Chapter 44
Vic woke early, as was becoming her habit, made coffee in the machine she’d purchased for her studio, and painted for two hours—also becoming her habit.
Just before it was time to hit the shower before work, she checked her email.
Then did a double take at the address. Her heart leaped and bounced with such anticipation it was almost dread. Michael!
She read his lengthy email with increasing, well, shock. Then reread it. Then she did something she never would’ve thought she’d do in a million years. She called in to The Second Shop.
“I’m sorry, Madeline,” she explained, providing a few of the details from Michael’s email. “I just know I won’t be able to keep my head on my job or even five minutes—”
“Say no more.”
“But—”
“Not another word. You can catch me up after you’ve called him. Do you need tomorrow off too?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, let me know if that changes. See you tomorrow—and have a good chat with your boy.”
“Thank you.”
She rechecked Michael’s email, then texted without emojis. “Hey, love. I’m going to call you in five minutes. Just giving you a heads up. Please answer if you can.”
She sank to her bed, pulled a blanket over her lap, and exactly five minutes later, good to her word, she rang him. Please let him answer, please let him answer, please let him answer, she chanted inside her head to the rhythm of the ringing.
“Hello?”
Vic was so startled to hear Michael’s live voice on the other end of the line that you could’ve knocked her over with a feather.
“Hello?” Michael repeated, then added, sounding unsure. “Mom?”
She found her voice. “Hello! I’m so happy you answered! Thank you!” Okay, you’re sounding psychotic. Calm down.
“Hi,” she said, more softly. “Sorry for the mania. It’s just good to hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear your voice too,” he said, laughing lightly. He laughed! Her heart swelled again.
“And thank you for your email. I’m so happy, was blown away, actually, that you want to be closer too—and those ‘unsaid things’ you alluded to that you want to have out in the open. Can we tackle them today?” Vic asked, heart pounding cautiously.
There was a pause on Michael’s end. “No, I think it would be better in person.”
Vic inhaled sharply. Was he saying what she thought he was?
“Does it work for me to come for a week or two in February?”
He was saying what she thought! He was coming for a visit! But wait—
“That won’t work, will it? That’s when you usually go to Mexico.”
Michael’s throaty, bubbling laugh filled her ear again.
Oh, how his big laugh always reminded her of his toddler self.
His rangy 6’4 height, broad shoulders, and stubbly man face, his grown-up job, his mature hobbies and pursuits—they all fell away when he laughed.
All she could see and hear was the little boy he’d always be to her.
“What part of visiting northern British Columbia in the dead of winter doesn’t sound better than Mexico?” he deadpanned.
“Well, when you put it like that,” she said, laughing back. “And of course it works. Any time will always work. I just don’t want to put you out or anything.”
A slightly awkward pause again—just a beat, over before Vic could really obsess about it. “Visiting you doesn’t put me out, Mom. You’re not a chore. It’s not an imposition.”
What was happening? Vic had no idea. She wanted to joke, make light, say something like, Who are you and what have you done with my son? But she couldn’t jest, couldn’t deflect. She was too grateful, too moved . . .
She swallowed as Michael continued talking.
“I’ll book everything tonight and forward my itinerary. Anything I should know before I arrive?”
“Well, Aud—your grandma is more mercurial than ever,” Vic shared reluctantly, lest he be put off from staying with them, but also not wanting him to be hurt should Audra be . . . really hurtful.
Michael let out a surprised sound. “Wow, considering her base level, that’ll be something to see.”
She was glad he could joke about it and wondered if she’d ever get to that place.
Probably not, but that was okay. She was just happy he wasn’t more scarred by having such a non-doting grandmother.
She hesitated a second, wondering if she should keep dating Cal to herself, but it would be worse if he found out from Audra.
“And,” she said. “Because I don’t want you to find out from Grandma, I’m seeing someone. A man named Cal. I’d like you to meet him, but I want you to know this trip is all about you. He won’t be hanging around all the time. I promise.”
There was a moment of silence from Michael. “Sure, I’ll meet him,” he said lightly. “I’m kind of surprised this is the first I’m hearing of him. This might be the longest you’ve ever gone without having a man in your life.”
“Er . . . yeah, I guess, hey?” Vic laughed weakly but knew it didn’t fully camouflage her cringe.
“So, does this one treat you right?”
Vic’s eyebrows shot to her hairline in surprise. She hadn’t known Michael had opinions on how men treated her.
“Yeah,” she said, nodding to herself. “And in another bit of a new move for me, I’m taking it slow—I know, I know, who even am I?”
Michael didn’t respond to her joke.
“Okay, well . . . I just wanted to let you know. I think he’s different.”
“Hm,” Michael said, and a wave of second-guessing washed over Vic. She shouldn’t have mentioned Cal. She should’ve kept the call all about Michael.
“How about you? Bringing anybody with you?”
“Nope. It’ll just be me. Disappointed?”
“Absolutely not! The exact opposite.”
“Okay, well . . . I should go book some plane tickets, I guess.”
“Sounds good, sweetie. I can’t wait to see you.”
There was no reply, though, and Vic realized she’d spoken her last line to dead air. Michael was already disconnected.