Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Faith
“How are my two best girls doing today?”
“Great, Dad,” I said, moving in to give him a hug.
“Grandpa!” Hope squealed, pushing between us so my dad could lift her up in his arms, which of course he did right away.
She threw her little arms around his neck and gave him a squeeze.
I left them in the foyer of my parents’ house and went toward the kitchen to find my mom.
When I entered, she was putting the finishing touches on her famous macaroni and cheese and placing it back in the oven.
“Hi, Mom, how’re you doing?” I asked as I rounded the large island to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh, Faith, I didn’t realize you guys were here,” she said, blinking up at me with her signature smile.
“We just walked in. Hope and Grandpa are catching up. She was excited to tell him all about her new art project.”
“I’m sure he’s enjoying every second. We’ve been looking forward to tonight all week.”
The plan was for Hope and I to have dinner with my parents and then she was going to have a sleepover with them so I could meet Liv at the Pony Up and get a little break. More than anything I was looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep and not waking up early.
“Thanks again for taking her tonight.”
“You know we’re happy to do it. We absolutely love spending time with her … with both of you. It’s been so nice having you back home.”
Guilt niggled, just like it always did when my mom mentioned us finally being home. I know she wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty by bringing up the time she’d missed with Hope, and with me, but I still felt it all the same.
“How are you doing?” my mom asked, her eyes searching my face. “Any anxiety? You holding up okay?”
I furrowed my brow at her question. It wasn’t that she didn’t often check on me, but she knew I was on medication now and hadn’t had a panic attack in a few years, so I couldn’t help but wonder what brought her question on.
“Yeah, everything’s great, why?”
“You didn’t see anything in the Mason Creek Scoop this week?” she prodded.
I bit back a groan and asked, “Why, what did Tate write?”
Tate was the author of the local gossip column. I wasn’t sure how she always got the scoop because she seriously seemed to know everything that happened in this town, and she loved to share it.
She must have eyes everywhere…
“Tate may have mentioned a sighting of you and Mitch outside of Java Jitters. Said it looked like a pretty awkward conversation.”
“Of course, she did,” I said with a sigh.
This was one of the things I hadn’t missed about small-town living. Being the subject of gossip.
“So … how did that go?” my mom asked softly.
“About as good as you’d expect. He could barely even look at me and when I tried to apologize, he couldn’t get away fast enough.”
She nodded. “I told you how hard your leaving was on him. I don’t know if he ever really got over it; he hasn’t been seen with another woman seriously since you. Just be gentle and give him some time, but you have to be prepared for the fact that he may never forgive you.”
My mother had told me this same tale many times over the years, and it always made my throat squeeze and my heart sink.
My first panic attack had hit me my senior year of high school. I’d been doing everything I could to earn a scholarship to the University of Montana, which I did. But the pressure of getting good grades, being active in school activities, and being a part of the golden couple had become too much for me to handle. I’d honestly thought I was dying. I couldn’t move or breathe, and my heart had been pounding.
I didn’t tell anyone but my parents after it happened, and when I had two more before graduation, I knew I needed to change the way I was living my life.
My parents had been devastated when I’d told them I wasn’t going to college and that I was leaving town, but they understood my need to take a break and figure out how to stop putting so much pressure on myself. To stop feeling like I needed to be perfect … for them, for myself, and for Mitch.
They’d helped me get a place in Chicago and find a therapist, and from there I began a journey of discovery and learned how to live a more balanced life.
Of course, that all went to hell when I met my ex-husband, but that was a different story.
“I know. I will. It was crazy seeing him, though,” I said with a dry laugh. “He looked the same, but different, you know. And even more handsome than I remembered, which seems impossible.”
“Those Collins men have always been easy on the eyes,” my mom said with a dreamy expression.
“Mom…”
“What? I have eyes, don’t I?” she asked. “The pasta will be done in a few minutes, let’s go see what those two are up to.”
“Hope probably has Dad coloring or playing with her dolls.”
My parents had set up their guest room with bunkbeds and kept toys there for Hope. Since I was an only child and she was currently their only grandchild, they loved to spoil her as much as they could.
“Yup, she’s got that man wrapped around her little finger,” my mom said, giving me a fond glance before adding, “Like mother, like daughter.”
She had that right, I’d always been a daddy’s girl, even when he hadn’t agreed with my decisions.
We enjoyed dinner together, and when my dad took Hope into the family room to watch a movie, I made my escape, eager for a night out.