Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
The workday passes in a blur of phone calls and emails because the only thing that’s going through my head right now are the words I need to say when I confront Mom.
Or, I may be a catfish, but you just got caught on MY line, missy.
Or, I could just say something simple, like Mom, I know you thought Nicholas was the key to your happiness, but you being here shows that he didn’t make you as happy as you deserve to be.
And I know someone who can. Then I’ll pass her the list of numbers I found to marriage counselors and hope will be rekindled for her reconciling with Dad.
Maybe they won’t be a couple again by Gia’s wedding like we originally hoped, but they’ll be on the right track.
When I arrive at Marisol Gardens, I park behind the greenhouse, just like Zach and I arranged. He’s already there and when I pull in beside him, he catches my gaze and gives me a tentative smile.
I need to ignore our spat and get down to business. I roll down my window. “So, today’s the day. We’re ending this thing. How’s your dad doing? Do you think my mom already broke up with him?”
Zach shrugs. “I don’t know. Neither of them has been posting anything, which is kind of weird considering they usually post about the weather and every single meal they eat. I think we really brought out my dad’s bad side at the dance lesson. Now we’re gonna seal the deal.”
I check the time on my dashboard: 5:30 p.m. Mom should be here any minute.
Writing to her as GardenPro6, I told her that I’d meet her inside.
I roll up my window and turn off the ignition, then step out of the car to walk over to Zach.
“Okay, so you wait here, and I’ll come back and tell you how it went down. ”
Zach leans his arm out the car window, resting it on the edge of the door. “Are you sure I can’t come inside and film it?”
I shake my head. “No. She’s still my mom and I want to be sensitive. This is our chance for a heart-to-heart moment.”
“I get it,” Zach says, nodding slightly. “Fair enough. So, are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I tap Zach’s car door twice for good luck, then walk along the glass building toward the front entrance. When I get to the door, I nervously inhale a long breath through my nose. Here goes nothing.
As soon as I swing open the door and step inside, into a warm space that smells like damp soil and flowers, I spot Mom’s buttery blonde hair. She’s admiring a display of ferns hanging from the ceiling and has a peaceful look on her face like she has no idea what’s coming.
I step past rows of lush plants on tiered wooden shelves, orchids and trailing ivy, and approach Mom from behind.
I stop in front of the bird-of-paradise flowers, their orange petals fanning out like flames, which is fitting, because I’m about to set this place on fire with my words. “LadyLuck?” I say in the deepest, most masculine voice I can manage.
Mom swings around to face me, but instead of looking guilty and confused, she gives me a knowing look, like she was expecting me. She smiles wryly. “Hi, Lexi. Or should I say GardenPro6? What’s the six for, by the way? How many times you’ve tried to screw up my relationship?”
My mouth drops open, and heat rushes up my collarbone. “What? What are you talking about?”
Mom makes a disapproving tsk noise and wags her finger at me. I think she tries to frown, too, but the Botox she’s been getting lately doesn’t really allow it.
“I agreed to meet you here because I knew it was you and I also knew you’ve been sabotaging me for weeks.
With Zach. Nicholas and I pieced it all together, but the icing on the cake was the dance studio.
Did you actually think we wouldn’t recognize our own children when they were crashing into us on the dance floor? Of course we knew.”
My hands fly to my hips, and I frown at her to show her how it’s done when you haven’t paid someone to freeze your face. “Why do you still check your Via Match if you’re supposedly so happy with this new guy?”
“Because I figured that your next plan would be to contact me there. I wanted us to talk face-to-face so I could ask you to please stop trying to mess up what I have. Lexi, I’m finally happy and I want you to stop trying to ruin it and just be happy for me.
Please.” Mom stares at me with sadness in her eyes, and it gives me a lump in my throat that’s hard to swallow back down.
A few silent seconds pass; there is no fun—no secret stakeout excitement anymore. Mom brushes a tear away with the back of her hand.
“For as long as I can remember, all I’ve wanted was for you and your sister to be happy,” she says.
“Can’t you let me have a turn now?” Her eyes are wide, shimmering with hurt she doesn’t try to hide.
She keeps telling me there are things about my father I don’t know.
Maybe she’s been going through something tough with him for years and she just endured it because she didn’t want to cause me and Gia any pain.
