Chapter 33
Summer did a double take as she turned onto Mama’s street after dropping Max off at school. There was a small blue car parked in the driveway. Was she finally going to catch the culprit who brought Mama alcohol?
Grimly, she pulled in behind the car, blocking its owner from making a quick escape. She only hoped she’d have the courage to confront the offender and give them a piece of her mind. Her habit of shrinking from conflict was a problem—she knew that. But it had also helped her survive two decades with Mama.
She opened her car door and took a deep breath of the hot, sticky air to steel herself. Before she could chicken out, she marched up the driveway and shoved open the front door—harder than she meant to. It careened into the house and bounced against the door stop that jutted out from the wall beyond it.
From her recliner, Mama’s head lifted in sour surprise. “Who put a hornet in your pants?”
A man sat in a chair near Mama with his back to the door, and when he turned around, Summer barely managed to stifle a gasp. “Pastor Calvano. What are you doing here?”
“That’s a nice way to greet your father-in-law.” Mama smirked, and Summer couldn’t quite tell if the remark was meant to be cutting or humorous.
“Sorry.” She closed the door behind her. “I wasn’t expecting— What are you doing here?” she repeated.
Pastor Calvano smiled kindly. “Since we’re all family now, I thought it would be good to get to know your mother better.”
Summer nearly groaned out loud. The last thing she wanted was for Pastor Calvano to get to know Mama better.
“The pastor thinks I need more Jesus,” Mama added.
Summer closed her eyes helplessly, but Pastor Calvano chuckled. “We all need more Jesus. I hope you don’t mind if I drop by again.”
Summer held her breath. Mama was going to make some kind of awful reply, and then Pastor Calvano would regret ever coming.
But Mama just shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Pastor Calvano smiled and put his chair back, then headed for the door, where Summer still stood dumbly. She scrambled out of his way, but he stopped and patted her arm. “I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded mutely. It wasn’t until he was out the door that she realized her car was still blocking him in.
She hurried outside, fishing her keys out of her purse. “Sorry about that,” she called. “I’ll move my car for you.”
“It’s no problem.” Pastor Calvano waited outside his car door, and Summer wished he’d get in the vehicle before she reached him so it wouldn’t be so awkward.
But instead of ducking into the car, he stepped away from it, blocking her path. She had no choice but to stop.
“How is everything?” he asked gently. “Benjamin treating you all right?”
“Yes sir.” Her lips curved into an involuntary smile. “Too good, really.”
Pastor Calvano’s smile seemed to relax. “That’s what I like to hear.” He nodded toward the house. “Your mama’s pretty sick?”
Summer nodded. “Yes. End-stage liver disease. The doctor says it’s hard to know how much longer she has.” She didn’t add that it would be longer if Mama stopped drinking. Her mother seemed to be blessedly sober today, and Summer didn’t need her father-in-law knowing what she could really be like.
“I’m sorry.” Compassion shone from Pastor Calvano’s eyes. “I’ll try to stop over often. Maybe she’ll let me do a devotion with her.”
Summer had to stop herself from laughing in his face. Mama had made her feelings about religion clear when Summer and TJ started attending Beautiful Savior.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’m afraid Mama’s not really interested in Jesus.”
“Well,” Pastor Calvano said cheerfully, “Jesus is still interested in her.” With that, he moved out of Summer’s way and got into his car. “See you later. Love you.”
Summer startled. He’d said that the other night when they were leaving his house too, but she’d assumed he was talking to Benjamin. After all, he had no reason to love Summer.
Even so, the words chased her back to her car, and she couldn’t shake the warm, disconcerted feeling they left her with the rest of the morning as she cleaned up Mama’s house, then went to pick up Max, fed him a quick lunch, and headed over to TJ’s to meet the real estate agent.
She and Max got there right at one o’clock, and a red car was already parked in the driveway. She sure hoped the car belonged to the real estate agent. She wasn’t sure she could handle another surprise today.
By the time she unbuckled Max and pulled him out of the car, a pretty blonde woman Summer recognized from the pictures online stood behind her vehicle, waiting for them.
She held out her hand to Summer with a warm, sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances. I’m Jasmine.”
Summer introduced herself and Max. “My, um— My husband—” The word stumbled out of her mouth. “Should be here soon.”
Jasmine’s smile was friendly and set Summer at ease. “Do you want to get started or wait for him?”
“Um. I guess we can get started.”
“Great. Why don’t you give me the tour, and I’ll take some notes and ask questions, and we’ll go from there. You’ve got great curb appeal.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Summer had planted some of the flowers out front herself.
