19. Willing To Give More
19
WILLING TO GIVE MORE
“I ’m glad you could come to dinner,” Garrett’s mother said on Tuesday.
“How come you’re here during the week alone?” he asked. She’d texted him this morning and asked if he wanted to come over and have dinner with her. That she’d be here a few days and was alone.
Since Justine was working nights for two weeks, he wasn’t going to see her much.
“I wanted to do a few things around the house,” his mother said. “I’m thinking of changing some paint colors and you know how much Dad hates that stuff. So I told him I’d come over and do it without him.”
He laughed. His mother was always independent that way and his father had no problem letting her do it.
It’s not like his mother was doing anything labor intensive.
“What rooms are you painting, and since I’m here, can I move anything out of the way for you?”
“I’m going to change yours and Gabriela’s rooms. Your sister was complaining the pink drives her insane.”
“I doubt she meant for you to change it.”
“But it’s been like that since she was a kid.”
“Then I’ll go and move the beds and dressers to the middle of the rooms while you’re cooking.”
“I could argue I’d do it myself, but you’ll just do it anyway and then your father would yell at us both if he found out I did it.”
“That’s right, so save your breath. It won’t take me long.”
He went into his room first, pushed the bed away from the wall enough that his mother would be able to get on a small ladder to do what she needed to, then did the same with the dresser and everything in his sister’s room.
“All set?” his mother asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I’d offer to help you, but I’m working and you paint better than me anyway.”
“I do,” his mother said. “I enjoy doing it and I have a steadier hand. You have no patience with it. When there is something you don’t want to do, you rush.”
He laughed. “I don’t rush with much in life.”
Not like he wanted to rush with Justine but knew it was best not to.
Just like he didn’t want to tell her why he came to the island but felt by opening up about some of it, she’d have a better understanding.
And she might appreciate that he was sharing since he did know so much about her life.
If he wanted more out of what they had, he had to be willing to give more.
He appreciated she was trying.
“You don’t,” his mother said. “How are things with Justine?”
“Jumped right into that,” he said. “I think that is the reason you decided to paint the rooms. An excuse to come here and get me to yourself to check in.”
His mother laughed. “I’m not going to deny it. But I do want to see how you’re doing with my own eyes. I was hoping maybe she could have come to dinner too. Or are you just more or less friends?”
“I know you heard about her win at the casino on Saturday,” he said, closing one eye at her. “And that I was with her.”
His mother pulled the pork loin out of the oven and let it rest while she finished with the mashed potatoes. He was going to eat like a king tonight.
“I did hear those things,” his mother said. “I also heard that you seemed close with her too. Not like friends at all.”
“We are more than friends but taking it slow.”
“You want to take it slow or she does?”
“You’re being pretty nosy,” he said.
“That is what a mother does. If I want to have grandkids someday I’ve got to find out what is going on in my kids’ lives.”
He thought of seeing his cousin Coy Bond and his new wife, Angel, at the doctor a few days ago. They had a fast destination wedding and seeing them going into the gynecology office together gave him a clue as to why the wedding was so fast.
Good for Coy, as both of them seemed thrilled with the news.
And maybe he was wishing he could get to that point in his life too. Especially with so many of his cousins marrying and having kids in the past few years.
Maybe it was this island, but he knew better than to say that to Justine.
She’d finally admitted that Troy told her about the legend and she thought it was a joke.
He laughed with her.
What more was he going to do?
Say that he felt it might have hit him too?
Yeah, not going to happen anytime soon.
“You know a lot of what goes on in your children’s lives,” he said.
“But there is always room for more.”
He shook his head and got the plates and silverware out and set the table. He’d be happy to just sit at the island, but he knew she’d want to sit at the table.
When they were done carrying all the food there, he made his plate with the pork, mashed potatoes and carrots sweetened with orange and honey. Just the way he loved them.
He could tell his mother was pulling out all the stops because he saw the chocolate cake on the counter too but hadn’t said a word.
“We have a good slow thing going. You know what she went through recently.”
“You’ve gone through just as much heartache,” his mother said.
“And I told her about it,” he said.
His mother’s eyes widened. “Everything?”
“Everything encompasses a lot. That would be no. She knows what made me come to the island.”
“Oh,” his mother said.
“She doesn’t need to know about exes or anything else at this point. She asked more specifics. I’d hinted toward needing the break before and trying to figure my life out. Considering what she has shared with me, I felt I owed it to her.”
“You feel you owe it to her?” his mother asked. “That’s not the right way to go about it.”
“You’re reading into my words more than you need to,” he said. “I was trying to share that she wasn’t alone and that I appreciate how open she’s been with me and I was trying to do the same.”
“That sounds better,” his mother said. “Are you in love?”
He didn’t like the smirk on his mother’s face. “I’m not answering that,” he said.
He ate and his mother let him for about five minutes and then said, “Is this a serious relationship at least? She’s met several family members. I’m assuming it’s not a secret?”
“No secret,” he said. “Some people have seen us together at work. We aren’t lying but not making an announcement. It’s not my way and it’s not hers either. I think she needs to be handled gently.”
His mother snorted. “No one handles people as gently as you, Garrett, but that doesn’t mean it’s best for you either and I’m always going to stand behind my son.”
“I know,” he said. “And I appreciate it. I can trust you, right?”
“Of course you can,” his mother said. “I’m hurt you even have to ask that.”
But the grin on her face said she was humoring him. “She was close to her father. His murder and the situation around it haven’t been easy, but she got a call from her mother on Friday night. I hadn’t realized that relationship wasn’t that good.”
He told his mother what he knew. “I can’t imagine any mother choosing a man and travel over her own children.”
“Not everyone has the same family values as us,” he said. “As you.”
“That’s right. What values does Justine have?”
“I really don’t know,” he said.
It was hard for him to get a handle on things. More like frustrating.
If there was one thing he hated, it was feeling frustrated that he had no control over something.
“You can’t get a feel from it at all?”
“I think she has good core values. She was close to her father. She is close to her sister. She hasn’t had a lot of romantic relationships because she says she’s fussy, but I think she keeps people at arm’s length. Not sure the reason yet.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to get that answer,” his mother said.
“I’ll try but don’t want to push her away either.”
“Don’t always put others before yourself,” his mother said. “You’ve done that a lot in your life.”
“You do it too,” he said. “And it worked for you. I’d like to think if you find the right person it’s okay to do that. Or it’s expected.”
“Only if they put you first back,” his mother said. “Do you think Justine will?”
“I think so,” he said.
He’d seen signs of it for sure.
She didn’t make decisions without talking to him.
She opened up and told him more than she admitted she had to other people.
She let him in early and, in his mind, he wanted to think that was her way to try to put his feelings first.
At least that was what he was telling himself and hoping for the best.