Landlord Wars(70)

And right then, the truth struck. This was my fault. I was partially to blame for how this evening had ended. I hadn’t bothered to tell my parents about Sophia. I’d planned to spring it on them at tonight’s public setting, where they wouldn’t dare make a scene. The setting would have served me, and no one else.

I was a selfish asshole.

“Sophia, the plant lady?” my mother said. She pouted. “She cleans up well enough, but underneath it all is a disaster waiting to happen. She’ll embarrass you, Maxwell.”

“Like you did tonight?” I snapped.

My mother blinked and pressed her lips together, darting her gaze away.

“Sophia is the woman I love. Get used to it.” I spun on my heel, prepared to leave, then stopped abruptly and turned back. “I don’t expect you to stop caring about what everyone thinks. You and Dad seem incapable of such emotional maturity. But for once, put your son’s needs ahead of your own, or don’t bother being in my life.”

My mother’s jaw dropped, and she looked truly scared for the first time. “Where are you going?”

“To find my girlfriend and hope she’ll take me back.”





Chapter Thirty-Three





Sophia





Two days later, my mom was still in the hospital, though getting better every day, and I was about to head over and see her. The doctors had run extensive tests yesterday and expected a full recovery, as long as Mom took it easy. Max had reached out several times over the last couple days, but I refused to answer his calls or text messages. I wasn’t ready.

Jack said Max was the person who’d found the best neurosurgeon in town, waking the poor woman in the middle of the night, and I didn’t know how I felt about that.

“He pulled strings to get the doctor’s information,” Jack had said this morning. “Made his assistant drive over and knock on her door.”

On the one hand, anyone with enough money and power could get someone to show up in their pajamas. I was grateful on my mom’s behalf; the surgeon he’d found had taken excellent care of her. But I wasn’t comfortable accepting anything from Max right now.

Elise was at home, packing for her internship in Europe. She’d wanted to cancel the trip, given Mom’s health, but both Mom and I convinced her it was only three months and to not give it up. I also assured Elise I would take excellent care of Mom, and somehow my stubborn sister had agreed to go.

I didn’t want Elise to miss one moment of building a life for herself, and this internship in international healthcare was a wonderful opportunity. She’d been down for weeks, and I was worried. She seemed to know she needed the break too.

I’d swung by the shop this morning, but Victor shooed me out. “Go. Take care of your mom,” he’d said, supporting me and giving me time away.

The plan had never been for Victor to immediately drop the business in my lap, so it worked out for me to take a few days off until I got my mom settled.

I entered the hospital room wearing sneakers, a dark, flowy floral skirt, and a cream sweater. “Hey, Mom,” I said, carrying a small plant. “A gift from Victor. He sends his well wishes.”

They’d moved her from the intensive care unit to a normal room, and she was expected to be discharged tomorrow.

Her face brightened, and she was sitting upright. Her fair skin was paler than normal, but she seemed to have regained some of her energy. “That was kind. Please send Victor my thanks. Everything going okay at the shop? Shouldn’t you be there?”

I shook my head and set the plant in front of the window. “Nope. I’ve got a few days off.”

She frowned. “Please don’t take time off on my behalf.”

That was so like my mother. The woman was in the hospital after suffering a stroke, and she didn’t want anyone to fuss.

The day of her stroke, my mother’s speech had been slurred, and Elise and I freaked out. But Mom was lucky, and her speech went back to normal within hours. Everything else seemed okay, except for the exhaustion. She was moving slower than normal.

“Mom, I could use a few days off, and Victor agreed this was a good time.”

“Well, if Victor says it’s okay. They’re letting me out tomorrow, and I’ll be able to go home, so you won’t need to be around.” She worried her lip. “How are my houseguests?”

I groaned. “I assume you’re referring to the rats. They’ve been uninvited.”

I sat in the chair beside her bed and reached for her hand, my expression sober. “Elise and I talked about it. You’ll stay with me while I get the house packed. If we do it over the next week before Elise leaves, she can help.”

My mom’s body went very still. “I don’t—”

“Time’s up, Mom. This is for your health. And for the health of me and Elise.”

Her eyes grew watery, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. “I suppose it’s time.”

It was long past time. But a near-death experience was rock bottom, and my mom knew it.

“It’s not safe to live in the house the way it is,” I said. “The doctors told us your stroke was due to high blood pressure. He’s sending you home with a medley of medications, but your lifestyle is unhealthy, Mom.” I swallowed, tears burning behind my eyes. I’d turned into a watering pot lately. I looked up, forcing them back. “I also want you to see a therapist.”