Chapter 2
Dylan’s mother was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch when he pulled up to the cabin. She seemed like she had been sitting there for a while, and he was thankful the shotgun was nowhere in sight. Her eyes met his through the windshield, and her look of knowing concern surprised him.
“I made your bed up for you.” She said as he climbed out of the car.
“How did you know I was coming?”
She flashed a sly smile. “I didn’t.”
He climbed the steps, taking a seat on the swing at the other end of the porch.
“Why did you make my bed, then?”
She shrugged. “No idea, but it’s a good thing I did. Now why the hell are you here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you, but shouldn’t you be on the other side of the country doing whatever it is you do?”
His shoulders slumped, and he stared at a bee flitting from flower to flower on a shrub just off the porch. “What kind of flower is that?”
“St. John’s Wort. Stop dodging the question.”
He sighed. “Is it ok if I stay here for a bit?”
She raised an eyebrow and stared at him. He felt as if her eyes were boring into his soul. “Of course. Do you want to talk about it?”
He shrugged. “Maybe later. I’m not going back to Seattle, though.”
She nodded. “Get your stuff inside, then. It’s going to rain.” She stood and opened the door, motioning him inside. “You can put everything in your room for now. If you need more space, we’ll figure something out. Are you sure that you being done with Seattle’s the only reason you’re here?”
“What’s going on, Mom?”
She sighed and walked past the staircase towards the kitchen. “You smell like smoke. No smoking in the house. Get your shit inside. Then we’ll talk. I’ll make some coffee. You look like you’ve been through the wringer a few times.”
“Why do you have coffee? You hate the stuff.”
She didn’t answer. He knew better than to argue with her, and he needed the bed. He turned and stepped back outside to light a cigarette. At least she’d figured out he was smoking again without him having to tell her that. Or did she forget he’d quit? He had never been good about keeping in touch, and their relationship had been strained when he went to college in California. The move to Seattle strained it even more. He knew it wasn’t because he was gay. Unlike Gabe’s family, and the rest of Indigo Creek, for that matter, she had known before Michael told his parents about him. That conversation had resulted in a long night of his mother arguing with every preacher in town as they came in throughout the night as the word spread. They had wanted to help save him. His mother had laughed at them coldly and said that if they didn’t leave, the devil would be the least of their worries. Only one had pushed back. He’d left town less than a month later after his wife kicked him out for having an affair.
By the time he had gotten the rest of his things inside, the smell of fresh coffee had filled the house, and his mother gave him a smile. “Let’s sit out on the porch for a bit. Do you want sugar? I don’t have any milk or creamer.”
He smiled and sat on the swing. “No sugar.”
She nodded and ducked back inside to fetch his coffee. The sky had grown darker, and he heard the call of a rain crow in the distance.
She emerged with a cup of coffee for him, and a large glass of water for herself.
“Sounds like you were right about the rain,” he said.
She smiled. “You’ve been away too long if you couldn’t see this storm brewing before you got here.” She paused for a moment, her smile fading. “You never answered my question, though. Why are you here?”
He sighed and dropped his head, sipping his coffee. “Derek’s been cheating on me.” He paused. “With Ronnie.”
She nodded. “I see.”
He knew she did. He had been dating Derek since they were in college. They’d bought a place together not long after graduation and landing their first jobs, using their sign-on bonuses for the down payment. What she didn’t know was that since moving to Seattle, he didn’t have any friends that weren’t Derek’s friends, too. He knew he couldn’t trust Derek again, and their friends had known all along—and helped him hide it.
“Derek’s going to refinance the condo to put it in his name and buy me out of my share.”
She shook her head. “I told you not to rush into something like that. Is the stuff you brought all you’re keeping?”
He nodded. “I’m not going back. There’s nothing for me there.”
Her head cocked to the side. “What are you going to do for money?”
He considered her question and resisted the urge to lash out at her. He shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll see how much I get from the refinance and go from there. Maybe head up to New York or somewhere else, get a fresh start. It just depends on what I have when the dust settles. I’m not worried about finding work. Hell, I could probably start my own company if I wanted the stress of it. Serve Ronnie right for fucking me over.”
She nodded. “So, you’re not staying?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You know how people here are. If it’s okay, I’ll just stay until I figure out my next step.”
She cleared her throat. “Tinah didn’t call you?”
He frowned. “No. Why would your sister call me ?”
She sighed. “Your mamaw is not well. She took a turn a few days ago. Her mind is slipping. Tinah said I should let you know, but I figured it’d bring you back, and didn’t figure you needed to worry. Not like there’s anything you can do.”
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but he had a right to know his grandmother was sick.
“You should’ve told me.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is. I didn’t want you worrying. Physically, she’s healthy as ever, so it’s not like she’s going to die tomorrow. I would’ve let you know if she was gonna die.”
He took a gulp of his coffee. His mother was just trying to be a realist, and in her own way, she was right. He would’ve dropped everything to come check on her, but there was nothing he could do.
“I’ll go see her tomorrow.”
His mother gave a wan smile. “Okay. She has some good days and bad days. She may not know who you are. I’m not being mean. I just want you to be prepared for that. It’s hard…” she trailed off.
“How long?”
She shook her head as if to wake herself from a dream. “She’s been forgetful for a while, but last week she didn’t know where she was or who me and Tinah were.”
Dylan bit his lip. When it rains, it pours. He was glad he would get to spend a little time with her and hoped she would be herself . He looked up just as a brilliant bolt of lightning illuminated the darkened sky, casting an ethereal glow upon the surrounding forest.