As she led the real estate agent through the house, Summer suddenly saw every little flaw and defect, but Jasmine kept up a steady stream of friendly chatter, simultaneously making notes on her tablet.
They moved into TJ’s room, which still held his bed, since there wasn’t room at Benjamin’s for it, and Summer hadn’t been able to bear selling it. They had talked about putting it in storage so it could be Max’s bed someday.
Summer heard the front door open.
“Sorry I’m late,” Benjamin’s voice called, and Summer’s heart leaped higher than even her best jete.
“Benji,” Max cheered and ran out of the room.
Jasmine paused in the middle of making a note on her tablet and smiled widely. “Someone’s happy to see his daddy.”
“Oh. No,” Summer stammered. “My brother TJ was his daddy. Benjamin is his— Is my—” She stumbled over the word again. “He’s my husband.”
“Of course. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay,” Summer said quickly.
“Look what Benji brought.” Max reappeared in the doorway, his face a wreath of smiles as he hugged a dinosaur stuffed animal in one arm and a koala in the other. “This one is for you.” Max held the koala out to Summer.
“For me?” She stared at it, as Max thrust it into her arms. She instinctively lifted it to her face and slid its silky fur against her cheek. She couldn’t believe he’d remembered. They weren’t even dating yet when she’d told him years ago that koalas were her favorite animal. Or, more likely, he hadn’t remembered. It was only a coincidence.
She was about to ask Max where Benjamin had gone after delivering the gifts when he appeared suddenly in the doorway behind the boy. His eyes went instantly to Summer’s, and the way his face lit up when he saw her cuddling with the koala made her heart stutter. Was it possible he really had remembered?
Summer quickly dropped the toy from her face. “Benjamin.” She stepped to the side. “This is our real estate agent—”
“Jasmine?” Benjamin’s expression registered surprise—and something else Summer couldn’t identify.
“Benjamin?” Jasmine sounded equally astonished.
“You know each other?” It shouldn’t bother Summer that Benjamin already knew the beautiful woman selling TJ’s house for them.
“Jasmine is the one who sold me my house.” Benjamin’s expression returned to his usual easy smile.
“I did,” Jasmine replied, her voice slightly cooler than it had been when she’d talked to Summer alone. “But I didn’t realize you were getting married. I would have taken some other things into consideration if I had.”
Benjamin shifted, and though his smile remained in place, Summer thought he looked slightly uncomfortable. Maybe Jasmine hadn’t been such a great realtor, after all. Summer should have consulted Benjamin before she just chose a random person online.
“We weren’t—ah—married at the time,” Summer said, trying to ease whatever this strange tension was. “We’ve only been married for two weeks. And I love the house you sold him.”
“Oh.” Jasmine looked like she had more questions, but she ducked her head back to her tablet and made a few more notes.
As they moved on to the rest of the house, she didn’t chat nearly as much as she had before. But when the tour was finished, she turned to them with a bright smile. “I’ll go over everything and put together some numbers for you by tomorrow. If you’re happy with them, there’s no reason we can’t have this place on the market by the end of the week.” She held out a hand to shake Summer’s, then Benjamin’s, and whatever weirdness Summer had thought she sensed between them seemed to be gone.
Still, as soon as Jasmine had left, Summer turned to Benjamin. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you before I called her. I didn’t realize she was your agent. Were you not happy with the job she did?”
Benjamin looked surprised. “No, she did a great job. Why?”
Summer studied him for a moment, then shrugged. “Y’all just didn’t seem to really . . . click.”
Benjamin shook his head. “I was just surprised to see her here, that’s all. But she’ll do a great job for us. Now, I have something to ask you.” His expression became boyish and a little mischievous.
Summer tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “What?” she asked cautiously.
“Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?”
“Boy oh boy! Can we go to Murf’s?” Max’s voice broke in.
Summer didn’t even know where he had come from, but she was grateful for the distraction. And the reminder that Benjamin wasn’t asking her on a date. He was asking if they could all go out to dinner.
But Benjamin shook his head. “Sorry, Maxerooni. This time it’s just going to be me and Sunny.”
“That’s not fair.” Max pouted, but Benjamin laughed.
“Maybe you’ll think it’s fair when I tell you that Mia is going to watch you, and she said she’d take you to Daisy’s for pie.”
“Oh boy!” Max lost his pout. “Yes, I think that’s fair.”
Summer’s eyes darted between Benjamin and Max. “Do I get a say in this?”
“Sure.” Benjamin’s boyish grin teased her. “As long as your say is yes.”