Chapter 7
THE MOMENT CARLY CAME THROUGH the door, Anita brushed off her hands and hurried inside the house. It was her first day back, and Anita had worried about it all day. Mostly about rumors affecting Carly and how the friend circle was doing.
“Well?” Anita asked as she set down her backpack. “How did it go?”
“Fine,” Carly said as she picked out an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter. She took a bite out of it and picked up her backpack. “I have homework.”
With that, she disappeared into her bedroom.
Anita blew out a breath. She’d spent part of the day at the mechanic’s having the battery replaced and everything else looked over. Then she’d come home to an empty mailbox when she was hoping one of her commission checks would show up. Next, she’d endured another phone call from Glenn, who seemed to have the day off.
She really needed to tell him that she wasn’t interested.
Hearing Mr. Davis talk about his wife Norma, and then the mysterious Susan, made her realize he’d been a man who’d loved two women. One he’d lost, and the other he’d married. The softness of his tone and the tenderness in his eyes when he spoke of them told Anita that Glenn didn’t hold that type of place in her heart.
The doorbell rang, and she frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone. When she opened the door to Phyllis, she pushed back the irritation. They’d already talked earlier that day over the fence in the backyard.
“Look what’s come up early,” Phyllis said, holding out a basket.
Sassy ran into the house, weaving between their legs, and disappeared somewhere. Likely to Carly’s bed.
Anita peered into the basket. “Oh, they’re carrots.” They were carrots, but they were a deep orange, almost brown color. “I don’t think those are early carrots, though.”
Phyllis’s brow pinched. “You think they’re from last year?”
“I do.” Anita picked up one of the carrots. It was soft in her hands. “Yes, definitely from last year.”
“Oh.” Phyllis looked so deflated that she said, “That’s great you found them because I might be able to dry them in slices and use them in my art.”
“That’s so clever of you.” Phyllis’s entire face brightened. “I knew they’d have some use, even if they aren’t edible.”
Anita thought again about the “lonely” comment that Carly had made about their neighbor. “Phyllis, if you don’t have dinner plans, would you like to eat with us?”
Her brows popped up. “You two go ahead. I’m on a special diet.”
Anita couldn’t have been more surprised. Phyllis was very trim and went on a brisk walk every day. “What sort of diet?”
“The grapefruit diet,” Phyllis proudly stated. “It’s a seven-day plan and promises I’ll lose ten pounds. I started it yesterday.”
Anita scanned the woman’s face, from her gold-framed glasses to her carefully lined lips and lipstick. “You look wonderful already, Phyllis. I don’t think you need to lose one pound.”
The woman’s cheeks flushed, which she found curious.
“You’re sweet to say so.” She handed over the basket. “Now, enjoy your dinner with your daughter and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Anita grasped the basket of carrots. “All right. See you tomorrow.”
Closing the door, she shook her head. What did Phyllis see when she looked in the mirror? When could a woman stop worrying about her appearance? Apparently not in her seventies.
Anita headed into the kitchen and set the basket of carrots on the counter. She didn’t know if she’d be able to really use them, but she’d experiment.
She turned to the refrigerator and opened it, scouring the contents for a dinner idea that would decidedly not include grapefruit. She finally settled on tacos to use up the leftover chicken from the night before, but instead of calling Carly to come help with preparations, Anita turned on the television. The Phil Donahue Show was playing, but she didn’t pay much attention. She just wanted background noise to distract her from her thoughts as she prepared dinner.
As she was shredding the cooked chicken, the phone rang. She quickly rinsed off her hands, then picked up the receiver, hoping it wasn’t Glenn again. It was.
“Hello, Anita, I’m glad I caught you.”
“Oh, why’s that?” she asked, pushing down her irritation. She’d told herself she’d break things off with him the next time he called. But at this moment, she didn’t want to deal with it.
“I’m just down the road at a gas station,” he said in a cheerful tone. “What are your dinner plans?”
“Fixing dinner right now,” she said, then winced. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that...
