mother couldn’t look through the windows. If she hadn’t seen them, she wouldn’t know Meg was home and she couldn’t interrupt their afternoon alone. Now she faced the third degree about what she was doing with Sam. Her only hope of sidetracking her mother was if she noticed Maud was missing, and her reaction to that wouldn’t be any better than her reaction to Meg being alone in Sam’s room without a chaperone.
After unlocking the back door, Meg turned and headed for the fridge. She needed a drink. A stiff brandy would be wonderful if she had to visit with her mother, but a Diet Coke was probably the best she could find.
Can in hand, she popped the top and turned in time to see her mother struggle through the doorway with a large suitcase.
“Going on holidays?”
Her mother dropped the case and glared at her. “No. I’ve left home, for good.”
Oh God. What now? Why did life keep doing this to her? Couldn’t she have a normal family like everyone else? Not everyone’s life lurched from crisis to crisis. Although, whatever had her mother’s knickers in a knot was obviously so distracting she hadn’t even thought to make a comment about what Meg was doing with Sam when she peered in the window.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Your dad is insufferable.”
Meg choked back a laugh; coming from her mother, that was ridiculous. The man deserved a medal for putting up with her.
Sam sauntered into the room. He’d tugged on his jeans and a T-shirt, but his hair still stood up in tufts and his feet were bare.
“Hello, Mrs. Riley.”
“Samuel, you’re such a lovely boy. Take my things through, please.”
Meg’s mother collapsed into a chair, pulled off her hat and gloves, and then tugged a handkerchief from her handbag and sniffled.
Sam looked at Meg. She nodded toward the suitcase and gave a shrug. It appeared her mother was staying with them.
Without a word, Sam picked up the suitcase and disappeared into the living room. Apparently, he knew better than to argue with Mrs. Riley. That was a job best left to Meg.
“Cup of tea, Mum?”
The unwanted intruder nodded. As she filled, and then switched on the kettle, Meg tried to think of some reasons why her mother might have left her father. Clearly, she couldn’t stay with them, they had no room. The first course of action was to return her to her husband’s loving embrace. The man had signed up for the job after all.
“Where’s Aunt Maud?”
Meg pulled two mugs from the cupboard and added a teabag to each.
“She had to go out and run some errands.”
“On her own?”
“With a friend.” Hopefully her mother would be long gone before Laura and Maud returned. She would never approve of Maud being out with Laura unsupervised. Meg turned to switch off the heat under the whistling kettle. She filled the cups, tossed the teabags in the garbage bin, and placed a mug in front of her mother before retrieving milk, sugar, and teaspoons.
Her mother turned up her nose. “Don’t you own any china cups? Tea tastes much nicer in a proper cup. I don’t do mugs. I should have brought my Noritake tea service, but I barely had time to pack anything. I bet I didn’t even remember a handbag to match my white church shoes.”
She sniffed loudly into her handkerchief. Meg wasn’t sure if her mother was more distraught about having mismatched outfits in her case or about the apparent end of her marriage.
Sam arrived back into the kitchen wearing shoes and a jacket.
Her mother glanced up at him. “Are you going out? Good boy. I need to talk to Meg, alone.”
Meg folded her arms. “You want to discuss Dad?”
Her mother shook her head. “No, I want to talk about you. However, I don’t think you should be airing your dirty linen in front of strangers.”
“Sam’s not a stranger. This is his home. I don’t have any secrets.”
“I’m sure you do, dear. Sam doesn’t need to hear about your lifestyle issues. He’s such a good
After unlocking the back door, Meg turned and headed for the fridge. She needed a drink. A stiff brandy would be wonderful if she had to visit with her mother, but a Diet Coke was probably the best she could find.
Can in hand, she popped the top and turned in time to see her mother struggle through the doorway with a large suitcase.
“Going on holidays?”
Her mother dropped the case and glared at her. “No. I’ve left home, for good.”
Oh God. What now? Why did life keep doing this to her? Couldn’t she have a normal family like everyone else? Not everyone’s life lurched from crisis to crisis. Although, whatever had her mother’s knickers in a knot was obviously so distracting she hadn’t even thought to make a comment about what Meg was doing with Sam when she peered in the window.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Your dad is insufferable.”
Meg choked back a laugh; coming from her mother, that was ridiculous. The man deserved a medal for putting up with her.
Sam sauntered into the room. He’d tugged on his jeans and a T-shirt, but his hair still stood up in tufts and his feet were bare.
“Hello, Mrs. Riley.”
“Samuel, you’re such a lovely boy. Take my things through, please.”
Meg’s mother collapsed into a chair, pulled off her hat and gloves, and then tugged a handkerchief from her handbag and sniffled.
Sam looked at Meg. She nodded toward the suitcase and gave a shrug. It appeared her mother was staying with them.
Without a word, Sam picked up the suitcase and disappeared into the living room. Apparently, he knew better than to argue with Mrs. Riley. That was a job best left to Meg.
“Cup of tea, Mum?”
The unwanted intruder nodded. As she filled, and then switched on the kettle, Meg tried to think of some reasons why her mother might have left her father. Clearly, she couldn’t stay with them, they had no room. The first course of action was to return her to her husband’s loving embrace. The man had signed up for the job after all.
“Where’s Aunt Maud?”
Meg pulled two mugs from the cupboard and added a teabag to each.
“She had to go out and run some errands.”
“On her own?”
“With a friend.” Hopefully her mother would be long gone before Laura and Maud returned. She would never approve of Maud being out with Laura unsupervised. Meg turned to switch off the heat under the whistling kettle. She filled the cups, tossed the teabags in the garbage bin, and placed a mug in front of her mother before retrieving milk, sugar, and teaspoons.
Her mother turned up her nose. “Don’t you own any china cups? Tea tastes much nicer in a proper cup. I don’t do mugs. I should have brought my Noritake tea service, but I barely had time to pack anything. I bet I didn’t even remember a handbag to match my white church shoes.”
She sniffed loudly into her handkerchief. Meg wasn’t sure if her mother was more distraught about having mismatched outfits in her case or about the apparent end of her marriage.
Sam arrived back into the kitchen wearing shoes and a jacket.
Her mother glanced up at him. “Are you going out? Good boy. I need to talk to Meg, alone.”
Meg folded her arms. “You want to discuss Dad?”
Her mother shook her head. “No, I want to talk about you. However, I don’t think you should be airing your dirty linen in front of strangers.”
“Sam’s not a stranger. This is his home. I don’t have any secrets.”
“I’m sure you do, dear. Sam doesn’t need to hear about your lifestyle issues. He’s such a good
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