Read Online Pretending Hearts by Heather Topham Wood - Free Book Online Page B

phone pressed against my ear.
    “Hello.”
    “You are alive . I was beginning to have my doubts,” my mother whined in my ear. I regretted answering as soon as I heard her tone. My mom was the most draining person in the planet and my lack of sleep would make it exceedingly difficult to deal with her.
    “Yes, still alive and kicking,” I muttered.
    “Well, what have you been doing? Besides not checking in with your mother,” she snapped.
    “You know, the usual stuff: selling drugs, selling my body, selling our story to the tabloids,” I said lightly.
    “ Hilarious , Delia,” she replied drily. “I bet your new college friends are enchanted with your delightful brand of humor.”
    I rolled my eyes. “How about we start over?” I suggested and diminished the sarcasm in my tone. “How are you, Mother?”
    “Lonely,” she said and exhaled. “I hate how quiet the house is at night.”
    Her response made me feel guilt over my snippy behavior. My mother truly had no one in her life. Her parents and first husband died years ago. She was divorcing my dad and both of her children had moved out of the house. Since Blake distanced himself from the family, I was her only source of companionship.
    “Why don’t you take up a hobby? Find some sort of book club or something to help you meet new people? A club could give you something to do after work,” I suggested.
    “And sit around with the lonely housewives of Clark?” she asked with derision. “No, thank you. I won’t give more fodder for the gossips of this town.”
    “I’ll be home on Thanksgiving. We’ll have fun this year. I’ll make that sweet potato casserole only you and I love to eat.” My voice was filled with promise. Promises that I could make things better. She didn’t have to be unhappy any longer. I was learning to be happy and so could she.
    “Your brother won’t be here. He has a game that day,” she said forlornly. If my mom had so much free time, she should consider creating the official Blake Preston Fan Club. She seemed more invested in Blake’s career than he was.
    “Good, he won’t be around to complain about my lumpy mashed potatoes,” I chirped.
    My comment made her laugh. “Yes, he did make quite a scene two years ago by pretending to choke.” I joined in on her laughter. I was warmed by the memory of the last Thanksgiving Blake, my mom and I had spent together. The holidays were hard when my dad was in prison, but my brother always made us feel better about the empty spot at the table. He would make jokes, play pranks, and sing ridiculous pop songs—anything to make us laugh. I never thought of how exhausted he must have felt being the family jester.
    Once our laughter died away, my mom said in a sobering tone, “Your dad came over for dinner a couple of nights ago. He said you haven’t called him either.”
    “Dad was over? For what?” I demanded, ignoring her fishing attempts.
    I hadn’t only blown off my mom. I decided to go off the grid for a bit with my dad as well. He had called a few hours after Autumn had come to my dorm. I was riled up by her visit and I couldn’t seem to settle down. The norm was for me to feel indignant over the way Autumn behaved in the past. My dad wanted to talk about college and my courses, but I couldn’t focus on the conversation. I was too distracted by thoughts of what happened between my dad and Autumn. Had the time come for me to start digging for the truth about their relationship?
    “Like I said, I’ve been lonely and I’m trying to keep things civil,” she said matter-of-factly. “I thought your father and I could have dinner together and talk about what has happened to our family in the past four years. We’ve both made mistakes and I think we’re finally both ready to admit what we could’ve done differently.”   
    I was dumbstruck and chewed on my lower lip as I analyzed what a civil dinner between my father and mother could mean. I wanted to ask if the dinner