“Ah, that sounds nice,” he said. “Want company? I can bring drinks.”
“I’m sorry, Glenn.” She wasn’t exactly sorry. “It’s just me and Carly tonight. She’s going through some things that need my full attention.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I think you need a night off. The kid can stay on her own for a bit, or maybe she could hang out with friends. I’ll take you somewhere nice.”
The sentiment was probably genuine, but it irked Anita because it felt like he was overriding her parenting decisions. “That’s kind of you to offer,” she ground out. “And I know this isn’t ideal over the phone, but I just don’t think our relationship is going anywhere. I’ve got to focus on my daughter and career right now. I thought I’d have more time for you, but it turns out I don’t. So I think we should just stay friends.”
Glenn laughed.
Was this funny? Amusing?
“You’re a real heartbreaker, Anita,” he said sarcastically, which told her he didn’t think she was a heartbreaker at all. “Just so you know, you’re missing out. I don’t see the men lined up at your door, so if you’re turning me down, then your loneliness is your fault.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but Glenn barreled on. “You’re the one who flirted with me, and I wasn’t too excited that you had baggage, but I was willing to stay open-minded.”
“Carly isn’t baggage,” Anita cut in. “She’s my daughter.”
“Well, put yourself in my shoes,” he said. “Why would I want to raise another man’s kid?”
“No one has asked you to raise her,” she cut in again.
“Good, because you’re a cold witch, and I don’t want anything to do with you or your kid.”
Anita gripped the receiver, ready to deliver her own insults, but Glenn hung up.
One second, he was breathing fire at her, and the next, the line clicked off.
Anita was stunned. Glenn had gone from a gregarious, complimentary—if a bit cheesy—guy trying to get a date to a spiral of viciousness. She set the receiver in its cradle, then sank onto a kitchen chair, resting her head in her hands.
What a creep. She should be glad to be rid of him, but tears stung her eyes anyway. Dating as a single mom wasn’t easy on her end, which was why she’d put it off for so long. She always had to consider Carly. But would every man think like Glenn? That she was full of baggage?
“Mom?” Anita snapped her gaze up to see Carly in the kitchen, Sassy in her arms. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Anita quickly wiped her eyes and tried to think of what Carly might have overhead. “That was Glenn. He...we broke things off. Not that we were doing a lot of dating anyway.”
Carly smiled, petting Sassy. “Good. He smelled.”
This wasn’t what Anita expected at all. “What do you mean he smelled?”
Her daughter’s nose wrinkled. “Like he used a whole bottle of cologne before he came over.”
She smiled. “Yeah, he does like cologne.”
Carly exaggerated rolling her eyes. “Like it? He must have a mail subscription that comes every week.”
Anita laughed, and it felt good. “Well, I’m glad you’re not heartbroken over it.”
Carly scoffed. She set down the cat, then moved to the stove. “What’s for dinner?”
“Oh.” Anita pushed to her feet. They were changing the subject, and that was good. “Chicken tacos.”
The rest of the week was fine—pleasant, in fact. Carly came home straight after school and didn’t complain about being grounded. Anita made excellent progress on her projects, and she got Mr. Barton’s portrait delivered.
Friday after school, Carly burst into the house. She rushed past Anita, who’d just come in from the garden, and shut herself in her bedroom.
“Carly?” she called, heading down the hallway. Sassy trotted after her and stopped in front of Carly’s door. Anita paused by the door, hearing sniffling. “What’s wrong?”
She heard a mumbled, “Go away.”
Anita closed her eyes and leaned her head against the closed door. The school hadn’t called, so it wasn’t an administration problem. She hadn’t gotten into trouble again, right? Then she remembered Carly had had a gnarly math test today.
“How did math go?” she asked through the door.
“Fine.” Carly’s tone was tight, but at least she was still speaking.
Anita released a slow breath. “Can I come in? And Sassy too?”
There was a pause, then Carly said, “If you want.”
Gratitude flooded her as she turned the doorknob. At least her daughter was willing to talk. They could fix whatever this was, together.
