Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Two weeks later, Rita was growing concerned.
She stood in the hallway and peeped into the den, where she could see the back of Tyler’s head.
He was propped up on a beanbag, his long legs bent up awkwardly, and his body hunched over the game controls.
On the screen, some kind of violent video game flashed and blared.
She could barely keep up with what was happening—some kind of shooting and building.
Nothing his character did made much sense, but he was absolutely transfixed by it.
“You gonna come out of there anytime soon?” she asked.
He grunted. “Maybe.”
“You’ve been on that thing for hours.”
“Got nothin’ else to do, Momma. Give me a break.”
She inhaled a slow breath and told herself to bite her tongue. He’d been home for a little over two weeks—she could let him relax a while before she expected him to jump into the next phase of life. Right?
Wrong. This wasn’t him. He was always motivated, had a plan, was moving forward.
Not this constant gaming and snacking. He’d been a teenager a decade earlier, and even then, he hadn’t gone through this phase.
She’d heard about it from other parents, but her son was too busy playing football and going out with friends to get into gaming.
He’d never been much for studying, but he’d done so many other things that he had led a very full life.
She slowly walked into the room and stood in front of her son. “Don’t you think it’s time to start looking for work?”
He paused the game, a frown on his face. “I will.”
“But this…” She gestured around the litter-strewn room—bags of tortilla chips, empty jars of salsa, cups and crumbs scattered everywhere. “This is no way to live.”
“Momma, I’ll get to it. I just need some downtime to figure things out.”
She sighed, tipping her head to one side.
He stood up. “Fine, I’ll go and look for a job.”
He stalked down the hallway to his bedroom and shut the door.
Rita sighed again, feeling a little like she’d done the wrong thing.
Maybe she should’ve left him alone. He’d spent eight years in the military and worked hard during that time, surely she could give him a break.
She went to the kitchen and started making a pot of sweet tea to chill for supper.
An hour later, there was a knock at the front door. Rita answered and immediately smiled at the man standing on her stoop.
“Brian!”
He grinned. “Good to see you, Mrs. Osbourne.”
“Please, call me Rita. You’re not a kid anymore. I wasn’t expecting you. Does Tyler know you’re here?” She ushered him into the house.
“He’s expecting me. I’m his designated driver until he finds himself a vehicle.”
“Well, bless your heart. You’re a good friend. I’m making sweet tea. Would you like some?”
“I’d love a glass, thanks.”
She added a slice of lemon and a handful of ice cubes, then gave the glass to Brian. He took a great gulp.
“What have you been doin’ with yourself these days?”
He shrugged. “Not much. I’ve got that bait shop down the road, but it’s not real busy and I have the staff trained to run things, so I can come and go as I please. I also have a small financial planning business not far from your café. It’s where I spend most of my time.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ve seen it. I drive by it all the time. I didn’t realise you still had the bait shop. I’ve stopped there to buy a drink or snack more times than I can count.”
“My daddy gave it to me when he passed, so I mean to keep it forever. Maybe one day I’ll have a son to take it over.”
“What a great idea,” Rita said. “I appreciate when a family leaves something to the next generation. My parents left me this lake house, and it’s been such a blessing to me and my family.”
“You did well,” Brian said, glancing around the kitchen and dining area. “It’s a nice place. And I know Tyler loved growing up here.”
“I’m glad he did. It was real special to be able to live with my folks and raise my kids at the same time. Then when my husband passed, it meant a lot to me that I had somewhere safe to land. Me and the kids have always felt like this was our refuge.”
“You’ve got two kids, though. Who will you leave it to?”
Rita arched an eyebrow. That was a probing question, but she’d thought about it a few times — the answer seemed too difficult to resolve, so she usually pushed the question aside and thought about other things instead.
“I’m not sure yet. I guess I’ll have to talk to Tyler and Sophie about it and see if it means more to one than the other.”
“How is Sophie?” Brian asked.
“She seems well, although that boyfriend of hers has been stringing her along for a good six years or so now.”
“Six years?” Brian whistled. “That is a while.”
“But she says they’re going to get married. When, I don’t know. But I’m dying to get some more grandchildren before every single hair on my head turns grey.”
Brian laughed. “I can understand that.”
“What about you? Anyone special in your life?”
Brian finished his tea and set the glass down on the counter. “No one in particular.”
“You young guys these days sure do like to put things off.”
His eyes sparkled. “I’ll stop procrastinatin’ just as soon as I find the woman of my dreams. I promise.”
Tyler joined them. He’d changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt tucked in at the waist. His hair was neatly combed, and he carried a stack of papers in one hand.
“Brian’s here to visit me,” Rita said, with a wink.
“He’s been talking about nothing else for days — when can I visit your mom? But since he’s here, maybe he can take me around a few places to see if I can find some work so my momma will get off my back.” He smiled at her to remove the sting from his words.
“You ready then?” Brian asked.
Tyler gave a nod, then kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Momma. I’ve got everything under control. And you’ve got more than enough things to fret over without adding me to your list.”
“You’re always on my list!” she called after him as he walked out the front door with Brian and pulled it shut behind him.