Page 83 of Family Jewels

I leaned back in my truck seat. “Thank you.”

“So maybe when you come in on Monday, we can discuss the possibility of a second date. Say, a movie up in Magnolia. Or bowling.”

I laughed. “I’ve never been bowling.”

“What? How is that possible?” he asked with a laugh. “Then we’llhaveto go bowling.”

“Levi, you’re a really great guy—”

“Stop right there,” he said. “Don’t give me the dreaded but. Just take the weekend to think about it. We’ll talk on Monday, okay?”

I smiled. What could it hurt? He was easy company, and I could use fewer complications in my life. I wasn’t ready to commit to another date, but I also wasn’t ready to turn one down. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Good. In the meantime, I’m on call this weekend, so feel free to call me if Muffy needs any medical attention or if you have any questions at all—even if they’re personal in nature.”

I laughed. “It’s no wonder all the women are flocking to your office.”

“The offer only stands for you,” he said, then hung up.

My guts were all twisted up, so I sat in my truck for a moment, staring out the windshield as I tried to decipher my feelings. What was holding me back? My feelings for Mason? But that hadn’t stopped me from wanting to kiss James the other night . . .

There was no doubt about it. If I wanted to de-complicate my life, starting something with James Malcolm was the absolute worst decision I could ever make. A relationship with James would be like being in a category five hurricane while going through an earthquake.

So why didn’t that scare me like it should?

My phone vibrated with a text from Neely Kate asking me how much longer I’d be. I sent her a text telling her I was on my way to Maeve’s.

My last client’s house was less than five minutes from Maeve’s, so I wasn’t surprised when I arrived before Neely Kate. I considered waiting until she arrived to go in, but then I realized I was being silly. No need to act any weirder with Maeve than I already had.

But sadness washed over me as I walked up to Maeve’s front door. Maeve was the only loving mother figure I’d ever had, and I’d practically cut her out of my life.

She opened the door with a warm smile, but she took one look at me and worry filled her eyes. “Rose, is everything okay?”

I laughed and wiped tears from the corners of my eyes. “I’ve just missed you is all. I’ve been so stupid.”

She pulled me over the threshold and into her warm embrace. “You’ve been dealing with your pain in your own way. I just waited until you decided you were ready to come back.”

“How did you know I’d come?” I asked, leaning back and searching her face.

“I didn’t, but I prayed you would.”

I gave her a tight hug, then took a breath and smiled. “Enough nonsense. What can I do to help you with dinner?”

Neely Kate arrived soon after, and we helped Maeve finish preparing dinner. Then the three of us sat around the table and talked for several hours, making up for lost time. But Maeve didn’t mention Mason at all. In some ways, it was a relief, but it didn’t seem fair for her to have to hold back on my account.

“Maeve, you can talk about Mason if you’d like,” I said, then lifted my hand when she started to speak. “No. Just listen.” I took a breath. “We both agreed that going our separate ways was the best option, and I’ll confess part of the reason I’ve stayed away from you is because any reminder of him was painful. I’m in a better place now, and I want you in my life. I’ve missed you. But Mason is your son—your only remaining family member—and I don’t want you to censor yourself around me. You can talk about him as much or as little as you want. I just want you to know that I’m a big girl, and I can handle it.”

She leaned over the table and covered my hand with her own. “Rose, you would be perfectly within your rights if you didn’t want to talk about him.”

“I know. And I appreciate you considering my feelings, but I still care about him too. Maybe it will help to know how he’s doing. If he’s really okay.”

She looked into my face. “You really want to know?”

I nodded, my eyes blurring with tears. “Yeah.”

Sitting back in her seat, she studied me. “He’s thrown himself into his new position with the state’s attorney general. They have him working on a special case, and he’s loving every minute. But I can tell he’s lonely, if nothing else than from the fact that he’s working so much. Even more than when he was an assistant DA in Little Rock and here in Fenton County.”

“Has he moved on?” I asked, my tongue feeling heavy. “Has he dated anyone else?”