“I can’t believe your father’s so hung up on which meal you ate with him.”
Almost as hung up as her mother was on who Tori had visited first. “I’m really busy, Mom.”
“Busy right now or busy at Thanksgiving?”
“Both.” And if she wasn’t busy come the end of next month, she’d make something up.
Her mom’s sigh was long and loud over the phone. “Maybe I should call Jilly and see if there’s room at the table for me.”
Tori paused in the act of drumming her fingers on her desk. She hadn’t seen that coming. In this post-divorce maneuvering, her mother was attempting to flank her. “Um...”
“I know the divorce surprised you, but you’re an adult, Victoria, and you really should be over it by now.”
“If age matters, then you should be over it, too.”
She heard her mother’s sharp intake of breath. “Of course I’m over it. Divorcing your father was the best thing I ever did.”
They both claimed to be the one who wanted the divorce, of course. As if there was a blue ribbon for being first. “I’ll think about Thanksgiving, Mom.”
She had no desire to go home, so to speak, for the holiday, but the last thing she wanted to do was bring her mother’s horrible attitude into her aunt Jilly’s home on a day that celebrated family and being thankful. If Tori could keep her mom from getting herself invited to her aunt and uncle’s house until it was close enough to the day so it would be rude to invite herself, maybe Tori could then come down with a mystery illness at the last minute.
And it was ridiculous, at twenty-seven years old, to have to fake being sick to play hooky from a family dinner.
“I’ll make your favorite foods,” her mother said in a much softer tone. “Since I know how to cook them.”
“Mom.” Tori sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “If I go to Portland for Thanksgiving, I’m going to see both of you. You know that.”
“You can have dinner and dessert with me and then stop by his house for coffee on the way out.”
“Please stop dragging me into this. You hate each other. Fine. But you’re both still my parents. You’re being really awful.”
“Fine. Do what you want. But someday when a man you thought loved you treats you the way your father has treated me, we’ll see how your attitude is.”
Not if. When. “I have to go, Mom. I’m filling in at the diner and I have to leave now.”
That was a flat-out lie. She was going to spend the day catching up on design work. And she’d worked up a few ideas for the Northern Star ATV Club’s new design, so she’d send those to Josh. If none worked, she’d have to refer him to somebody else and step out of the project. But what her mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
“Let me know about Thanksgiving.”
Tori promised she would and hung up the phone. She not only set it out of easy reach, but she leaned it up against her printer so she would be able to read the screen from her chair. Her parents were hard enough to deal with when she braced herself for them. No more ambushes.
With the bitter taste of love gone horribly wrong in her mouth and thoughts of Max and kisses chased away, Tori downed a gulp of cold coffee and went back to work.
*
By Tuesday, Max was missing Tori. It was probably because he’d spent so much time in her company since the first time he went into the diner, but having no contact with her since dropping her off Saturday night left a void he was antsy to fill.
He’d even caught himself staring off into space, thinking about her, when he was supposed to be researching engine numbers to put on a Santa Fe Railway Prairie class. A little extra time in the shower wasn’t enough to cure his restlessness, either.
She’d told him to text her sometime in “the next few days,” so it was probably time. Not that he was particularly interested in whatever she meant by flash cards, but he wanted to hear her voice.
Or, more accurately he supposed, see the words she typed into her phone. Texting wasn’t the same as a phone call, but he was nothing if not a man who could follow directions.
Because reception could be iffy in the basement, he took the phone upstairs and sat down at the kitchen table.
Hi, Tori. It’s Max.
He scowled, then hit the backspace until it was all erased. It wasn’t necessary to tell her who he was. She’d saved him in her contacts and it would show his name. And if she didn’t have unlimited texting with her cell phone plan, it would be a waste of money.
Are you busy? That was better, so he hit Send.
Not too busy. I got the flash cards done! When are you free?
Anytime, and the sooner the better. The problem with going out and being sociable was feeling isolated if you didn’t go out and socialize. My schedule’s flexible.
This afternoon? Or later?
He’d already given up on working anyway. Sure. Any time you show up is good.
Haha. Would drive you crazy not to have a time. I’ll be there at one.