Zach and I are officially busted and there’s nothing we can really do now other than accept the fact that our parents are a thing.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly and reach out and rest my hand on her shoulder. “I won’t do it anymore. And I’ll tell Zach to stop too.”
Mom pulls me toward her, and I breathe in her new signature scent, Chanel Chance perfume, and allow myself to sink into her embrace.
“Thank you. Your father and I will have a long family discussion with you and Gia, but we’ve both decided to put it on hold until after the wedding.
We don’t want to cause any more drama before the big day. ”
I take a long breath. Cults? Costa Rica?
The swinger lifestyle? I guess I’ll find out soon.
“One more week.” One more week and then maybe my parents can shed a little clarity on how miserable they secretly were for years and how they managed to keep that under wraps while we were totally oblivious to it.
Mom steps back and looks me over. “How have you been doing, besides making appearances as the Phantom of the Opera?”
That makes me smile. We did look pretty ridiculous. Should I tell Mom what’s going on with me lately? She’ll be pretty shocked and might break into a lecture. I let out a little sigh before I blurt out my news. “I broke up with Jayden.”
“What?” Mom’s face crinkles in concern. “You did? Oh, Lexi. I wish I could have been there for you. You could have called me. Are you okay?”
I nod. “I’m okay.” Mom doesn’t ask why I did it and that surprises me. Maybe she always doubted our compatibility or maybe she doesn’t want to pry. “I also want to let you know that I’m going to tell Dad to bring this woman I’ve seen him with to the wedding.”
Mom sighs. “There might be a little more to that story, depending on what you already know.”
“Sure. I get that. I’m just letting you know, so you’re not surprised when you see them together.”
“Talk to your dad first,” Mom urges. “There are a few details that you don’t know and I think you should be aware of them first. I’m leaving it up to him. I feel like this is a conversation that he needs to start.”
“So, do you think this woman should come to the wedding?”
Mom presses her lips together firmly. “If that’s what he wants, then of course this woman should come to the wedding.”
“That’s all you need to say.” I wonder now if Dad was cheating with this younger woman for longer than Mom was with Nicholas. But it doesn’t look like asking her is the way to find out the truth. Mom clearly wants Dad to break the news to me.
“You know Gia’s nonnegotiable list? How you and Dad walking her down the aisle is number two?”
Mom makes a face. “Yes, of course. I have the list memorized. Who doesn’t?”
“Well, can you possibly still walk together, down the aisle, with Dad on the other side of Gia, without either of you trying to trip the other? No punching, no slapping, no swearing at each other?”
“Of course we can.” Mom rolls her eyes. “What do you take us for?”
“Just checking.”
Mom gently rubs my shoulder. “We’re both a lot more content with all of this than you think. We’re just waiting, patiently, for you and Gia to be as well.”
We spend the next half hour walking through the garden, admiring the flowers and plants. Then I walk her to her car, and she turns to give me one last hug. “See you at the wedding, Lexi. No more shenanigans?”
“I won’t do anything else,” I promise. What I can’t promise is that Gia will behave herself too. She hasn’t seen Mom in person in a long time and I’m going to try to convince them to air things out before they see each other face-to-face in order to avoid any wedding day disasters.
Mom drives away and I go around the back of the building to where Zach is waiting, his window still down, classic rock music blaring. He catches my eye, and his face breaks out into a wide grin.
“How did it go? Was she shocked?” he asks.
“Not at all.” I shake my head. “She knew about it all along. They both did.” I proceed to update him on everything my mom told me.
Zach tugs on his beard and closes his eyes for a beat. “I thought we were so slick at the dance studio. That was some of my best acting.”
I smile. “It certainly was very dramatic, that’s for sure.”
Zach clears his throat. “Hey, I wanted to apologize.” He faces me with his smoldering gaze. “I’m sorry that I blamed your mom the other day. I would have been upset if you said that about my dad.”
“Thanks,” I say quietly. I don’t want to tell him it’s okay, because I don’t know if he’s fully ready to stop talking crap about my mom if his own mom isn’t in a happy place yet.
“So, I guess this is it with us trying to sabotage them. We tried everything. They know it was us messing with them and now we either hold a grudge or try to accept things for what they are.”
“Yep. That’s going to be hard.”