had grown up on the side of a mountain, running through the rugged terrain, doing whatever it was young boys did when outdoors and unsupervised.
Maya thought back to all the stories Del had told her, when they’d been together. And what Elaine shared in their frequent emails. She knew her friend missed having all five of her sons at home. Del and the twins had moved away, and while Nick and Aidan were still in town, neither lived at the family house anymore.
Maya turned left and headed up the long driveway. When she finally reached the house, she was relieved to see Elaine’s SUV parked in front.
She’d barely made it up the front porch stairs when the door opened and Elaine smiled at her.
“You’re an unexpected surprise. What’s up?”
Del had his mother’s eyes. The rest of him—his size, his build—came from his father, but those brown eyes were pure Elaine.
“You didn’t know?” Maya asked, climbing the porch stairs. “Del’s back.”
Elaine’s openmouthed surprise confirmed what Maya had expected. Her friend hadn’t known. Which was so like a guy. Why tell your mom you were coming home?
“Since when?” Elaine asked, hugging her, then motioning her inside. “He could have called. I swear, he’s the worst of them.” Her mouth twisted as she led the way to the kitchen, her athletic shoes making no sound on the hardwood floors. “And the twins. I should disown all three of them.”
“Or post their embarrassing baby pictures on the internet,” Maya offered, stepping into the huge kitchen.
“That would be a better solution,” Elaine said as she crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “Then I’d hear from them for sure. So what happened? Where did you see him? What did he say?”
“Not much. I was too surprised to ask many questions.”
Maya took her usual seat at the big kitchen table. The overhead light fixture was made up of five pendant lights—each a rainbow of colors that swirled and seemed to move, even as they were perfectly still. She’d earned decent money as a senior producer back in Los Angeles, but there was no way she would have been able to afford those pendant lights. Or the stunning piece in the corner of the family room. Ceallach’s work was scattered throughout the house. One of the advantages of being married to a famous artist, she thought, accepting the glass of tea Elaine passed her.
Her friend already knew about Maya’s new job as the Fool’s Gold communications director. Now Maya told her about the meeting with Mayor Marsha and the plans for the various videos.
“We agreed there should be a host,” Maya continued. “Someone good on-screen.”
“I know where this is going.” Elaine gave her a sympathetic glance. “What about you?”
“You’re sweet to pretend I had a chance, but being in front of the camera...” Maya wrinkled her nose. “Anyway, I thought about some of the athletes who live in town. I mean why not? Or maybe Jonny Blaze.”
“Too young for me, but still sexy.”
Maya grinned. “I agree on the latter, if not the former.”
Elaine laughed. “And that’s why we’re friends. So not Mr. Blaze?”
“No. As if he’d been listening in the other room, in walked Del. I couldn’t believe it.”
Elaine pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. “Me, either. I wonder how long he’ll be in town. He’s not texting me about staying here at the house, which means he’s bunking somewhere else.” Her mouth twisted. “Apparently I did a bad job with my boys.”
“Don’t say that. You were a great mom.”
Maya would know. Her own mother had been on the dark side of awful, so she had a frame of reference. While her mother had been busy making sure Maya understood that she was the reason for her every disappointment, Elaine had been raising happy, loved children.
“Besides, isn’t the point of raising children to get them to where they’re contributing members of society?” Maya asked gently. “You did that times five.”
Before her friend could answer, the doggie door moved a little. Maya caught sight of a brown nose, followed by a happy blur of colors as Sophie, Elaine’s beagle, raced into the kitchen.
Sophie was a bright-eyed sweetheart. Her traditional white with brown-and-black splotches was very beagle-like but her personality was pure Sophie. She lived with gusto, pouring all her energy into whatever had captured her attention. Right now it was giving her mom a couple of quick kisses before moving to greet Maya. In a few minutes she would probably be figuring out a way to open the refrigerator and devour whatever was planned for dinner.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Maya said, lowering herself to the hardwood floor and holding out her arms.
Sophie raced toward her, her soft puppy mouth forming a perfect O as she bayed out her greeting. She then climbed onto Maya’s lap for a proper snuggle. Big paws scrambled as Sophie gave her best kisses and shimmied even closer for hugs.
“You have the prettiest eyes,” Maya said, admiring the rim of dark brown, then rubbing the dog’s ears. “It must be nice to be a natural beauty.”
“Unlike the rest of us,” Elaine murmured. “There are mornings when I swear, it takes a village.”
“Tell me about it.”
Maya gave Sophie one last pat, then returned to her chair. Sophie circled the kitchen, sniffing the floor, before settling into her bed by the fireplace.
Maya looked at her friend. She noticed dark circles under her eyes and an air of something—maybe weariness.
“Are you okay?”
Elaine stiffened. “What? I’m fine. I’m upset about Del not telling me he was coming home. He mentioned in an email that he might, but there were no firm plans.”
“Maybe he wanted to surprise you.”
“I’m sure that’s it.”
Maya decided a change of subject would probably be a good thing. “How are the plans for Ceallach’s big party going?”
“Ceallach won’t make a decision whether or not he wants a big blowout or a small family get-together for his birthday. At this rate, I’m going to have to lock him in a closet until he makes up his mind.”
Maya smiled. Elaine’s words were tough, but there was a lot of love and time behind them. Del’s parents had been together over thirty-five years. Theirs had been a love match, when both Elaine and Ceallach had still been in their early twenties. The ride had been bumpy. Maya knew about Ceallach’s drinking and artistic temperament. But Elaine was devoted and they’d raised five kids.
For a second she wondered what that must be like. To be married so long, it was hard to remember any other life. To know your place in the long line of family members who had come before and would come after. To be one of the many.
She’d
