room. Her mother still held Hannah, and the baby seemed more relaxed in experienced arms. Several of the women jumped up to make room for her on the sofa. Dakota collapsed onto the cushions. A plate was put in her hands and a glass of something that looked like Diet Coke was placed on the coffee table in front of her.
“Now start at the beginning and tell us everything,” her mother said. “Is Hannah all right? Finn mentioned he had to go out for medicine.”
“She’s going to be all right,” Dakota said poking her fork at the pasta salad on her plate. “It might take a little while for us to get there, but Hannah is going to be just fine.”
AURELIA STOOD on the sidewalk in the warmth of the early evening. Some people were just plain gifted. As she watched, Sasha and Lani stood in the park, fighting. They weren’t just having an argument, they were yelling and waving their arms. At one point, Sasha grabbed Lani by her upper arms, hauled her close and kissed her.
Lani resisted at first. She twisted away, then raised her hand as if she were going to slap Sasha. He held her in place and kissed her again. This time, she surrendered. Her body went limp against his, and her hands drew him closer. From several feet away, it looked as though the young lovers had averted a crisis.
Aurelia knew better. She knew the fight was staged, a little scene for the cameras. “You have to admit they’re really good,” she told Stephen. “Whether or not they make it to the end of the show, they obviously have what it takes to be successful actors.”
Stephen rested his hands on her shoulders. She wasn’t sure why, and thinking about the possible reasons made her head hurt. He was a good guy. He was smart and fun to be with and really caring. Being with him was easy, even though it didn’t show on camera. Every time she and Stephen were filmed together, the situation became awkward.
She couldn’t say what was wrong. Her nature was to accept all the blame, but if that were true, then their time on camera should only be half bad. Instead it was, as Geoff had said the previous morning, truly awful.
“Hello, Aurelia.”
Aurelia turned at the sound of her name and saw her mother walking toward her. Between work and the show, there hadn’t been much time to visit. She’d called regularly, although her mother explained that was hardly the same and not nearly enough.
“Your mother, I presume,” Stephen whispered in her ear.
Before she could agree, he stepped past her and introduced himself. They shook hands. While keeping her mother’s hand in his, Stephen thanked her for insisting Aurelia go on the show.
“Your daughter speaks of you frequently,” he continued. “I can see how much she cares about you.
“No, she doesn’t.” Her mother sniffed, then withdrew her hand and glared at them both. “If she really cared about me, she would stop by to see me more.”
“She’s busy with her job and the show.”
Aurelia stepped between them. She could see where the conversation was going, and while she appreciated Stephen looking out for her, she knew it was time for her to stand up for herself.
“Stephen, could you give us a minute?”
He nodded and moved back.
She led her mother over to a bench. But before she could speak, her mother jumped in.
“I can’t believe how young he is. I’d hoped they were exaggerating, but now I’ve seen him in person. Obviously, they weren’t. It’s humiliating. Do you know what my friends are saying? The people at work? Don’t you care about me at all?” Her mother sighed and shook her head. “You’ve always been selfish, Aurelia. And while we’re on the subject, where’s my check for this month?”
Aurelia stared at the woman who had raised her. It had always been just the two of them, and for so long, that had been enough. She had been brought up to believe that family was everything and that taking care of her mother was her responsibility. She’d told herself that her mother’s bitterness could be excused, if not explained. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t exactly sure why her mother was so angry all the time.
Stephen didn’t appreciate Finn’s interference and saw it as nothing more than irritation. She knew better. Finn had put his life on hold because he was worried about his brothers. He wanted nothing for himself. Everything he did was for them. It had never been that way with her mother.
In Aurelia’s family, her mother came first. Her mother was the important one. Somehow Aurelia had allowed herself to be manipulated. Part of the blame lay with her mother, but part of it lay with her. She was nearly thirty years old. It was time for her to change the rules.
“Mom, I really appreciate you encouraging me to go on the show. You were right—I haven’t been doing anything to move on to the next stage of my life. I want to get married and have children. Instead, I hide myself at work and I spent all my free time with you.”
“Not recently,” her mother snapped.
“I’m sorry you feel that I haven’t been paying enough attention to you. The time on the show has allowed me to get a little perspective. I’m your daughter, and I will always love you, but I need to have my own life.”
“I see,” her mother said icily. “Let me guess. I no longer matter.”
“You matter very much. I don’t want it to be an either/or. I think I can have a life, and you and I can still be close.” Aurelia sucked in a breath. Now came the hard part. There was a knot in her stomach, a ball of fear and guilt.
“You have a really good job,” she said slowly. “The house is paid for, as is your car.” She should know. She paid off both loans herself. “Obviously, if there’s an emergency, I want to help. But otherwise, you need to be responsible for your own bills.”
Her mother sprang to her feet and glared at her. “Aurelia, this is not how you were raised. I’m the only mother you’ll ever have. When I’m dead and gone, your selfishness will haunt you forever.”
Aurelia watched her walk away. She knew her mother expected her to run after her, but she couldn’t. The relationship they’d had before had been twisted and difficult. If she wanted it to change, she would have to be strong.
Stephen walked over to her and put his arm around her. “How do you feel?”
“Nauseous.” She pressed her hand to her stomach. “We’re not done. She’ll be back. But I feel like I’ve taken the first step and that’s something.”
“It’s great.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Great is healing some freakish disease. All I did was stand up to my mother.”
“When was the last time you did that?”
“I was probably five.”
“Then it’s a big deal.”
“You’re too nice to me.”
“Not possible.”
They walked through the park, going away from the direction her mother had chosen. Aurelia told herself to ignore the guilt, and that
