Page 12 of Someone to Call My Own
“No, there’s no problem,” he said. “It’s just that Josh’s Sunday dinners are very sacred. They’re very important to him, which means that you’ve made a good impression on him.” I figured it was closer to that adage that said you should keep your friends close and enemies closer. Josh had thawed a bit toward me, but he was still wary. Gabe wasn’t though, and it made me curious. Usually, law enforcement officers typically didn’t trust me as far as they could throw me.
“I think it’s more like pity, Gabe, but I appreciate what you said. If you’re sure it won’t be a problem…”
“You’re more than welcome to join us for dinner, Emory. I mean that.” Before Gabe could say anything else, a short, older lady, who introduced herself as Mrs. Miller from two doors down, stopped by to welcome me to town. It was obvious she wanted to chat, so Gabe excused himself. “I’ll see you Sunday,” Gabe tossed over his shoulder as he walked away like my attendance was a given.
My quick trip to the hardware store turned out to be the exact opposite because Mrs. Miller thought the best way to welcome me to the neighborhood was to tell me all about her family. I wondered what possessed her to think a stranger would want to know the names of all her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren, where they went to school, and where they worked. Was that how small town USA worked? I quickly realized she had a master plan all along when she mentioned her youngest granddaughter, Sabrina, who happened to be single.
“Tell me, dear,” Mrs. Miller said, leaning toward me, “are you single?”
I fought the urge to blow out a frustrated sigh. Technically, I was a single man, but River took my heart with him to his watery grave. I never wanted to get it back because I never planned to love again. That was information I only told the people closest to me, not a complete stranger. “I’m a widower,” I said. I saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes, and it seemed that widower equaled a yes. I knew I had to act fast, so I told her as much of the truth as I was willing to share. “I’m nowhere close to being ready to date again, Mrs. Miller.”
“Oh, dear, I’m truly sorry for your loss,” she said kindly. “I’ll pray for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, not sure how else to respond. It wasn’t that no one said that to me before, but again, it was someone who knew me well—or at least longer than five minutes. I held up my basket with paint supplies. “I hate to run, but I need to get back to my project. I have just a quarter of the living room left to finish.”
“Oh, don’t you apologize to me.” Mrs. Miller waved the idea away. “Thank you for entertaining a silly old woman.”
I looked around the hardware store then back at her. “What old woman?” I playfully winked at Mrs. Miller before I headed to the register, and she giggled.Ah, I still had a little charm left in me.
“What did you do today?” Memphis asked when he phoned later that evening. For once I did something besides read a book.
“Painted the living room,” I answered.
“You did?” Memphis asked in surprise. “Does that mean you’re staying there?” I couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad, but I thought I detected a hint of both. Was he happy that I seemed to be moving forward with my life, but sad that it was far away from him? That was honestly how I felt about the situation.
“For now,” I replied because that was the only truth I knew. “I looked up some paint ideas on Pinterest, and I like the finished look.” I designated one wall as the accent wall and painted it a charcoal-gray color, which looked fabulous behind my white leather couch. I painted the remaining three walls a smoky blue-gray color that I thought was serene and peaceful. “Tomorrow, I’ll shop for artwork.”
“I’m happy for you, Em.” Memphis got quiet, and I knew what he was going to ask next, so I saved him the hassle.
“I called her, but she was too busy to talk to her only son,” I told him. “She didn’t attempt to call me back either so she either tested me to see if I would call or whatever she’d wanted to say to me was no longer relevant. Either way, I’ve called Audrey McIntire-Whelan for the last time.” I released a frustrated breath. “Besides, your mom was more of a mother to me than my own. I don’t know where I’d be in life without those summers spent at your house, Memphis.”
Our mothers were sisters, but you’d never know it by looking at them or talking to them. They looked nothing alike, and their personalities were as different as night and day. My aunt Karen married her high school sweetheart and lived a happy middle-class life filled with love and laughter. Middle of the road had never sat well with Audrey McIntire, so she used her looks to enter beauty pageants and earn college scholarship money that put her in the vicinity of some of the wealthiest men in America. She snagged one of them when she met my father, but I knew for a fact her life didn’t turn out close to what she’d planned. The summers I spent with Aunt Karen, Uncle Scott, Memphis, and his little sister, Marcy, were the best times in my life.
When I sent a Mother’s Day card or flowers, it was to my aunt Karen, not my incubator. Just thinking about my mother soured my mood. I needed to dispell the gloom that settled over me, so I changed the subject. “Well, it’s been a few days since you and Caleb broke up, so can I assume you’ve met someone else by now?”
“Hardy har har,” Memphis replied sarcastically. I could practically hear his eyes rolling through our phone connection. But I could also tell I was right.
“What’s his name?” I asked, pressing for more information.
“It’s not what you think,” Memphis replied.
“It never is,” I remarked. “So, what’s the deal? Let me live vicariously through you.”
“Em, you have a mirror. You know damn well that you’re a good-looking guy,” Memphis countered. “Don’t even act like you’re some ugly codger who couldn’t get a date.”
I knew that people found me attractive, but that never mattered to me. I never wanted to fuck around or pick up strange men; I wanted someone to call my own. For nine months out of every year, I was the loneliest person in the world. I was nothing more than a pawn used in a power play between parents who hated each other. In fact, the only thing they could agree on was their disappointment in me. I wanted someone to love me forme, and I found that with River.
I chose to ignore Memphis’s remark and said, “Tell me about your night.”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he replied.
“Ha! I knew it,” I said gleefully. “Since when don’t you kiss and tell?” I countered. He loved to brag about his conquests. “This guy must be special to you.”
“It was one date,” Memphis said dryly. “I’m hardly ready to send out wedding invitations.” I knew that I wanted to marry River on our first date, so I didn’t think it was that far out of the realm of possibility. “But yeah, it felt special to me.”
“I hope everything works out for you,” I told my cousin. He was an amazing person with a kind heart and whimsical spirit, who often fell for the bad boys. He wanted to help them, but they didn’t always want his help.
“Thanks, Em. I’d ask you for hints about my future, but you don’t do parlor tricks,” Memphis said.