Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
C ade
My cell ringing pulls me from my dream. What terrible timing, I was just about to undress Annie. If I can’t have her in real life, I at least wanted a chance with her in my dreams. I miss the call but a few moments later the ringing starts again. It says Mom on the screen.
“Hi, Mom,” I answer.
“Merry Christmas, sweetie.” Her voice rings through the phone and I hear her longing. “This trip doesn’t feel the same without you here.”
“Come on, we never really spend time together on those trips anyway,” I retort.
“That isn’t true,” she says.
But it is true because Dad is always taking off, she’s always feeling like shit and burying herself in a novel, and that leaves me by myself.
“Come on, Mom. We haven’t had a real family trip since I was a little boy. I don’t want to be hurtful, but Dad isn’t going to change, and you deserve better.” The words fly out of me like some bad case of vomit I can’t help. Since I’ve broken up with Scarlett and have been hanging around with Annie, we’ve been having these deep conversations and I’ve been seeing the world differently.
“Where is this coming from, Cade?” Mom asks.
Her denial runs deep. It pains me that she doesn’t want more for herself. A man who will love and respect her. My dad is not that man. The only person he loves is himself and hockey.
“It’s how I feel, Mom. Dad hasn’t treated either of us well in a long time, and yet, we put up with it,” I say to her.
“We are a family, Cade. We stick together through thick and thin,” she reasons and my heart breaks for her.
“Mom, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but he’s hitting on young girls all the time. The minute he was unfaithful to you meant he didn’t respect our family.” On some level, I regret saying these things to her because it will hurt her, but on the other hand I am doing it because I love her. Because I don’t want to see her throw away her life on a man who doesn’t respect her. “Mom, are you there?”
The phone has gone silent. I hear sniffling.
I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling terrible.
“Mom, please don’t cry,” I plead.
“You’re right, Cade. It hurts to hear the truth but you’re so right. I’m a damn fool. I don’t know where your dad is. I haven’t seen him in two days. It’s Christmas morning. I was feeling sorry for myself.”
“You don’t have to stay with him. You can leave him.”
“I’m scared, Cade,” she says, breaking my heart.
“I’m here for you. Whenever you need,” I assure her.
“Thanks, honey,” she sniffles. “How are things going in . . . I know you’re in Michigan, but what is the town called?”
“Sunny Springs.” I laugh. “The farm is beautiful. I’ve met the cows. One of them is named Sally and she licked my face. I also had a goat poop all over me.”
Mom laughs. “That all sounds. . .great. You sound happy.”
“I am. There is some stuff going on with Annie’s family too. No family is perfect, but I am having a good time with her.”
“You like her,” Mom says.
When I don’t answer, Mom continues, “Come on, Cade. You just broke up with Scarlett so you haven’t been with Annie that long. I could tell at breakfast you guys barely know each other. My guess is you brought her for breakfast to piss your father off and it worked,” Mom says.
Damn, how can moms tell these things?
“I haven’t known Annie long. That’s true. I did want Daddy off my back. I knew he would be an ass about my breakup with Scarlett, but yeah, Mom, I like Annie. She’s different.”
“She’s special,” Mom notes.
“She really is,” I agree.
“I’m going to pack up here. I’m going home or maybe I’ll fly somewhere else. I don’t know, but I can’t stay here one more minute.”
“I know it’s hard, but I’m here if you need me. I was thinking of flying Annie back home for a few days if you want to meet us there,” I offer.
“That sounds sweet. But you and Annie are still new. I don’t want to intrude.”
I can’t lie to her a second longer. “Mom, Annie and I are pretending to be together.”
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“We have an arrangement. I need to show Scarlett I’ve moved on and Annie needs my help with her ex,” I explain. I’ve always been open with my mother. Not my father because I feared his judgment.
“I see,” she says and falls quiet. “Hmm.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“You two have chemistry,” Mom notes.
She isn’t wrong.
“We aren’t in a place where we want to test things out,” I explain.
“Well, sometimes we make plans and life just takes us in a different direction. You kids make all kinds of weird arrangements these days that I don’t understand. But I know what I saw at breakfast. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself and let you figure things out.”
“Where will you go?” I ask her.
“I don’t know, but I’ll be in touch once I figure out what I’m doing.”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Cade. I’m sorry if I’ve let you down. I’ve spent so much time drowning that I got absorbed in my own problems. I neglected you.”
“I’m a big boy now. I can take care of myself,” I assure.
“I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you too,” I reply. “This is the first step in the beginning of your new life.”
She takes a deep breath. “I like the sound of that.”
“Talk soon,” she says.
“Bye, love you.”
“Love you too,” she sighs.
We end the call.
I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. I get dressed in a pair of joggers and a hoodie. Annie said something about skating today but I don’t want to intrude on her family tradition. After I get dressed, I head toward the kitchen and notice her father at the top of the staircase. He seems to be having trouble moving.
“Sir, are you okay?” I ask since he’s holding his back.
“I’m afraid I must have twisted my back. I can’t walk, let alone skate.” He winces as he tries to move.
“Do you have a heating pad and an anti-inflammatory?” I ask since I am very familiar with injuries.
“I have a heating pad somewhere,” he says.
