for her. I read to her, and she enjoys that.”
“So far the cons are winning, Marj.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I know.”
“Let’s get serious for a minute,” Jade said. “This is something you want. Something you need, really, for your own well-being. Everyone should follow her dream.”
I nodded.
“But you’re young. You have all the time in the world to follow your dream. You can put it off if you want to.”
“Believe me. I’ve been through all of this in my head, Jade. I know getting away from Bryce is a big reason I’m thinking about this, but look at it objectively for a minute. How many people in the world put off their dreams for valid reasons, and then those reasons turn into more valid reasons? It becomes a vicious circle, and before they know it, their lives are over and they never did the one thing they dreamed about all those years.”
“Those people didn’t have me for a best friend. I’m not going to let you give up on your dream, Marj. I promise.”
I smiled. No, she wouldn’t allow that. “You want me to stay, don’t you?”
“Of course I want you to stay, but we’re not talking about what I want here. We’re talking about what you want. There are more cons for you going now than pros. That’s just a fact.”
She was right. No doubt about that. “I still want to go.”
“Then I’ll support you. I’ll always support you, and so will Talon.”
“I know. Thanks for that.”
“Just don’t make any hasty decisions for the wrong reasons, okay?”
“All right, all right. You’ve convinced me. I won’t make any travel arrangements today.”
“And tomorrow?”
“I’ll think about everything. I promise.”
“I’m not suggesting you overthink it,” she said.
“I won’t.” Though I would. I always did. “Thanks for the talk.”
I walked out to the kitchen, but Talon shooed me away. “I told you you’re getting the night off. I can handle steaks on the grill, and Jade says she’ll throw together a salad.”
“You can’t just eat steak and salad.”
“We’re not. I put potatoes in the oven to bake.”
“Did you fry some bacon?”
“What for?”
“For loaded baked potatoes.”
“We’ll have butter, salt, and pepper. We don’t need them loaded.”
“Yeah, you do. That’s how the boys like them. I’ll chop some chives for you.”
“Get the hell out of here, Sis.”
“You’ll need some shredded cheese. And sour cream.”
He laughed and actually pushed me out of the kitchen. “We’ll make do. Go do something for yourself.”
Something for myself? I’d read a good part of the afternoon, and then I’d debated going to Paris with Jade. What else could I do for myself?
I headed back to my room, fired up my laptop, and started researching cooking schools in Paris and other places.
Time for Marjorie Steel.
Time for me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bryce
“Hey, Mom,” I said into the phone. “Everything all right?”
“We’re fine, but I’d like you to come home.”
“Why?”
“To spend some quality time with your son. We’re leaving for Florida in the morning.”
“Already? I didn’t think you’d—”
“Vicky was ecstatic when I mentioned we might be coming. They’re still struggling, Bryce, so I decided to make the arrangements. It’s costing a lot at the last minute like this, but Vicky sounded distraught.”
“Don’t worry about money, Mom. I’ll get my first paycheck soon enough.”
“Anyway, come on home, please. I’ll make a home-cooked meal for you and Henry.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I ended the call and turned to Joe. “I’ve got to go. My mom and Henry are leaving for Florida tomorrow.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
I rubbed my jawline, easing the stressful ache there. “Yeah. It’s good. And it’s not good. I’m going to miss my son like crazy, but I need him and Mom away from this mess until we know what’s going on. He’s just a baby, and if anything happened to him…”
“Nothing will happen,” Joe reassured me. “He’ll be safe with your mom in Florida. Believe me. I’ve thought many times of sending Melanie away somewhere since this all crept up again.”
I couldn’t help a chuckle. “I doubt she’d go quietly.”
“If I told her it was important, she’d go,” Joe said. “She would trust me.”
“Why don’t you, then?”
“Selfish reasons. I don’t want to miss the birth of my child.”
I nodded. “I get it. I do.”
“If it gets worse, I’ll send her off.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse, then.”
After we ate my mom’s meat loaf and mashed potatoes and Henry and I played for an hour, I read him a book and tucked him into his crib.