Cadence of Cranberries - Valerie Comer Page 0,53

into her bathroom and closing the door. She changed into her flannel jammies and scrubbed the makeup off her face then leaned in to study her haggard face with its lines and spots and the gray roots peeking through her brown strands. She needed a hair appointment, but what was the point? Al was gone. Her kids never noticed. Charlie... who knew?

I’m sorry you feel you need to get away from me without saying goodbye.

He’d sounded disappointed. Even a little terse. But hadn’t he done the same thing, taking off to Seattle with no more than a quick text and no follow-up?

Okay, so she hadn’t texted him when she’d decided to head for Florida. Really, what was there to say? She hadn’t heard from him for two days at that point. That wasn’t love.

She paused with her hairbrush in mid-sweep. Love? Who’d said anything about love? He hadn’t. The relationship was rather new for that, mind you. Only a month. It seemed longer. She’d had high hopes with as easily as they’d clicked and those beautiful kisses that made her long for a new future with Charlie.

Good thing she’d found out how he could go incommunicado on her with no warning early on. Before she’d lost her heart.

Ha. Too late.

She heard Dominic’s key in the front door then his footsteps to the head of the basement stairs. Whew. Maybe she could risk turning on her bedside lamp and reading a little to try and get her mind off things. Maybe something from the Psalms. King David had certainly suffered disappointments in his life, too.

Winnie had no sooner settled against her pillow with her Bible open on her pulled-up knees when there was a tap at her door. No. She closed her eyes. Another tap. She couldn’t pretend she was asleep, not when that thin line of light at the bottom of the door revealed the truth.

“Mom? You awake?” Dominic, of course. But at least he was talking to her, right?

She sighed. “Come on in.”

Her son, now clad in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, let himself in, his dark curly hair so like his dad’s that Winnie looked away.

Dominic settled at the foot of her bed like he’d done so many times. Like all her kids had. That part was familiar, but the awkwardness between them wasn’t.

“I’m tired, Dominic. Can this wait until morning?”

His eyebrows rose. “You and Dad taught us not to go to bed with unresolved conflict.”

Yeah, they had. But where had Dominic been last night when she’d really needed to understand what was going on? Not at the foot of her mattress, for certain.

“Katri and I had our first pre-marital counseling appointment with Pastor Tomas and Juanita today.”

Winnie should be glad that things were back on track for Dominic and Katri. She was glad. If only they hadn’t taken her and Charlie down with them, because the rebound was more complicated for fifty-somethings.

“They’re good people.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know Juanita’s dad had been in and out of jail for theft and drunk driving and all sorts of things.” Dominic uttered a short laugh. “Makes Basil sound practically like a solid citizen with only one DUI to his credit.”

Winnie didn’t particularly want to talk about her wayward nephew. She waited for Dominic to get back to the point. Hopefully, he had one.

“Look, Mom. I’m sorry about what happened. Sorry I let the thing with you and Katri’s dad affect me at all. I should’ve told Squeak Charlie’s a good guy and it would all be fine.”

“He hates being called that.”

Dominic grimaced. “I know. I keep forgetting. But, seriously, Mom, it wasn’t any of my business.”

Yesterday, her son’s words would have healed a tender spot in her heart. Today, Charlie hadn’t called even though he was back in Spokane. Okay, he’d called and left a message she didn’t know how to respond to. And yes, she’d let him go to voicemail. Clearly, she was also at fault.

It wasn’t all up to Dominic. Michael hated her more than ever.

“Can I make it up to you?” Dominic asked, his voice pleading. “I’m really sorry. I overreacted.”

“I wish it were that simple.”

“So Squeak — sorry, Michael — his birthday is next week. Can I do something special for him? I mean, I know it’s right after school goes back in, so it’s not like he can come to Seattle. And I’ve got back-to-back night shifts in ER for a week.” He sighed. “I guess I’m no help.”

“Thanks, but I think this is up to