Cadence of Cranberries - Valerie Comer Page 0,55
day. And not when Michael and Charlie were inside without supervision. The thought made her wish, once again, that she could flee to Florida.
But she was a grownup.
God didn’t seem to be answering her prayer for wisdom, or else she was too distraught to hear. So, she did the only thing she could, and that was pop the hatch open and haul the most perishable produce into the side kitchen door. With any luck, she’d sneak all the bags inside before—
Michael skittered into the kitchen, waving a computer printout and sliding on his sock feet. “Mom, look!”
How long had it been since she’d seen that wide grin on his face? She couldn’t remember. Since before Al’s accident, most likely. “What is it?”
“Charlie’s taking me to a Trail Blazers game for my birthday! They’re playing the Celtics, and we have awesome seats. And we’re flying down and staying in a hotel and everything. It’s gonna be great, way better than Florida.”
Michael danced in glee in front of her. Because of something Charlie had done. She stared, her brain galloping at the same rate as her son’s feet, but nothing came out of her mouth as she slowly lowered the grocery bags to the counter.
Charlie had done... what, exactly?
He leaned in the doorframe to the front foyer, a pleased smirk on his face. Probably expecting her to rejoice with him.
Winnie crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes for a second, and prayed to God — begged Him, actually — that this was just a piece of her overactive imagination. When she opened her eyes again, Michael’s papers were half an inch from her nose. She reared back. “No.”
A furrow came between her son’s eyes. “What do you mean, no? It’s my birthday present. You’re not invited.”
As if that were the problem. “I don’t want to come.” She looked past him at Charlie, who was just starting to straighten. “How could you do this without talking about it first?”
“I thought we—”
She cut off his words with a slice of her hand. “Michael, please bring in the rest of the groceries.”
“Mom, you can’t—”
Watch her. “Michael.”
He scowled at her, the expression far more familiar than the smile of a minute ago. “Fine. But we’re not done here.” He shoved his feet into his boots and stomped out to the van.
“Winnie, I don’t understand.” Charlie reached for her shoulders, but she put the island between them. “We wanted Michael to be okay with us. This is going to pull it off. You’ll see.”
“I would be a totally irresponsible parent if I let my son go on an overnight trip with someone I barely know.”
“You…” He blinked. “What are you saying, exactly?”
“I’m saying no. No way. No how.”
“You think I’m some sort of predator?” His voice rose. “Is that what you’re saying? Jeepers, Winnie.”
“I don’t think that. But I’m his mother, and I don’t want to find out the hard way my trust was misplaced.”
He crossed his arms and widened his stance. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Maybe, but it’s non-negotiable. Besides the fact that it feels like you’re just throwing money around to buy my son’s favor.”
Michael walked in with a few grocery bags and looked between them. When Charlie started to protest, Winnie angled him a look, and he zipped it. Her son sighed, dumped the bags, and retraced his steps.
“Look, buying love may have worked on Julia and your daughters.” Until it didn’t. “But around here, we talk big decisions out and pray together and come to a consensus. We don’t offer a child a huge bribe without parental consultation.”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Talk big decisions out, like you did when you decided to go to Florida without talking to me? When you didn’t answer my phone calls? That’s how you talk things out?”
“Guilty.” She threw up her hands. “After you went off to Seattle with only a casual text to change the plans we’d made.”
He rounded the island, and she stood her ground.
Michael came in. She and Charlie stopped like a freeze-frame movie until her son left again.
This would be his last load, pretty sure. She needed to finish this now. “Charlie, that’s not the point. The point is, Michael’s an impressionable kid, and there’s no way he’s going on a trip with you. It’s just wrong on a dozen levels.”
Charlie shook his head. “You know I’d never hurt Michael. I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”
“It has nothing to do with trust.”
His eyebrows rose.
Why couldn’t he see what she meant? Winnie huffed out a