The Will (Magdalene #1)(145)

It wasn’t tacos and Ro-Tel dip but it was fabulous and the way the children and Jake tucked into my food, I knew they’d agree.

What wasn’t welcome was the fact that Donna, Jake’s ex and Conner and Amber’s wayward mother, was hurrying my way.

I drew in breath.

She stopped on a sway and a tentative smile.

“Uh…Josie, right?”

“Yes,” I replied, deciding not to correct her that to her I was most assuredly Josephine. “How are you, Donna?” I asked although I really didn’t care. However, it was rude not to.

“I’m all right,” she stated then changed her mind and said “Good. I’m good. And…um, you? Are you good?”

“Yes, I’m excellent. Thank you for asking.”

She moved her weight from foot to foot and looked to the shelves beyond me. Alas, what she did not do was bid me to have a good day and move away.

“Is there something you need?” I asked and her eyes came to me. “I don’t wish to be rude but Jake and the children are expecting me,” I prompted.

“I just…” she started, trailed off and began again. “I’m just wondering about Con and Amber. I heard some things about Con and I’m concerned.”

“Have you phoned Conner?” I inquired.

“Well, yes. He said everything’s cool,” she told me.

I said nothing.

She spoke again.

“But, what I heard was that some girl told folks she was pregnant with his kid, she wasn’t, she’s getting massive shit from everyone for pulling that, but his girl still broke up with him.”

This was true, as with some delight boy Taylor shared with me just days before that young Mia was getting “massive shit” from everyone.

Conner was well-liked and had done as I expected, not kept matters to himself.

As per boy Taylor, Mia was now a pariah, not only in the boy department but also in the girl.

Fair punishment, according to me.

I told Donna none of this.

Instead, I simply confirmed, “This did happen.”

“I, well…thought he liked that girl who broke it off with him. Um…Ellie.”

“He did.”

She stared at me a moment before asking, “So is he really okay?”

“No,” I answered.

“Shit,” she whispered, becoming unfocused for several seconds before she again focused on me. “Is Amber good?”

“Amber’s fine,” I told her.

“She isn’t, well…this is strange, talking to you about this, but she isn’t picking up my calls.”

I couldn’t have agreed more that this was strange and decided to tell her as much.

“It is indeed strange you talking to me about this for I barely know you and we’re discussing something colossally important, that being your daughter,” I declared. “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be making some attempt to communicate directly to her, even if she isn’t picking up her phone. I would assume you know where she attends school as well as lives so these are not mysteries you need to cipher before you make a connection with her.”

Her mouth had dropped open making her look rather comically dull but I was far from done.

“Further, if Amber isn’t answering your calls, you know her father and you can discuss the daughter you share directly with him. Why you would approach me in a gourmet food store aisle I cannot fathom and I’ll tell you now, it makes me uncomfortable.”

I stopped talking and she had no reply for long moments before she stated, “Boy, you don’t beat around the bush.”

“Not normally, no. But when it comes to Jake, Conner and Amber, I never will.”

Something changed in her face and her voice was quite strange when she remarked, “It’s cool they have that from you.”

“It would be cooler if they had something, anything from you,” I retorted.

Her expression again changed. She flinched.

But she said not a word.

So I did.

“Listen, I’ve explained to you that I’m quite busy but I’ll take this moment to say more. It appears you care that you’ve lost your connection with your children and I find that quite gratifying but only with the hope you’ll do something about it. However, you’ve been disconnected for so long, it has affected not only your two children but Jake’s youngest. Ethan loves his brother and sister very much, circumstances force that family to be quite dependent on each other and as Ethan is still quite young, he’s obviously more dependent on his father and siblings than the rest. If you were to suddenly make some overtures, for Ethan’s sake, you may wish to be thoughtful in how you do it.”

I stopped talking and she remained silent so I went on.

“Also, as I never really had one, I can only assume that a son and daughter would welcome their mother in their life. But as you’ve blundered quite horribly with your two children, although I urge you to rectify that and do it very soon, I would also urge you to speak with Jake about it so as you do it you don’t cause undo upheaval that will be difficult for him and those kids to handle.”

“You want me talking to Jake?” she asked, sounding incredulous, and I felt my brows draw together.

“You’re the mother of two of his children,” I answered.