Mom looked surprised. “Again, you never said anything.”
I took a deep breath.
“I haven’t been honest with you about a lot of things,” I said. “And that changes now. It’s time for me to act like a grown-up and tell you everything.”
“There’s more?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, besides being a lesbian and hating blind dates, I need to tell you that I hate this house.”
Mom reared back like I’d slapped her. “Then why did you buy it?”
“Because you wanted me to buy it. Because you wanted me to live next door,” I explained. “But to be honest, it’s super weird for me to live next door to my parents in a house that I hate so much. It’s like I’m a teenager living in your basement or something.”
“Well for goodness sake, by a house you like then Nicole. It’s not like you can’t afford it. I thought I was helping you out when I connected you with the sellers of this place. It seemed like serendipity when they told me they were putting it on the market right after you mentioned moving out.”
Mom took a sip of her whiskey. “Is that everything then?”
I shook my head. “Also I hate working in housing development.”
“But it’s your family legacy,” Mom reminded me.
“That’s why I went along with joining the company, but it’s slowly killing me. Most of the business bores me to tears.”
I met my mother’s gaze so she could see the truth of my words.
“When Grace told me that we didn’t get the job, you know the first thing I thought? What a relief, now I don’t have to work on this stupid project that I hate for the next five years.”
Mom drained the rest of her whiskey and poured herself another shot.
“Whatdoyou want to do then?” she asked. “Join the circus?”
I laughed. “I want to work in architecture. I want to start my own firm.”
Mom sighed deeply.
“Thank God, if I have to tell your father that you’re moving, you’re a lesbian,andthat we were going to have to sit on bleachers in a big tent watching you struggle to get out of a clown car, I’m pretty sure he’d have me committed.”
I burst out laughing again.
Mom came around the table and put her arm around me. “We only want you to be happy, honey. I know that we can be pushy, but if you keep going along with us and being passive, we thinkyou agree. If you don’t want something, then you need to use your words, like a big girl, and tell us what you want.”
I relaxed into her hug, pressing my face into her shoulder.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too honey. But am I the only person you love?”
I shook my head. “No. I love Grace.”
“I suspected as much. Do you need to go after her?”
I shook my head. “She’s going to need some time. I probably should come home with you so I can tell Dad all the news myself. I need to woman up and be brave.”
My mother gave me a look of approval. “I think that would be good.”
Grace
Four days later…
