her.”
“I’ve tried everything I could think of. I booked a spa weekend in Palm Springs once, but she couldn’t make it because of work. I thought if I bought her a car—a convertible—it would inspire her to get out more. But last time I visited I saw the car in the garage. She said it’s too nice to leave it out in the Vegas heat.” He glanced down at the fingers he’d clasped around his coffee cup. “Everything I’ve done has failed, so I’m just going to sit back and let you lead the way.”
She held his gaze, something powerful passing between them. She didn’t take his trust in her lightly. “We’ve got this.”
Chapter 4
“Merry Christmas.” His mom stepped out of her condo to give Jinx a hug.
He couldn’t help noticing she felt a little softer, thicker. “Mom.” He hugged her a little longer, a little tighter, partly out of guilt that he’d brought someone here to change her, and partly because he was so damn worried about her.
When he pulled back, he gestured to Skylar. “Mom, this is Skylar James. A friend from Calamity.”
It never failed. Even though he was dating Lori—and liked her—every time he looked at Skylar his chest got tight, his blood pumped hard, and his breath caught in his throat. When she’d hugged him in the diner, he’d thought he’d have a heart attack. It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself.
“Hello.” With a grin, Skylar reached for his mom’s hand, clasped it between hers. She had a way of leaning in, of looking people right in the eye, that told them they were important. “It’s so good to meet you. Jinx talks about you a lot.” Her voice was filled with warmth, and he wanted some of it.