“So, you do know who I’m talking about!” my mother said. “Holy fuck, you’ve been holding out on me.”
“You know I know them,” I said. “You met the fucking twins while they were talking with me a couple of nights ago.”
“I did?” she asked.
“Were you that drunk already?” I asked.
“Must’ve been. Trust me. I would’ve remembered meeting those two. Shit. I bet their bodies are chiseled pieces of marble underneath their clothes. What I wouldn’t give to run my tongue along them.”
“I’m not having this conversation with my mother,” I said.
“Yes, you are. Especially now that I know you know them. Well enough to know their names, in fact. Got any numbers for me?”
“No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t give them to you,” I said.
“Why not? You wouldn’t help your mother out?”
“You get free drinks at the bar because you pitch drunken fits. You don’t get men’s numbers just because I’m your daughter,” I said.
“And I thought I raised you to share,” she said, grinning.
I thought I was going to vomit all my coffee back up.
“I bet their cocks taste similar. I know, being brothers and all. But I bet they’re all different in bed. The salt and peppered one? I bet he likes being on the bottom. Watching a woman bounce on him? But that one with the stare, and those deep blue eyes. I think he likes control. Maybe tying a woman down. I’d let him tie me to any surface as long as I could—”
“Enough!” I said.
I stood up from the table as my coffee sloshed out of my cup.
“I don’t want to hear any more of your disgusting sexual fantasies with guys who are far too young for you,” I said. “Grow up. I’m sorry you got pregnant and I’m sorry you feel your life was wasted raising me, but you don’t get to punish me now by being disgusting. You’re a mother, and how you act affects me, my place of work, and my reputation. People see the way you act and think I automatically do the same thing. They judge me because of you, and I’m not gonna sit here and entertain your ridiculous bullshit just because you want to be the center of attention all the damn time.”
I could feel my nostrils flaring. Coffee stained my robe as I clutched my mug. My mother’s eyes were wide with shock as she slowly stood, raking her eyes over me. I knew I should’ve felt bad. I knew I should’ve apologized. But holy fuck, I’d had enough of her. I’d had enough of her hookups and her jokes and her blatant disregard for how her actions reflected on me. I was tired of her downing my dreams because they changed the way she ran her life, and I was tired of being nothing more than a glorified bill-payer in her own fucking house.
I was done with all her bullshit, no matter how much it hurt her.
“You’re just jealous,” she said as she stood.
“Of what?” I asked.
“Men fawn over me, and they pass over you. Their hands are all over me, and you’re just the drink-handler. It’s not my fault you don’t have a love life. It’s not my fault you won’t branch out and find yourself. You think you’re stuck here, but I don’t see you willingly trying to leave. I know your paycheck. I know the type of money you rake in. You think I make you stay here, but really you stay here willingly because you’re scared. And that’s not my problem. I tried to raise you to be strong, and you couldn’t handle it.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” I asked.
“Loud and clear. Now that your jealousy has ruined our time together this morning, I’ll be going. I’ve got a few more stores to hit up.”
“It’s three in the afternoon,” I said. “It’s hardly morning.”
My mother walked past me, and I could feel her eyes on my body. She grabbed her purse and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. I groaned and closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose, then took my coffee upstairs.
I needed to call Lindy and see if she’d heard from the realtor.
“Please tell me you’ve got something,” I said.
“Nope. Nothing,” Lindy said. “I’m calling her tomorrow.”
“Good. Because we need an answer soon so we can either adjust our offer or put in another one somewhere else,” I said.
“Okay. What’d your mom do now?” she asked, instinctively knowing what had brought on my clipped tone.