Carly was curled on her bed, tears staining her cheeks, and this brought Anita up short.
“Oh, honey, what’s wrong?”
Then she started to cry in earnest. Anita sat on the edge of her bed and wrapped her arms about her. Sassy jumped up on the bed and nudged Carly, purring. After several long moments, she was composed enough to say, “Samantha and Evie are mad at me.”
Anita drew in a breath, not sure how to react. “What happened?”
Carly wiped at her cheeks, then drew away from her embrace. She scooped Sassy onto her lap and held her close. “They wanted to walk into town to get milkshakes and skip the period after lunch. I told them I couldn’t skip, or I’d be grounded for longer.” More tears dripped along her cheeks, and Anita handed over a tissue.
Carly dabbed at the tears. “So they left me, and when I saw them after school, I tried to say hi. But they both ignored me. Everyone was watching too, so now the whole school knows that I was ditched.”
Anita’s mind raced. “Wow. That was really rude of them.” Was this just a tiff? Was it serious? Was it bullying?
“Honey,” she said, rubbing Carly’s shoulder. “If they really ditched you, then you’re better off without them. Also, you can have your own opinion about things and not always have to go along with a poor choice in order to maintain a friendship.”
Carly frowned. “That’s such an adult thing to say.”
“Well, I am an adult.”
Carly’s mouth lifted. “True.”
Anita smiled, then sobered. “I’m really sorry they were mean to you, but I’m really proud of you too. Standing up for yourself is so important, and it doesn’t end in middle school. It’s just a hard thing to do when you’re friends with someone who doesn’t care about your well-being.”
Carly’s brows lifted. “They care. Or at least they did when we were friends.”
Anita touched the edged of her braid. “Friendships can be complicated, no matter how old you are. But if a person doesn’t care about you getting into trouble, then they aren’t your real friend in the first place.”
Carly bit her lip, her gaze falling. “Yeah, maybe.” She rested her chin on top of Sassy’s head. “What if they call me and want to be friends again?”
Anita was more than happy to tell the two girls “good riddance,” but she knew Carly had to navigate this herself. “If they do call you, and if you do want to forgive them, you should still tell them you aren’t going to do things that will put you in a tough spot.”
Carly nodded, and she felt gratitude rush through her. Maybe her parenting skills were finally spot-on tonight.
“I think that’s a good plan.”
Anita smiled, but not too wide. “Okay, great. Now, are you hungry? Maybe after dinner, we could go get some ice cream?”
Carly’s eyes lit up. “Okay. That would be great.”
Anita tried not to do a victory jump after leaving Carly’s bedroom. She hated to see her daughter in pain, but if that pain gave her more wisdom and helped her mature, then maybe it was a blessing in the end.
After dinner, when they loaded into the car and headed toward the ice cream shop, Carly said, “I guess we’re both starting over.”
Anita raised her brows. “What do you mean?”
“You dumped Glenn, and I have to find a new circle of friends.”
She reached over and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I have no doubt you’ll find those friends. What about Sara? You’ve done a couple of things with her—before you became friends with the others.”
“Yeah, she’s cool,” Carly said, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. “She asked me to do something a couple weeks ago, but I already had plans.”
“See?” Anita said. “You’re an easy person to be a friend with. Maybe call her tonight. You can make plans for tomorrow night if you want.”
“Am I done being grounded?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she said. “You showed a lot of maturity sticking up for yourself today, so I think you’ve learned your lesson.”
“Yes!” Carly pumped her fist in the air, and Anita laughed.
It felt good to be on the same page with her daughter once again.
“What about you, Mom?”
“What about me?”
“You know. Are you going to find another man to date?”
“I’ve never really looked,” Anita said in a light tone, although her stomach felt pinched. “I’m perfectly happy with how things are right now. You’re my priority, then my art comes second. A man just muddles things up.”
Carly scooted down in her seat and propped her knees against the dash. “Whatever, Mom. You don’t want to be a spinster forever.”
“Well, maybe not forever,” she said in an exaggerated voice. “But I’m not in any hurry.”