The Summer Getaway: A Novel(4)
She narrowed her gaze. “You think you can just move in and out at will? Is this a hotel?”
The charming grin returned. “Oh, Mom, don’t play like you’re mad. You love having me around. Plus, you think I’m too young to be on my own, so this is good news.”
She flipped the sandwich. He wasn’t totally wrong, but she wasn’t going to admit that.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she asked. “You let me think you were gone for good.”
“I didn’t want you to try to change my mind.” His expression turned serious. “I really do have a plan, Mom.”
So he’d said several times—something she would believe if he would tell her what the plan was.
“College in the fall?” she asked hopefully, sliding the sandwich onto a plate, then slicing it in half. “You could do a year of community college, then transfer to—”
“Have a little faith in me.”
“I want to. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he mumbled around a bite of the sandwich. When he’d chewed and swallowed, he said, “Does the chicken means Jase is coming over for dinner tonight?”
“No.” She leaned against the island. “Tomorrow. Austin, do you have a problem with Jase?”
“He’s fine. I just like to know when he’s coming for dinner.”
“Why?”
He looked at her, then away. “When he’s over, I feel like I’m in the way.”
“Sweetie, no.” She sat down next to him. “Austin, this is your home, and you’re always welcome.” She smiled. “Until you move out on Saturday. Then I’m getting the locks changed.” She let her smile fade. “Is it something he’s said or I’ve done?”
“No.” He finished the first half of his sandwich. “Sometimes I think Jase doesn’t approve of me.”
She tried to make sense of that. “He’s never said that. I think he likes you a lot.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Until I move out, I’ll be elsewhere while your man friend is here.”
“I’m not convinced this is okay.”
He smiled at her. “As long as you like him and he treats you okay, then I don’t have a problem.”
She stood and kissed the top of his head. “You’re very sweet.”
He glanced at the refrigerator. “Did you use that healthy citrus marinade?”
She laughed. “It’s not that bad. I’m going to grill corn, and there’s more creamy coleslaw.”
“You’re the best, Mom.”
She left him to his meal and walked through the house to the master suite. After changing into cropped yoga pants and a tank top, she grabbed her rolled mat and went out through the French doors off the sitting area.
The heat hit her the second she stepped outside. The temperature was in the high eighties, and the humidity was about the same. She unrolled her yoga mat in the shade on her patio. After drawing in several deep breaths, she began the simple routine she practiced nearly every afternoon. The slow movements relaxed her and kept her flexible. Plus the rhythm of the routine helped her clear her mind.
Austin’s announcement relieved her. At least he knew he wasn’t ready to “adult,” as he’d called it. She would miss him while he was gone, but she appreciated knowing he would be back in the fall. Of course, that was a slight complication when it came to selling the house. In the back of her mind, she’d thought maybe, when she listed the house, Jase would invite her to move in. They hadn’t talked about it, but they’d been dating a year now, and...
Okay, she didn’t know what the “and” was, but they’d been together awhile. Moving in together was the next logical step. But if Austin was still living with her, that wasn’t an option. Jase’s two girls stayed with him every other weekend. His house didn’t have a bedroom for Austin, and she wasn’t going to tell her son he wasn’t welcome. The obvious solution was for her to find a smaller place of her own.
She looked out at the gorgeous pool, the hot tub and the waterfall. This and the kitchen were her favorite parts of the house. The rest was too big and too perfect for her taste. She’d never felt comfortable here, and once she and Cord had divorced, she’d been eager to sell.
But Austin had only been fourteen, and she’d figured he’d been dealing with enough without adding a move to the mix. Harlow had also been a consideration, still coming home regularly from college. Now Austin was out of high school, and Harlow was engaged and living with her fiancé. Moving made sense for the kids and for her financially. She was tired of the large mortgage payment that chewed up so much of her monthly income.
She sat on the mat. She would need to get a place big enough for her and Austin—something with a pretty outdoor space and relatively close to where she lived now. If the backyard was nice enough, maybe Harlow wouldn’t throw a fit about not being able to be married in this one. For reasons not clear to Robyn, Harlow had become fixated on a backyard wedding.
Robyn wanted something a lot less showy than this place. Smaller and cozier, with a few modern touches. Later she would check out local inventory online. If she saw something she liked, she would view it. As for Harlow and the wedding, it wasn’t anything she had to deal with right now. One crisis at a time. And in less than two hours, the current one was going be ringing her doorbell.