Molly shook her head and grinned. “It’s a family gathering.” She opted not to explain further. Francie had been by the house often enough to know exactly what was going on with her father’s case and with the family.
Molly might not be up to seeing her, but she couldn’t leave her on the doorstep either. “Why don’t you come in?”
“Actually, I’m only here to say goodbye. I have a taxi waiting.” Francie gestured to the street where a Yellow Cab emitted fumes.
“Leaving?” Molly’s stomach churned. She didn’t know why. Her mother came and went. That was her M.O. And since on this visit, Molly hadn’t exactly made her feel welcome, she couldn’t understand why she was suddenly feeling panicked now.
“Well, yes. I stayed through your ordeal and now that it’s over, you no longer need me,” Francie said.
Molly shook her head. It was impossible to know if her mother was telling the truth or if the truth just happened to suit Francie’s own time frame.
“We never had our talk,” Frank said to his ex.
From what her father had said, every time he tried to corner her mother and talk about the past, she changed the subject or decided it was time to leave. She had shopping to do or a manicure, or calls to make. She’d kept the taxis in town on a short leash. Molly figured her mother was still flush from her last divorce settlement because things with Lacey’s uncle had gone south before she’d come into any money there.
“Nonsense,” Francie said to Frank. “It was so lovely to see you again and catch up. I’m glad Molly found you. I really am.”
Now, that was probably the one completely true statement Francie had made. It was, Molly thought, as if Francie’s behavior all those years ago had never occurred. Or if it had, Francie felt nobody should hold a grudge.
“Okay, I need to be going now.”
That same panicked feeling took hold. “Wait!”
Her mother glanced nervously back at the cab. Time is money. She didn’t have to say it for Molly to know what she was thinking. And she’d be damned if she’d offer to cover her mother’s cab fare just so she could have five more minutes to say her piece.
And that was why she was panicked, Molly realized. Because she had a few things to say to her mother that couldn’t wait until the next time the woman flitted into the country.
“Either tell him to wait or send him on his way and you can call another one. I need to talk to you.”
Francie blew a kiss. “I’ll call you, I promise.”
“No, you’ll talk to me now. I’m your daughter. I don’t ask anything of you ever, but at the moment I need five minutes of your time.” Molly placed a firm hand on her mother’s shoulder.
Francie shocked her by stepping inside without argument.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Frank said, heading back to the family room.
Molly felt the rest of the family watching them, but she didn’t care. “We need to come to an understanding.” Molly heard her words, unrehearsed, unprepared. And as she spoke, she finally understood what Hunter meant when he said she and her mother hadn’t resolved anything. Because though Molly had yelled at her, Francie had never heard.
“Darling, we understand each other perfectly.”
Molly raised her eyebrows. “If we did, you wouldn’t flit around the world and show up in my life only when it suits you. So from now on, if you want to come visit, you need to call. I need to know you’re coming and you need to ask if the timing works for me. ”
Francie blinked. “I’m your mother. Surely you wouldn’t deny me a visit.”
Molly smiled despite it all. Her mother could be so childlike sometimes it was scary. “No, I probably wouldn’t. Not even if my father were accused of murder and everything around me was a mess,” she admitted.
Francie’s beaming smile told Molly she hadn’t gone far enough in her explanation.
“You see? There’s no reason for such formality between us.”
Molly sighed. “It isn’t about being formal.” She drew in a deep breath and continued. “It’s about my feelings. It would be nice to know you thought about me long enough to at least give me a heads-up. An occasional surprise is okay, too, I guess. Just as long as I hear from you in between. No more months of silence while I wonder if you’re still alive overseas somewhere. And no more flakiness when I call you. If you really can’t talk, call me back. Some common courtesy is all I’m asking. Treat me like I’m your daughter, not an unwanted inconvenience.”
To Molly’s horror, she choked up on the last bit. Her eyes filled too fast for her to get a grip on her emotions.
“God, what a day it’s been.” Molly swiped at her tears with the back of her hand.
Francie looked at Molly. Really looked at her, then reached out and pulled her into an awkward hug. “I guess I can try to be a bit less self-absorbed.” She patted her back and then stepped away.
Leave it to Francie to make it more about her and less about her daughter. But considering she seemed to have gotten the key message, Molly grinned. “Yes, that would be a good thing.”
Francie pressed a finger to her eyes, making Molly wonder if she could possibly be feeling emotional, too.
“Okay, then. Well, I do have to go.”
Molly clasped her hands in front of her. “I know.”
“But I’ll call.” Her mother lifted her small purse strap tighter around her shoulder and met Molly’s gaze. “I’ve said that before, haven’t I?”
Molly nodded and her mother glanced down at the floor. “A feeling of déjà vu swept over me,” she said, obviously embarrassed and much more aware of herself and her actions than she’d been before.
How long it would last was anybody’s guess, but for now, Molly’s words seemed to have had an impact.
“Well, this time I will.” Francie kissed Molly on the cheek and started for the door. She paused, turned back and pulled Molly into an impulsive hug again.
Then, in a flurry of waves, Francie was gone. Except this time Molly didn’t feel the anger of the past. She felt more accepting of her flawed parent and a touch hopeful for the future.
Not delusional, she thought wryly.
Just hopeful.
***
LIFE QUICKLY returned to normal around Molly. Robin went back to school; Jessie and Seth did, too. Although Seth was in counseling, Hunter had worked out a plea deal that involved no jail time for the teen. The general opened his office again with Sonya by his side, helping him pull the records together and start over. And though Frank wanted Molly to be his partner, one week into the transition, Molly knew it wasn’t what she wanted. Shocking, but true.