Chapter 28

Tessa

 

 

“Are you up?” my mother’s sing-song voice practically cut through my flimsy bedroom door. We definitely needed better doors.

“No,” I mumbled.

She laughed. “You answered me, so yes you are. Come on. I want to go get breakfast at that place you told me about. You remember? The one you said had the world’s best French toast?”

My eyes popped open. Oh, God. Saturday morning at Ian’s diner. That could be risky. Hopefully, I could stall, and he would be gone by the time we got there. There was no way I could deny my mother.

“Fine. Give me ten minutes,” I grumbled.

“I have your coffee ready, dear. Don’t be long,” she said, her voice trailing down the hall, back to the kitchen. 

I groaned, rolled out of bed and headed for a quick shower. Her surprise visit was great, I supposed, but she nearly walked in on a very embarrassing situation. Ian had called right back, but I had to decline the call. I thought about texting him and letting him know what the situation was but never got to it. My mom kept me up late last night, wanting to talk. And now she was pulling my ass out of bed way too early.

Once I was fortified with a cup of coffee, we headed for the beach first.

“I can see why you come here,” my mom said, sitting beside me in my favorite place for peace and reflection.

“It’s nice,” I replied. This wasn’t a place I liked to share with anyone, but I knew it would make my mom feel better knowing I had somewhere like this to go.

“How are you really doing?” she asked.

I smiled. “Actually, very well. After my trip home, things have been pretty good.”

I couldn’t exactly tell her about Ian or the fact that he was my reason for doing better. I wished I could. I wanted to share it with her, but I knew it would only stress her out and earn me a serious lecture. For now, I would keep it for myself. It could turn out to be a fling, and that is certainly not information my mother needed.

“Ready to get some of the best French toast in the world?” I asked her.

“It’s about time. I thought I would starve to death before you fed me,” she laughed.

When we pulled off the street to park, I scanned the area, praying Ian wouldn’t be at the diner. The coast was clear. When we headed in, my heart dropped. There was that familiar head again. If I pretended not to see him, he would know and take it as a message I didn’t want to keep up our little thing.

He turned to wave at the waitress, and our eyes met. He appeared shocked at first before I saw the hurt wash over him. He thought I hung up on him and was dodging his calls. I was, but not for the reasons he thought.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Professor Dunlap,” I said, walking towards him.

He stood and waited for us to reach him. “Good morning,” he said, in his most professional demeanor.

“Professor Dunlap, this is my mom, Lynn. She flew in to surprise me last night,” I said with a smile. I saw the instant realization dawned on him. “Mom, this is the professor I work for as a teaching assistant.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.

“This is your boss?” my mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I guess, technically he is my boss,” I clarified.

I looked at Ian who was fighting back a smirk. I could only imagine what he was thinking, and it would definitely not be appropriate for my mother to know.

“Well, thank you. Are you dining alone?” my mom asked.

My eyes widened, knowing exactly where this was going. “Mom, I’m sure the professor would prefer to eat in peace. He doesn’t need a couple of chatty woman bothering him.”

“Please, have a seat. I’d love the company,” he said with a smile, winking at me before I slid into the booth with my mother.

This was going to be awkward. We sat down, ordered, and waited for our food. I felt the need to fill the silence.

“So, yesterday, was crazy,” I started. “One of the students in my last class of the day has diabetes. His sugars spiked. He was acting strange and then he just keeled over. The professor called 911. Paramedics came, and, well, it was definitely a crazy day.”

“Wow,” Ian said. “I hadn’t heard.”

“That poor young man,” my mother added.

“The paramedics assured us he would be fine,” I said.

When our food arrived, I sighed in relief. Something to fill the gap. We didn’t have to talk if we were eating.

My mother dove into her food, making sounds of pleasure, which only made the tension between Ian and me worse.

“Tessa, you were right. This is absolutely fabulous. I have to get the recipe,” she said, barely able to speak around the food in her mouth.

I laughed. “Please do, and then you can make it for me when I come to visit.”

We finished our meals, and I nearly kissed Ian when he excused himself, claiming he had to meet his brother. He had extricated himself, which would make my day a lot easier. I knew my mom would have invited him to tag along.

“Want to walk around the island?” I asked her.

“Yes, that would be lovely. That meal was delicious, but I think I feel arteries clogging and cellulite forming. We need to work it off right away,” she joked.

I showed her around the island, stopping to take a few pictures of each other and even a few shots together. After Talia’s death, we realized how important every single picture was. You could never have enough pictures.

