“I’m glad,” she said. “I’m glad you trusted him with that and I’m glad that’s why he was the way he was because he scared me but it doesn’t scare me now that he was that way for you.”
It was me who was now shivering.
I ignored this and said, “You need anything to wear, just dig in my suitcase.”
“We left all your shopping bags in my car,” she reminded me then muttered, “bummer,” then walked up the stairs.
I turned to the computer and as the shower went on I held my breath and checked my e-mail.
Nothing from Niles.
Drat.
I looked up the stairs, I could hear the noise of the shower but it was significantly muted and I suspected I heard it because I was listening. Max built a quality house.
I leaned forward and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. Then I called Niles. Then I held my breath while it rang.
Then I got voicemail.
“Niles?” I said into the phone after I heard the beep. “This is Nina. I called because I thought we could talk. We need to… finalize things.” God, I was such an idiot. “I’ll call back later.”
Then I touched the screen to end the call. Then I called my mother.
“Oh my God!” she said instead of hello. “I thought you’d never phone.”
“Hi Mom.”
“Get let out of Max Prison?” she asked, her tone amused as I shut down my e-mail and headed across the house to the coffee.
“I wasn’t in Max Prison.”
“He sounds interesting.” Her tone now sounded nosy.
I changed the subject and informed her, “I just called Niles.”
She was quiet a moment then asked, “And?”
“Voicemail, I left a message.”
“Did you check your e-mail?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
“That boy,” she muttered.
“It’s okay, we’ll have dinner or something when I get home, talk it through, finish it up like two adults.”
“Yes, it would be novel for you two to actually speak to each other in the same room while you break off an engagement. Not talk via e-mail and voicemail.”
“Mom.”
“Neenee, I’m just glad you’ve made your decision and you’re moving on. And… speaking of moving on –”
While we were talking, I’d hit the coffeepot and poured myself a cup. I put the milk back and closed the fridge cutting her off, “Mom –”