The knock at my front door disturbs the quiet of my house. I roll my suitcase out to greet Lindsey. Despite the obscenely early hour, she’s bright-eyed and brimming with nervous energy. The morning breeze blows her yellow dress around her knees. She’s wearing makeup, earrings, and heels.
“Tell me you didn’t get all dressed up to impress my mama, Lindsey.” I shake my head.
“I wanted to look nice. So what?” Her hand skitters along her skirt. “It’s the proper way to meet.” She sighs when I roll my eyes. “Give me your bag, grumpy.” She hoists my suitcase from my hand. “Would you rather I be in cutoff shorts and braless when I meet your mother?”
I suppress the sudden arousal that image evokes, then seat myself in the car.
“That’d probably be more appropriate, under the circumstances.” I narrow my gaze to get her attention. “This isn’t a date or something. I’m not bringing you home to meet my beloved mother. This is a skirmish with a virtual stranger.”
My terse response is meant to remind her of the circumstances, not to hurt her. She winces nonetheless, at my tone or message, or both.
Several hours later, after a turbulent flight and a terrible lunch, we check into the hotel. I’d have preferred one room, but between her confusion about Rob and our recent fight, I doubted she’d have been comfortable.
“So, what time are we meeting with your mom?” she asks before I enter my room.
“The sooner the better.” I insert the key card and open my door. Truthfully I could use some time to lie down and recover from the flight. My back’s sore, but I’ll pop a pain pill to numb it. Maybe it will numb my mind, too, which would be helpful. “Can you be ready in fifteen minutes?”
“Oh, sure. Is she expecting us already? It’s midafternoon. Doesn’t she work?”
“Hell if I know.” I look at her as if she’s from Mars. “I didn’t call her. We’re just going to show up.”
Lindsey follows me into my room. Her huge eyes reflect utter shock as she drops her luggage by her feet.
“What? Tell me I didn’t hear you right, Levi. Tell me we’re not descending, unannounced, on your mother’s doorstep!” There they go—her hands are planted on her hips again. I grin.
“No can do, darlin’. That’s exactly what we’re doing.” I scratch my cheek defiantly, then wonder why I’m standing here ready to rumble with Lindsey. She’s not the object of my anger, but she’s the one who’s here.
“What if she’s at work, or away, or who knows where?”
“We’ll wait a while, or leave and go back after five.”
“Why did you come here this way? An ambush can only end badly. Did you really fly across the country to fight?” Her hands gesticulate all over the place, which is helpful, because it tickles me to see her all worked up. “And I get a front-row seat to the brawl. Oh, great. Thanks so much!”
I chuckle.
“Oh, of course this is funny to you.” She frowns.
“No, this ain’t funny.” Damn, grammar. “You’re funny, though.”
Lindsey leans against the wall and sighs.
“Levi, please reconsider. It’ll be a shame to have come all this way only to leave worse off than when you arrived. I thought you wanted to make peace. Not start a war. You’re blindsiding her on purpose. That’s not fair.”
“Fair? Fair?” Thunder explodes in my head. “Why the hell should I be fair to her? She didn’t give a lick about fair when she walked away from me.” My booming voice surprises Lindsey. Scares her, even. I blow out a breath and quiet down. “If I’d have called her, do you honestly think she’d have agreed to see me?”
Lindsey scowls and purses her lips together. “Maybe not.” Resignation dims her face. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll never know.” She picks up her luggage. “It’s your show, Levi. I’ll go along. I can’t imagine everything you feel, especially since you refuse to share it with me.” She casts me a hopeful glance. When I offer no reply, she sighs. “I’ll be back soon, then we can go.”
My blood pressure’s climbing. I toss my suitcase on the bed and wander to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. Staring at myself in the mirror, I question whether Lindsey’s right. Am I wasting this trip by planning a battle? What do I truly want from Mama?
The elusive answer is what’s kept me awake these past few nights. All I know is I want to feel better. But what will make me feel better? Do I want to wreck her life, the way she destroyed mine? Will vengeance make me feel better?