Chapter 9
9
D eenie answered the door, and Tabitha saw her face light up. She recognized the look and the feeling that went along with it. Tabitha had felt something similar when she was her daughter’s age.
Kylen and April were standing with Tabitha when a tall, slender man but not skinny walked through the door. He had blonde hair that was longer on top and short on the sides.
"Kylen, you know my daughter better than me. Can you tell me who that teen heartthrob is?" Tabitha asked.
"I sure can. His name is Glenn Thurgood, and he's the one she's crushing on badly. She doesn't know what I just found out about him," Kylen said.
"Is he dangerous? Should I ask him to leave?" Tabitha said as she started walking towards Deenie.
Kylen pulled her back. He's not physically dangerous, as far as I know. He's not a gun-carrying thug and doesn't have a rap sheet. He's dishonest and has a habit of breaking hearts, especially those of nice girls like Deenie. She's so much better than him, and I think she will surprise us by seeing right through him."
“What if she doesn’t?” Tabitha asked.
“I’m like her big brother, and I’ll take care of it from there,” Kylen said.
April turned to her son and pointed her finger at him. “You won’t do anything.”
“Mom, it’s not like we call the authorities when someone is a misogynistic jerk. That kind of behavior is legal,” Kylen said. “I draw the line when it comes to my cousin. I found out there are some girls that he’s hurt emotionally at his last school. It’s not like he’s violent, just not nice and definitely not nice enough for Deenie.”
Kylen promised to get back to April and Tabitha when he was finished playing mind games with Glenn. The blonde had Deenie giggling before long, and Tabitha knew that wasn't something her daughter normally did. She was a bold laugher, and there was nothing giggly about it. Who knew what sorts of stories he was filling her head with? Tabitha was running low on patience and was about to intervene when Kylen joined Glenn and Deenie. The three of them chatted for a few minutes, and when Glenn said something that Kylen didn't like, he whispered in his ear. Glenn was soon walking out the door, and when Deenie tried to follow, her cousin pulled her back. He told her something, and she covered her open mouth with her palm.
Kylen looked back at his mother and aunt. He signaled a thumbs-up.
“What do we do now?” Tabitha asked.
"We wait. Deenie will come to you, and she might be hesitant at first because she's likely embarrassed that she almost fell for that smooth talker. It's part of her teenage education, and she’ll learn from it. You and I couldn’t have taught her that lesson, but Deenie surrounds herself with good friends who keep an eye on her. She’ll return the favor someday to another pal of hers.”
“Are you sure Kylen is your first kid,” Tabitha asked. “You sound like you’ve been through this before.”
“No, Kylen got in some trouble early in his teen years, and it forced us to open a radically honest dialogue. You’re a great mother, too. Both our kids are here drinking energy drinks and hanging out with their parents. Maybe they spend too much time on TikTok, but things could be much worse.”
“I hope that someday Deenie has friends as good as I have. I’m going to miss every one of you. I know a total getaway is what I wanted, and that’s what I’m going to get. If I didn’t miss what I was leaving behind, it would mean living here wasn’t worth ever coming back,” Tabitha said. She looked at her watch, and it was already 12:30.
“Dale and I are leaving. I think he and Maxim have some sort of bromance going on. They’re going golfing, which is weird because my husband doesn’t golf,” Mel said. “They’re going to have some serious golfers yelling at them for slow play.”
Tabitha laughed. “I don’t think Maxim has played either. Keep me posted on the comings and goings at work, and make sure no one raids my desk. However, you can if you get desperate for chocolate. You know where my stash is located.”
“I got you, and I do plan on raiding that stash. I’ll see you in a few weeks. You can run from me, but you can’t hide, and that’s something you should know by now.”
“I know. I’ll think of you every day, and we’ll FaceTime, so we’ll be in touch more than if I never left Merritt Island.”
Tabitha walked Mel to the car and watched as she and Dale pulled away.
“You were right. There were single men here, but I wasn’t vibing with anyone. Maybe I’ll find someone when I come to Maine for a visit. I picture men wearing cable knit sweaters with pipes sticking out of their mouths,” Deb said.
“Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it,” Tabitha said.
“It doesn’t really matter because the only reason I’m going to Maine is to spend time with you.” Deb wrapped her arms around Tabitha. She hopped into her ride share and disappeared into the night.
April didn't drink, and she and Kylen were driving late because they had commitments the following day. "Thanks for letting us stay when we didn't even call ahead," April said. "I think seeing Greg was good. Neither one of us pulled out a weapon, and we proved that at least we can be in the same room together.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what this feud is about?” Tabitha asked.
"I'll tell you that it has nothing to do with you, and it's trivial. The problem is that we're both bull-headed, and neither one of us wants to be the first to cave," April said.
“Please know that you and Kylen are welcome to visit,” Tabitha said sincerely.
“I’m going to check my schedule when I get home. They’re remodeling the urgent care center where I work. All of us will be temporarily relocated to centers in the area. Everything is so up in the air, and I hate that. Who knows, I might take the summer off and have Kylen support me on his job waiting tables,” April joked.
April called Kylen, and he came barreling down the stairs. "Deenie is passed out watching Netflix. She was upset that the player almost got the best of her, but I told her to forget about it. He's not worth occupying any space in her brain."
"You're the best, and I told your mother that the two of you are welcome in Maine this summer, but I know you have work," Tabitha said. "Deenie won't be with me, so you'd probably be bored."
“Don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of me. Deenie and I are planning to get a place with a bunch of friends after we turn eighteen. That’ll be rad,” he said.
Tabitha wondered how they thought they were paying for their summer house. April was surely thinking the same thing, but neither said a word.
They had a three-way hug, and Tabitha gave April a couple of bottles of wine to take home, just as she had Mel and Deb.
Deenie was sleeping, and the only person remaining was Maxim. He stayed to help her clean up. Tabitha smiled because he put on her white, ruffly apron. She received it as a joke and never wore it, but it was cute on him.
“I hardly got to spend any time with you tonight,” Maxim said. He pulled her in for a kiss.
Tabitha could have fallen on the couch with the sexy Frenchman, but she had to clean. Waking up to a house still messy from the night before was no fun at all.
“In many ways, I wish you wouldn’t have stayed. You’re tempting, and I have work to do. The good news is that we have dinner tomorrow night. I guess you could call it The Last Supper.”
“It doesn’t have to be. I have something in store for you tomorrow night, and I’m still hoping this isn’t goodbye,” Maxim said.
"This isn't fair. I told you six weeks ago of my plans and that I wasn't doing anything long-distance. I'm not open to a long-term relationship, and if I were, it would be with you. Please, don't do this," Tabitha said. "I wanted tomorrow night to be fun. We've laughed a lot, and I want that to be my last memory of you."
Maxim rubbed Tabitha’s neck because he knew she loved that. He wasn’t playing by the rules. Six weeks ago, she tried to end things because she didn’t want a long goodbye. Recently, he was dropping hints of a future together, and she didn’t want to be convinced of anything. Her mind was made up.
“It’ll be fun. I promise, and if you still want to end our romance, then it’ll be fine,” Maxim said.
“When I come back in September, I look forward to being your friend. By then, you might have met the woman of your dreams.”
“I’ll run your dishwasher, and then I’ll get out of here,” Maxim said.
Tabitha finished tidying up, and then she went to bed. It was much later than she had anticipated. She was about to leave a place she loved to embark on a vacation so she could find herself. That was the idea when she booked the trip, but now she didn’t feel lost.