“I’m figuring I’ll be eighteen for about a year.”
She laughed. “I think you’re right. You hungry?”
“Always.”
She cleaned up, then walked to the refrigerator. “Isn’t there leftover Thai?” A take-out dinner she and Austin had shared. Something they would only have when Jase wasn’t coming over.
“I had it for breakfast.”
“There’s still some of the poached salmon. I could heat that and put together a salad.”
Austin made a gagging noise in the back of his throat. “I want something good.”
His tone made him sound like he was eight instead of eighteen. If only that were true, she thought, remembering how easy things had been when he’d been younger. Austin was a go along to get along kid. He was even-tempered, thoughtful and affectionate. Unfortunately he was also stubborn, so when he’d said he wasn’t going to college and instead would work for his dad, no amount of chiding, persuading or threatening had changed his mind.
She inspected the refrigerator contents. “Grilled cheese and coleslaw?”
“Yes, please.”
“Even though dinner’s in two hours?”
“Like I won’t be hungry then, too.”
She collected three kinds of cheese, along with butter and bread. She’d made the coleslaw that morning. Jase wouldn’t approve, but she would grill vegetables along with the chicken so he could eat those and ignore the creamy goodness of her coleslaw.
She sliced the cheese, then buttered the bread before heating a pan.
“I’m moving out Saturday,” Austin said as she assembled the sandwich.
“You’ve mentioned that.”
“Into my own apartment.”
She pressed her lips together to keep from saying he was too young. He would point out that he was eighteen now, an adult. Working for his father gave him a nice paycheck. He could afford an apartment and had decided he was ready to be on his own. But being the right age was not the same as being a mature adult. Not that telling him that would make a difference.
She also wasn’t going to mention that she wasn’t ready for him to go or that she liked having him around, although both were true. Guilting her kids had never been her thing.
She used a spatula to lower the sandwich into the pan. “What are you doing about furniture? You have your bedroom set, but what about other stuff? A sofa? A table and chairs?” She mentally ran through the contents of the house, wondering what she was willing to give up. “Are you renting a moving van or something?”
“I don’t need anything, Mom. The place is furnished.”
“What? Why would you rent a furnished place? It’s so much more expensive.”
“I didn’t want to deal with moving stuff back and forth. It’s only for four months.”
She pressed down on the sandwich. “Four months? The move is temporary?”
“Sure. Come on, Mom. I’m barely eighteen. I’m not ready to adult full-time. I’m getting a place for the summer so I can have a good time with my friends before they go off to college. You know, like a four-month party. The rent’s cheap because it’s not the tourist season. I got a great deal, and it’s going to be awesome.”
She narrowed her gaze. “You think you can just move in and out at will? Is this a hotel?”
The charming grin returned. “Oh, Mom, don’t play like you’re mad. You love having me around. Plus, you think I’m too young to be on my own, so this is good news.”
She flipped the sandwich. He wasn’t totally wrong, but she wasn’t going to admit that.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she asked. “You let me think you were gone for good.”
“I didn’t want you to try to change my mind.” His expression turned serious. “I really do have a plan, Mom.”
So he’d said several times—something she would believe if he would tell her what the plan was.
“College in the fall?” she asked hopefully, sliding the sandwich onto a plate, then slicing it in half. “You could do a year of community college, then transfer to—”
“Have a little faith in me.”
“I want to. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he mumbled around a bite of the sandwich. When he’d chewed and swallowed, he said, “Does the chicken means Jase is coming over for dinner tonight?”
“No.” She leaned against the island. “Tomorrow. Austin, do you have a problem with Jase?”
“He’s fine. I just like to know when he’s coming for dinner.”
“Why?”
He looked at her, then away. “When he’s over, I feel like I’m in the way.”
“Sweetie, no.” She sat down next to him. “Austin, this is your home, and you’re always welcome.” She smiled. “Until you move out on Saturday. Then I’m getting the locks changed.” She let her smile fade. “Is it something he’s said or I’ve done?”
“No.” He finished the first half of his sandwich. “Sometimes I think Jase doesn’t approve of me.”
She tried to make sense of that. “He’s never said that. I think he likes you a lot.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Until I move out, I’ll be elsewhere while your man friend is here.”
“I’m not convinced this is okay.”
He smiled at her. “As long as you like him and he treats you okay, then I don’t have a problem.”
She stood and kissed the top of his head. “You’re very sweet.”
He glanced at the refrigerator. “Did you use that healthy citrus marinade?”
She laughed. “It’s not that bad. I’m going to grill corn, and there’s more creamy coleslaw.”
“You’re the best, Mom.”
She left him to his meal and walked through the house to the master suite. After changing into cropped yoga pants and a tank top, she grabbed her rolled mat and went out through the French doors off the sitting area.
The heat hit her the second she stepped outside. The temperature was in the high eighties, and the humidity was about the same. She unrolled her yoga mat in the shade on her patio. After drawing in several deep breaths, she began the simple routine she practiced nearly every afternoon. The slow movements relaxed her and kept her flexible. Plus the rhythm of the routine helped her clear her mind.