Well Suited (Red Lipstick Coalition #4)(57)

A woman the exact duplicate of Katherine—plus twenty-five years, a healthy dose of patchouli, and maybe an alternate universe—stood on the stoop with a smile on her face and a carpetbag on her shoulder.

“Hi there,” she said, her voice musical. “Val said Katie is staying here. Is she here now?”

“Mom?” Katherine said from my elbow.

Sparrow’s eyes shifted, widened, and softened, all in a heartbeat. She moved for her daughter, and I shifted out of the way to let her by. I’d been completely forgotten.

She opened her arms, reaching for Katherine, who stood stock-still and ramrod straight, arms at her sides as her mom wrapped her up in a hug. Katherine’s eyes shot to me with the panic of an SOS.

“Oh, Katie-Bug,” she said into her daughter’s hair, rocking her where they stood. “I missed you, honey.” When she leaned back, her face was warm and admiring, emotional and a little intense.

“What are you doing here, Mom?” Katherine asked robotically.

“Well, when my journey was over in Washington, I decided to come this direction to see you.”

“You didn’t call.”

“I know, honey. But last night in Chicago, I had a dream and knew I had to get here fast.” She looked off with a wistful expression on her face, using her hands to help her explain. “I was in a meadow at night, the Milky Way splitting the sky in two. And as I looked up in wonder, a leaf fell from the stars and floated down to my hand. When I looked down, there were tiny eggs stuck to the veins, and they began to tremble and shake and split. And from their casings came sweet little ladybugs. I knew it was a sign. So here I am, and look! My little ladybug is having a baby!”

She wrapped Katherine up in her arms again as I stared, gaping. Katherine was made of stone.

“Ladybug eggs hatch larvae, not beetles,” she said flatly.

Sparrow laughed, that tinkling musical sound. It was unnerving how alike they looked and how openly different they were. “Oh, Katie. It’s been too long.”

“What are you doing here, Mom?” Katherine asked again.

“Well,” she started, finally releasing Katherine, who immediately relaxed with distance, “your father and I released each other again, and I thought, where better to go than to see Katie? I can’t believe you’re pregnant! Spirit wanted me to come here.” Without warning, she reached for Katherine’s belly, smoothing her hand over the curve. “Ooh, we should do a reading for the baby later. I’ll let you choose which tarot deck you want.”

I thought Katherine might actually be trying to crawl out of her skin like the pupal stage ladybug of her mother’s dreams. I resisted the urge to put myself between them.

Katie-Bug. No wonder Katherine hated nicknames.

I’d known Sparrow was out of touch with Katherine’s needs, but it seemed she was as deeply set in herself as Katherine was. I had to admit, I didn’t dislike Sparrow. I found her charming in her way, the small woman with dark hair in a kimono that smelled of sandalwood and patchouli. But I definitely wanted her to get her hands off Katherine and take three steps back.

For a second, Katherine blinked at her mother, who had turned and was inspecting me openly but without judgment, like one would look at a piece of art or a steak in a butcher’s window.

Katherine cleared her throat. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Theodore Bane.”

“I hope it’s okay that I call you Theo. I’m a sucker for nicknames. Now come here, I’m a hugger.” She reached out with slender arms and wrapped me up in a warm, pleasant hug.

I glanced at Katherine, who watched us like we were covered in Ebola.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Lawson.”

At that, she laughed. “Please, call me Sparrow.” She turned to Katherine. “Is this your boyfriend, Katie?”

Katherine’s eyes widened, then blinked. Her lips parted, but she didn’t seem to have an answer.

My face was smooth, but a flash of surprise and concern jerked in my ribs. She couldn’t call me her boyfriend, and a few hours ago, I had been sure she loved me. But Kate—my Kate—had disappeared the second her mom walked in. And in her place was Katherine.

She was clearly uncomfortable, clearly caught off guard, so I forgave her instantly and spoke for her. “Katherine and I are cohabitating. Getting used to each other before the baby comes.”

Sparrow frowned. “You’re not together?”

“I didn’t expect judgment from you on relationship status,” Katherine said matter-of-factly.

But Sparrow shook her head with a laugh. “Oh, no—I didn’t mean it like that. Only that I can’t seem to imagine you having sex with anyone but a boyfriend.”

Katherine paled, probably at the word sex coming so casually coming from her mother’s mouth. “Theodore and I experienced a condom malfunction.”

Sparrow’s face opened up with laughter, the backs of her knuckles brushing her lips. “Well, that’ll do it.”

“So, why are you here, Mom?” she asked for a third time.

“Like I said, your father and I released each other, and I wanted to get away. So here I am!”

“Did you have a plan?” Katherine asked, her exasperation contained.

“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, and look how nice that was.”