Gypsy Magic - J.R. Rain Page 0,5
get in the shower and brush your teeth and then it’s bed!”
“Mom! I had a shower yesterday!”
“How are you both settling in?” Mom asked.
“Just a second,” I answered and then faced my stinky child again. “Right, and you have to shower every day!”
“Why? I put on deodorant!”
“I don’t care! Now, off you go!”
“Jeez,” Finn grumbled, but he headed for the bathroom, all the same.
“Hi, Mom,” I started again. “Everything is going good, so far.”
I didn’t want to tell her about the condition of the house. I just… didn’t have the energy. Instead, I sat down at the desk in the far end of the crowded room and pulled out a small notepad from one of the drawers.
“… just can’t wait to see pictures and we want to know all about the town,” Mom continued. I was only half-paying attention to the conversation. Most of my concentration was on the list of to-do items I was currently working on.
“I’ve been telling you to open a store for how long now?” she asked.
“Ten years,” I answered, trying to restrain a gusty sigh.
“And you never listen to your mother. Didn’t I tell you this would be a great idea? Reggie, tell your daughter she’s going to do great!”
On the other end of the line, I could make out a soft grunt that was dad-speak for ‘the game’s on—leave me in peace, woman.’
“Dad thinks it’s a really great idea, sweetie,” Mom confirmed. “Oh! And that gout potion I whipped up has your father back on his feet again! Adding the extra ginger root to GG’s recipe was exactly what it needed. Good thing I still have the knack!”
GG was short for ‘Great-Grandma’ and GG was my mom’s mother, who was still alive and sly as an old fox.
But, back to Dad… I was fairly sure losing twenty pounds by laying off beer and pizza had more to do with his recovery than GG’s home remedies. But hey, I needed the pep talk and it was nice to know Mom believed in me. At least someone did.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And once you’re all settled in, you can start thinking about finding the right man?”
“Mom…”
“Eventually you’re going to want a partner, Holly. You’re still young… ish and you don’t want what happened with Jeremy to stop you from dating again.”
“I just need some time, Mom.”
“Have you used that Match.com subscription I got you for your birthday?”
No, I hadn’t. And I wasn’t in any hurry to start now. “Not yet.”
“Well, don’t forget. Your future husband could be on it, just waiting for you.”
Yeah. Right.
“I won’t forget.”
Dating was a sensitive subject for me, in general. And it always had been. I wasn’t sure if I’d been in love with Finn’s father. Not that it really mattered anyway, because as soon as he’d found out I was pregnant, he’d split like a worn-down inseam. I’d always grown up with the notion that it took two to parent so I’d shopped for father figures... and found Dylan the drunk, Charlie the cheap, Simon the serial philanderer, and Theodore the thief. And then there was Jeremy, the crowning glory.
After getting out of that debacle, I’d decided to stay out of the dating pool. But telling Mom as much would just upset her. Maybe I’d at least set up my profile—just to make her happy. Dating at forty-three wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. Ahem… understatement of the century.
“I’ll look tonight,” I promised.
“Okay, love you, sweetie.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
“Say hi to Finn for us.”
“I will.”
She tried to squeeze in another piece of advice before the phone clicked. Whoops. I was too tired to call back and there was still a lot left to do. I needed to write a list of everything that needed fixing at the house, and I needed to make a list of the materials I’d need to construct the shelves for my store. As well as watch a YouTube video on how to make shelves. Sigh.
Not to mention that tomorrow was a really big day! Finn and I would be waking up early in order to meet the moving truck which was due to arrive in the morning.
Finn stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his middle. Then he reached inside his suitcase and pulled out his Christmas pajamas which were a size too small. He pulled them up his long, skinny legs and then jumped on his twin size bed, which was just beside mine. Then he clicked on the TV, and immediately started