"Right. I remember. Good for Garrett."
"His mother came to see me today. The majority of the time when a parent comes in, it's not to bring an apple to the teacher. She brought me an orchard. She thanked me."
"She thanked you." Curious, Mac cocked her head. "That's an orchard?"
"Yes. It's not just about teaching facts and theories, or assignments and grades. It's about . . . finding the switch. I found Garrett's, and she came in to thank me. Now you have a very big smile."
"You changed a life. You change lives."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"No, you do. I document them, or at least pieces of them. And that's important, it's valuable. But you change them, and that's amazing. I'm going to get you some pizza. Which I can't share with you," she said as she rose. "Due to ice cream stomach."
"Why did you eat a gallon, or possibly two?"
"Oh." She shrugged as he followed her into the kitchen. "Greed."
"You told me you turn to ice cream in times of emotional upheaval."
She glanced over her shoulder as she got down a plate. "I sometimes forget how well you listen. Let's just say I didn't have a really good day. Or maybe I did," she considered. "It depends on the point of view."
"Tell me."
"It's not important. And you have Garrett pizza. Do you want a glass of wine with that?"
"Only if you're having one when you tell me. We can spend the next few minutes circling around it, or you can save time and just tell me."
"You're right. Circling around it makes it more important than it deserves to be." Another bad habit to break, she decided. "My mother's getting married again."
"Oh." He studied her face as she poured the wine. "You don't like him."
"I have no idea. I've never met him."
"I see."
"No, you don't." She laid a hand over his briefly. "You can't see how a mother could be getting married without her daughter at least being able to pick the guy out of a lineup. I doubt Eloisa's met him either, or that it's occurred to Linda either of us should. Anyway the Elliot/Meyers/Barrington . . . God, I don't know what her last name's going to be this time. The Elliot/Meyers/ Barrington slash name to be determined connections don't have family dinners, so meeting this new one isn't a priority."
"I'm sorry it upsets you."
"I don't know what it does. I don't know why it surprises me. The last time I saw Linda was when she called here, hysterical at midnight, and I drove over there in a damn ice storm thinking she'd been raped or attacked or God knows."
"What? When was this?" He turned his hand over to grip Mac's "Was she hurt?"
"Oh, it was . . . that night of the parent thing at the academy, and no, she wasn't hurt. Except in Linda Universe. She was curled up on the floor dying because Ari-that's the new fiancé-had to fly to Paris on business and didn't take her. I was about to call the police, and an ambulance, then she's all boo-hoo Paris. I turned around and left. Points for me because the usual MO would be for me to, resentfully, calm her down, get her into bed."
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"I don't know." With a shake of her head, she blew out a breath. "I really don't. It wasn't one of those proud mother-daughter moments, so I guess I tried not to think about it afterward. I walked out, and told her I wouldn't come the next time she called. I said very hard things and left."
"They needed to be said, and you needed to leave."
"You're right, both counts," Mac agreed. "And today, she whirls in here in her new fur and refrigerator-box-sized diamond as if none of it happened. Talk about flicking switches. She's getting married in June. Ari is forgiven due to fur, diamond, and proposal. And she expects us to do the wedding. June is like a parade of brides around here. We're booked. Much fury and anger ensues. Then she took on Parker. That was the good part. Parker shut her down, showed her the door. Then there was ice cream."
She took a sip of wine. "I like your day better."
"She had to know you'd be booked."
"No, not really. Honestly, that wouldn't have entered her mind. She doesn't see outside her own wants. Nothing else exists. And her anger and shock, even hurt, when those wants aren't met are sincere. They're genuine. She has the emotional maturity of a fruit fly, encouraged by a mother who indulged her every whim and taught her she was the center of the universe. She's a product of that."