Annie walks down the hall upstairs. I don’t see her but I hear her say, “Daddy, what happened?” with a concerned voice.
He tells her his back is out and she runs to his bathroom where she says she thinks she saw the heating pad last.
She returns to him in the upstairs hallway. “Maybe we can open the presents up here,” she suggests.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll find a way to make it downstairs,” he assures her.
“I can help you,” I offer.
“This isn’t the first time my back’s gone out. I know how to maneuver myself. I find it easier to hold on to the staircase,” he explains.
He slowly makes his way down the stairs. Annie walks beside him to ensure he doesn’t fall while she’s holding the heating pad.
We make our way over to the living room where there is a tree with gifts under it. Her dad lies back on the couch and Annie sets him up with the heating pad.
“Is Mom around?” she asks.
“I heard her leave early this morning,” her dad replies regretfully.
“That’s fine. No big deal.” Annie smiles.
I can see the hurt on her face so I’m pretty sure her dad can too.
“She left her presents under the tree,” he explains, as if that is supposed to appease a twenty-one-year-old girl.
Annie nods.
“I’ll get you a glass of water to take the ibuprofen,” she says to him and leaves the room.
He lets out a sigh. “One of the worst feelings as a parent is feeling like you let your kid down.”
“But you’re here,” I say.
He shakes his head. “It isn’t enough.”
I want to tell him my mom just left my dad because she was sick and tired of feeling abandoned by him, but I keep my mouth shut. I just met this guy. He’s nice and kind, but I don’t want to overstep.
Annie returns with a glass of water in hand.
“Here you go.” He takes the pills and swallows the water.
“I can’t skate with you today, Annie girl,” he says, looking sad.
“That’s okay,” she tells him. “I just want you to feel better.”
“I don’t want to take away from your tradition, but I’d be happy to skate with you,” I offer.
“Cade was going to join us,” Annie says to her dad.
“Does he know what’s involved?” her dad asks.
Annie shakes her head.
“What am I missing?” I question, looking between father and daughter.
Annie bites into that luscious lip of hers and releases it. “Daddy and I always figure skate to Mariah Carey’s, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.’ I was always into figure skating and we started one year, then the next and so on. Now we head out to the pond and sing and dance, and it’s just a good time.”
“I can figure skate,” I inform her. “I had to take lessons when I was younger to help me with hockey. I never saw myself dancing on the ice. I mean, there’s a first time for everything.”
“Good man.” Her father claps my back and cries out from pain.
Annie offers to go make some breakfast for us, so I naturally offer to come help her.
When we get to the kitchen, I tell her I can make breakfast since she’s been feeding me since I got here.
“You really don’t have to, Cade,” she says. I take her in wearing a funky looking red-and -green Christmas sweater with a Santa and a snowman. She’s wearing it with a pair of tight black leggings and a pair of what looks like fluffy warm plaid socks. With her red hair and soft freckles, she looks like one of Santa’s helpers. She really is different from other girls I’ve met. Scarlett’s idea of getting dressed up for Christmas was probably a red corset made of lace.
“I want to. Why don’t you sit down and relax? I’ll turn on the Nespresso to get started,” I guide her to the kitchen table.
“There’s some gingerbread syrup in the fridge I like to add to my coffee this time of year.” She smiles. The way she’s slouched over tells me something is weighing on her.
“You guys really go all out with Christmas cheer,” I note as I put a capsule in the coffee machine.
“Daddy has always been big on Christmas. He makes everything feel magical. I feel terrible that his back is hurting and Mom didn’t have the decency to stick around for gifts. It’s probably because I gave her a piece of my mind yesterday. She’s the kind of person who would rather run away from a problem instead of facing it,” she explains.
I take the gingerbread syrup she was talking about out of the fridge and add about an ounce to each of our coffees. I place hers in front of her.
“My mom’s leaving my dad,” I say out of nowhere.
Her blue eyes widen. “OMG, that’s huge.”
“It is. I kind of told her what I thought. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation with your mother, but I was in the kitchen when you two were talking and the walls are thin.” I shrug. “You kind of gave me inspiration to tell my own mother that she shouldn’t be putting up with Dad’s bullshit anymore.”
“I’m the last person to inspire, Cade. I stood up for myself, but I should also be giving my father the advice you gave your mother. Daddy is lonely out here on the farm. He’s put up with her antics for too long. I don’t know why he stays, other than he loves me and the farm. The farm belonged to my mom’s parents, but Mom hates it here and now we have legal troubles.” She pauses. “Anyway, are your parents separating something we are upset or happy about?”
Her question makes me smile. This girl cares what I think and what she is asking means she is going to offer her support either way.
“We’re sad on some level because it’s weird knowing your family is breaking apart, but on the other hand, we were always broken and Mom deserves to be happy,” I tell her.
“Yeah.” She sighs with a far-off smile.
“I better get on making breakfast. Is there a Christmas morning breakfast ritual you guys have? I’m not much of a chef, but I’ll do my best.”
“Daddy usually makes pancakes with the green-and-red M thankful my car isn’t covered in snow.
I put the airport into Waze. I figure I can leave my car there and take a standby flight home. It’ll be good to see some of my old friends in town and get some skiing in. I just wish I didn’t miss Annie this much, or her damn farm. Hell, I even miss Sally.