A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(24)

“Hello, Evie,” May said.

“Mom.” She automatically stepped back to allow the other woman in, then wished she hadn’t.

“How are you?” May asked.

“Fine. I just got home from work.”

“The girls are getting ready for their performance?”

Evie nodded, then watched as her mother slipped off her coat and hung it on the back of a chair.

The Stryker brothers all shared similar looks. Dark hair and eyes they’d inherited from both their parents. The brothers were tall, with broad shoulders and muscles. Evie assumed she took after her father—not only with her light coloring, but with her lean build. When the family was together, no one questioned who the brothers belonged to. Strangers had always assumed Evie was someone else’s child. As she’d gotten older, she’d been presumed to be the girlfriend or a neighbor.

“I thought we could talk,” May said, sitting on the sofa and patting the cushion next to her.

Evie tried to figure out a way to say she was too busy, but she couldn’t come up with an excuse. And knowing May, her mother would want to know what was more important than them talking.

“All right.”

Evie sat in a chair across from her mother, rather than next to her, and waited.

May looked around. “You don’t have a lot of furniture.”

“The place came furnished.”

May nodded. “That’s right. Your apartment in Los Angeles was furnished, too.”

“I like to travel light.”

“Eventually you’ll want to settle down.” Her mother looked at her. “I was hoping you’d stay at the ranch a little longer. It was nice having you there.”

Evie drew in a breath. “With me working in town, this is more convenient.” She hoped she would get points for being polite because what she really wanted to say was “Why on earth would I want to live anywhere near you?” But that sounded harsh, even in her own mind.

It wasn’t fair—her mother had been horrible to her for years and years. But Evie was now expected to be reasonable. To understand, maybe even forgive. When was it her turn to be the mean one? Not that she wanted to be mean, but she wanted some kind of payback.

No, that wasn’t right, she thought, shifting on the chair. She honestly wasn’t sure what she wanted, but it wasn’t them pretending all was well.

May drew in a breath. “Fool’s Gold has many holiday traditions. Even more than I remember from when we lived here before. On the fifteenth is the annual Day of Giving. The town welcomes all kinds of charities to come in and talk about what they do. There are booths set up, and people can ask questions. The same day is the Take Home a Pet Adoption.”

Evie wasn’t sure where this was going. Money was always tight in her world, and right now she was saving every extra penny she had. Not that there were very many of them.

“Carina McKenzie started the pet adoption last year, but she’s pregnant now and can’t be on her feet that much. Rina, as everyone calls her, is married to Cameron McKenzie.”

May paused expectantly.

Evie shrugged. “Okay,” she said cautiously. “Should I know who that is?”

May smiled. “Right. Sorry. You have no reason to. Cameron is our local vet.”

Evie thought about all the animals on the ranch. There was everything from goats to horses and even Priscilla, an aging Indian elephant.

“You must want to keep him happy,” she said.

May laughed. “Exactly. So when Rina started to freak out about the pet adoption, I told her I would help. I thought it was something we could do together.”

At first Evie thought her mother meant “together,” as in “with Rina.” It took her a second to process the hopeful stare and realize May wanted her only daughter to help.

“I know, I know,” her mother said quickly. “You’re very busy with the dance. I understand that. Rina is going to arrange all the advertising and get the word out about the adoption. I’m handling the pet end. Going to see the animals at the shelter, arranging for grooming, setting up for the event and handling the actual adoptions. It’s only one Saturday. We could have fun.”

May paused, her expression hopeful.

Evie opened her mouth, then closed it. Everything about the situation was unfair, she thought with mild annoyance. If she said no, she was the bad guy. If she said yes, she would get stuck doing something she didn’t want to do.

“It wouldn’t be much time,” her mother added.

Evie drew in a breath. “Sure,” she said slowly, knowing if she didn’t agree, the guilt would keep her awake that night.

May beamed at her. “Wonderful. I’ll handle all the details, I promise. We only have a couple of weeks until the adoption and I want it to go well.”

May bounced to her feet. Evie instinctively stood as well, then found herself pulled into her mother’s embrace. They stood there for a second, hugging. Evie couldn’t remember the last time that had happened, but she told herself to simply relax and accept the gesture in the spirit in which it was meant.

For a second, she allowed herself to feel the longing she’d lived with as a kid. Shut out of her family, always the outsider. Never fitting in or knowing how to belong. Back then, having her mom hug her would have meant the world. Now it was simply awkward.