“I can see why you love it here,” my mom said as we sat on a bench staring out at the sea.

“I do. I love it. I don’t love the threat of hurricanes, but the other three hundred and fifty days of the year it is idyllic,” I said with a smile.

“Your boss, he seems nice,” she started; I knew she was hinting at something.

“He’s only my boss, Mom,” I assured her.

She nodded but didn’t say more about it.

“Hungry yet?” I asked her.

Her eyes got big and round. “Are you serious? Tessa, it’s only been a few hours since breakfast!”

I shrugged. “Yeah, but when you’re here, you have to try key lime pie on a stick.”

“How is that even possible?” she asked, clearly intrigued.

I laughed. “I’ll show you. Come on,” I said, heading for one of the many shops around the area that sold the scrumptious dessert.

We ordered, and my mom looked at the dessert with a little hesitancy. “Trust me, you’ll love it,” I promised her, taking a bite of my own.

She nibbled it at first and then nodded her head. “This is absolutely divine. What a clever idea!” she said, turning the sweet treat around to get a better look at it.

I nodded. “The first time I had one I was a little hesitant but was quickly sold on the idea.”

We continued to stroll around Key West, acting like many of the other tourists who had flocked to the area. My mom was in awe of the sights, sounds, and of course, the people from all walks of life who came to visit the place.

“How about we go back to my house, change, and come back down here later this evening? On a Saturday night, you’ll find a ton of vendors and musicians, and the nightlife is exciting. I really want you to see the sunset. It is probably the most beautiful sight you will ever see,” I told her, suddenly excited to share the experience with her.

“I’d love that. Are you sure you don’t have any plans? A hot date or something?” she asked.

“Nope. Maria probably has plans with her boyfriend. My big plans included studying and a Netflix marathon,” I told her. “I want to. Really.”

“Okay, sounds like a date. I’d like to go by that dress shop we passed earlier. I want some of those pretty sundresses you always wear,” she said, as we headed back to my car.

We stopped so she could pick up a few dresses. It had been a long time since I got to spend time with my mom doing normal things we used to. Talia was always a presence in our conversations, but we didn’t dwell on it. I couldn’t wait to tell Ian all about my day with my mom. I knew he would be happy that I was getting this time with her.

“You ready?” I asked my mom through the closed bathroom door. She had showered and was changing into one of her new dresses, which gave me a few minutes of privacy.

I called Ian. “Hi,” I said when he answered. “I only have a minute,” I whispered. “I wanted to apologize for hanging up on you. As you saw earlier, my mom popped in for a surprise visit.”

“I’m glad, and don’t be sorry. Just have fun with your mom,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

“You have plans tonight?” I asked, only a little worried he may be heading out with Jake or one of his friends. I had popped his new virgin cherry and couldn’t help but wonder if he was ready to get back in the saddle again—without me.

He chuckled. “Nope, I’m staying in. I’ll talk to you tomorrow or see you in class on Monday. Okay?”

I sighed. “Okay. Bye.”

We hung up, and I stared at the phone. He was being very formal, unlike our last conversation. Maybe he got what he wanted and decided the risk to be with me in any way was too much. He was probably right, and I should accept it, but it stung.

“What do you think?” my mom said, coming out of the bathroom and twirling around in her new dress.

“It’s beautiful. You look like a local,” I told her.

She laughed. “I really like this style. It is very comfortable. No wonder you like to wear these all the time.”

I looked at her, making myself ask the question. “Mom, are you sure everything’s okay? I’m glad you came for a visit, but it isn’t really like you.”

She walked towards me and took my hands in hers. “Are you upset that I showed up unannounced?”

“No! Definitely not. I am glad you’re here, but you would tell me if something was bothering you, right?”

“Of course, dear. Everything is fine. I’ve been wanting to make it down here for some time and figured what the heck, let’s go, and here I am,” she said, with a genuine smile.

I nodded and hugged her. “Good. I’m glad you did, and I’m even happier to know everything is okay. You ready for our big night out?”

“I am, so let’s get out there before we miss anything!”

It was a night I will cherish forever. As was typical when you were enjoying yourself, it went by too fast.

Standing at the gate of the small airport, I waved goodbye to my mom on Sunday morning, and I missed her already. The visit had taken me by surprise, and I was ashamed that I’d felt a little put out at first. Now, it was back to the real world and the mess I’d created for myself by sleeping with a professor.