Instead of calling, I sent her a text.
I LOVE YOU, MOM.
Within seconds my phone rang and I smiled…even as tears burned my eyes.
I combed a trembling hand through my hair. “Hello,” I said, my voice cracking at the last second. Fuck!
“Brax, what’s wrong?”
Just hearing her voice put a lump in my throat. I took a deep breath and released it. “Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I loved you.”
There was silence on the line. “Well, I appreciate that, and I love you, too…but what’s wrong?”
I shook my head. She could always smell bullshit a mile away.
“I just had a rough day.”
“What happened?” She sounded alarmed, and I was pissed at myself for making her worry.
I would never tell her about dad. He was a sore subject that would instantly put her in a bad mood, and I didn’t want her to worry about me. She’d spent the past twenty-two years doing that.
“Is the business doing okay? I could send you some money.”
“Business has never been better, Mom. I hired a great crew, and they’re working on that new subdivision I was telling you about while I help Toby’s sister out with a renovation.”
“That’s right. Mandy’s back. How is she doing?” As always, there was concern in my mom’s voice.
I’d love to tell her how much I cared for Mandy, but I wasn’t ready for the barrage of questions that would follow. “She’s doing good.”
“She’s a strong woman. I bet that son of a bitch will rue the day he let her go.”
“There’s no doubt about it.” No doubt the son-of-a-bitch was suffering from regret. “She’s a keeper, that one.”
Again, there was hesitation. “You always liked her, didn’t you?”
The woman was psychic, I swear.
She laughed lightly. “Be careful. She’s your best friend’s sister.”
I didn’t need reminding of that fact.
A ping sounded, signaling I had a message. I held the phone away from my face and saw the text was from Amanda.
My heart missed a beat.
I HAD FUN TODAY. THANK YOU FOR THE RIDE. The rest of the message was off-screen.
My bad mood immediately lightened. “Mom, I need to go. I’ve got an early day, okay? I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you.”
“Okay, honey. I’m glad we talked. It’s nice to hear your voice. I miss it when I don’t hear it.”
“Yours, too.”
“Brax, are you sure you’re alright?” She sounded hesitant. “I could come up and visit…”
I rubbed my jaw, knowing tomorrow I would have a huge bruise there. “Yeah, I’m fine, Mom. I promise. I’ll call soon. Tomorrow’s a new day.”
CHAPTER 6
Amanda
I had been so bummed out last night after Brax left that I had called Kara. She’d seemed really excited to talk, and although I didn’t bring up anything about Brax, she offered to come by and help me today.
At eight o’clock this morning, she showed up wearing rolled up sweat pants and a paint stained t-shirt and holding two large cups of coffee. “Double Mocha Delight. I also bought you a blueberry muffin. You’re losing your ass, and how are we going to get you a man if you have no ass?”
I smiled, happy to have her around. “Where are the kids?”
“At my mom’s.”
“I didn’t mean to keep you away from them.”
She snorted and shot coffee out her nose. Pulling a Kleenex from her purse, she said, “Are you kidding me? Wild horses couldn’t pull me away from seeing Brax Mitchell swinging a hammer in ninety-degree heat. Though he might be grossed out at me because I’m already raining sweat, and I’ll be a stinky mess come noon, which is as late as you’ll get me today by the way. Well, maybe as far as two o’clock. It depends on the amount of skin in the room.”
“I’m happy to have you at all. Thank you, and thank your kids.”
“Seriously, they’re loving their life right now. Any time they get to see my mom is a bonus for them and for me.” She took a sip of her coffee and set it on the windowsill. “So where is the eye candy?”