After finally wrapping things up, she let Gina work with him on the closing ceremony for the event. Her mom had called earlier that day, but she had to ignore her due to the lack of free time in her day.
Not quite ready to go home, Jamie turned the car toward her mother's house and rolled the windows down. She felt a little better by the time she reached the house, and didn't think twice about knocking as she let herself in the front door. Why would she need to?
A loud male grunt sounded from the couch in front of her, accompanied by a sharp cry from her mother.
"Oh shit," Jamie muttered and backed up toward the door.
"Jamie?" Her father lifted his head from the couch, his eyes wide and chest bare.
"Um. Sorry?" She rushed to the door and started to open it. Shit! Shit! Shit! That’s one image I’m never going to be able to sear from my brain!
"It's alright. Just give us a few minutes," Her mom called out.
"I'm gonna be sick." She opened the door and walked to her car, pressing her hands on her forehead. There was an elation to knowing that her parents were actually talking... intimately, but walking in on it? She hadn't experienced that type of embarrassment since she was in junior high.
Note to self. Knock next time. Every time.
By the time she decided that it would be better to just get in her car and go home, the front door opened.
Her mom smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't know you were coming over."
"I can totally come back. I..." What was there to say? Anything would sound weird and leave her more embarrassed than she was.
"No. Come on in. Your father and I were trying to work through some of our differences and things just went... you know." She shrugged and moved back. "I'm thinking it's for the better though. Remembering how good we are together in bed was nice."
"Mom. Really?" Jamie walked in and glanced around, half afraid of what she might find. "Don't ever tell Christine that I walked in on you guys. I'll never hear the end of it."
Her father chuckled as he walked out from the kitchen. He pulled her into a tight hug.
"I won't tell her, but you know your mother and her are like besties."
"What?" Her mom balked. "She gets me."
"I get you too." Her father popped her mom's butt while still holding Jamie.
"Okay. I'm leaving." Jamie pulled from him and lifted her eyebrow.
"We're just thinking that maybe the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence." Her dad moved to the couch and patted it. "Come sit beside me."
"You guys want something to eat?" Her mother called from the kitchen.
"No honey. You, Jamie?"
"No. I'm sick to my stomach." Jamie leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm glad to see you and mom together, but this can't just be about physical attraction, Dad. You guys borderline hate each other."
"That's not true. We just have grown too comfortable with each other. So when I'm angry or hurt, I take it out on her, whether it’s her fault or not. She does the same to me. It's okay to lean on someone and let them help you work through life's difficulties. It's not okay to attack them and make them suffer alongside you." He reached over and tucked a strand of Jamie's dark hair behind her ear. "That make sense?"
"Yeah. I just wish I could figure out how to make it work in my own life." She leaned back, feeling comfortable about being around her father, but not so much her mom. They'd all promised each other that they would move toward a more healthy relationship and for the most part, her mother was sticking to the promise. Maybe it was time to start trying more than waiting for something to just happen.
Maybe the same was true in her relationship with Alex.
"Still having trouble with that impossibly handsome boss of yours?" Her mom walked in and handed her a glass of tea.
"Yeah. I'm totally in love with him, but all the stuff in his life has him either attacking me with words or passion. It's been anger and indecision as of late." She took a long drink of the tea, enjoying the rush of sugar that brushed over her tongue.
"Then sit him down and be straightforward with what you want, Jamie." Her father took her free hand. "I didn’t like the guy at first, but now I sort of respect him. However, men are dense at times. Just lay it all out and then if he isn't receptive, then you can start to pull back or play games. I'm not sure if you're like your mother in this sense, but when I attack her, she doesn't look to calm me..."
"Nope. I attack back just as hard. It's one of the things we're going to try and start working through." Her mom shrugged, looking more peaceful than Jamie could remember seeing in years.