needed to talk to him if only to stop thinking about what was becoming an escalating situation with her mother-in-law. And he had always been the one she had gone to whenever she and Justin occasionally broke up for weeks, before reconciling as if nothing had happened.
He picked up after two rings. “What’s up, Angie?” She smiled when she heard his warm greeting.
“I hope you’ve settled in The Falls House okay.”
There was a pause before he said, “I’m not staying at The Falls House. I’ve checked in to the Heritage House extended stay off exit 15.”
A slight frown appeared between her eyes. “Why?”
There came another pause. “I’ll explain it when I see you in person.”
“You won’t see me for the next two weeks.”
“Why?”
“I’m taking the twins down to Daytona Beach to stay with my folks for the summer. I’ve decided to spend two weeks with them. I should be back by July 2.”
“How are your parents?”
“They’re well. This is the first summer they’re going to spend time with their youngest grandchildren.”
“What about your brother’s kids?”
Angela kicked off her sandals and rested her feet on a cushioned footstool. “They’re enrolled in a tennis camp for the summer.”
“How old are they now?”
“Kendra’s ten and Mariah’s eight.”
Lee’s chuckle came through the earpiece. “Talk about the second coming of Venus and Serena Williams.”
It was Angela’s turn to laugh. “Now you sound like my brother.”
“Are they good, Angie?”
She nodded. “Yes. In fact, they’re very good.”
“Well, it looks as if everyone’s doing well.”
Angela closed her eyes. “Not everyone.”
“What’s the matter?”
She heard the concern in Lee’s voice, and decided to be truthful. “I’m not getting along with Justin’s mother.”
“What’s going on?” Lee asked.
Angela opened her eyes and stared at a photograph of her and Justin, taken right before he was deployed. She’d just discovered she was pregnant, but was unaware that she was carrying two babies. “She can’t stop meddling in my life. Now that I look back I realize selling my house and moving in with her was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.”
“Is it meddling or concern?”
“Why are you taking her side?”
“I’m not taking sides, Angela. After all, you’re a widow with two young children, and maybe she’s just being overprotective.”
“Please don’t get me wrong, Lee. I appreciate all she’s done for me, but I’d like to be able to raise my children without her telling me what I should or shouldn’t do with them.”
“Have you thought of getting your own place?”
She smiled. “Lately I have. Even though my parents have been nagging me to move to Florida and buy a house in their gated community, I don’t want to leave The Falls because Justin’s buried here.”
“If you don’t want to leave The Falls, you should be able to find a house to fit your needs or lifestyle.”
Angela’s smile grew wider. Lee had just echoed her notion about buying a house in her hometown. “You’re probably right. Once I come back I’m going to contact a real estate agent and see if she has any listings within my price range.” She wasn’t a pauper, and neither was she wealthy. She’d saved most of her earnings from modeling, given half the proceeds from the sale of her parents’ house to them for their future retirement, and invested Justin’s military combat death benefit in a college fund for her children.
“When are you leaving for Florida?” Lee asked.
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Are you flying or driving?”
“I’m driving. Barring delays it should take about ten hours.”
“Drive carefully.”
“I will. And thanks, Lee.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
A hint of a smile touched the corners of her mouth. “For letting me bare my soul.”
“Don’t even go there, Angela. How many times have you listened to me go on about what was going on my life and what I wanted for my future? And it was the same with Justin. Remember when we put our wish lists in that sealed envelope with a promise we would open it the day before graduation?”
“How can I forget?”
“It was also the day we promised each other that we were friends for life, and that we would always be there for one another. And that means in the good and bad times, Angela. So, you don’t ever have to thank me for anything.”
“I want to thank you one last time for reminding me of that. I’m going to hang up now because I have to finish packing. I’ll be in touch once I get back.”
“I’ll be here.”
Angela couldn’t help smiling. She placed the phone on the bedside table and thought about what Joyce had said about Leland liking her beyond friendship. He’d always treated her with respect and told her if she ever needed him for anything he would be there for her. And if he did love her, then it was not as a boyfriend, but like a sister.
Angela walked over to the closet to select what she needed to pack for her vacation. It was the first time in more than a year that she would take a break from the medical office where she had initially been hired as a receptionist.
She hadn’t planned to reenter the workforce until her children were enrolled in school, but when she heard that Dr. Henry Franklin was looking for someone to work the front desk after his longtime employee relocated to Delaware to care for her elderly father, Angela had submitted her application and had been hired despite not having any prior office experience. She’d taken to her position like a duck to water, and had been promoted to office manager soon after because of her organizational skills. Dr. Franklin had also taken on a partner, Dr. Natalia Hawkins, and the result was that the wait time to treat patients was cut in half.
Working outside the home offered Angela the opportunity to vary her daily routine. The first week she’d experienced guilt at leaving her son and daughter and made it a point to come home during her lunch break to be with them. At first they were glad to see her, chatting excitedly about what they had done with Grammie, but Joyce had changed their schedule and Angela had found them napping whenever she arrived.
