Tilda James was no-nonsense. That was the best way to describe her. Sabrina had lots of other adjectives as well, but that one fit best. She didn’t mince words. She didn’t suffer fools. She didn’t waste time. She said what was on her mind and got to it. No pussyfooting around, as her father would sometimes say. And even though this was her mom, and this was her mom’s office, Sabrina was still nervous. Like being called to the principal, but not knowing why.
Her mother’s chair was, unsurprisingly, large and leather. Black. Soft. Sabrina knew this from sitting in it as a kid and spinning it with her feet. No, this wasn’t the exact same chair from twenty years ago, but her mother always replaced it with an exact replica. She’d told a young Sabrina that when something worked, you stuck with it.
She didn’t know if she bought that, but she’d always nodded like a good daughter.
“What’s going on with you, Sabrina? I’m concerned.” No-nonsense. Cut to the chase.
Sabrina fixed her face to be carefully blank. “What do you mean?”
Her mother’s slight head tilt was pretty clear. It saidWho do you think you’re talking to? I know you.When Sabrina said nothing more, her mother sighed quietly. “Your job performance is slipping. Bryce is picking up all your slack. You seem less than interested.” Of course Bryce had ratted her out, the little prick. Sabrina wasn’t surprised by that. “I think you’re unhappy.” That was a surprise, though. And hermother’s voice became uncharacteristically tender when she asked, “Are you unhappy?”
Just like that, Sabrina found herself in unfamiliar territory. This was the kind of conversation she’d have with her father, not her mother. It was pretty clear he’d talked to her, but she usually dismissed such emotional issues with the irritated wave of a hand. But now? Her mother’s blue eyes were trained on hers, and what Sabrina saw in them was nothing short of shocking. Worry. Concern. Love. And the combination brought tears to Sabrina’s eyes. Actual, honest-to-God tears. From her mother. What the hell was happening? She swallowed several times, hoping to clear away the emotion that was stealing her ability to speak, but it wasn’t working, so she nodded instead.
Her mother breathed in slowly, a big breath, and Sabrina knew from experience that she used that time to think, to plan out her words. A slow exhale, and then her mom folded her hands on her desk and the eye contact was laser focused. “What do you need? Less travel? Different responsibilities?”
To say the direction of this meeting—barely five minutes in—was wildly different than Sabrina had expected would be a colossal understatement. She had no idea what had happened—if her father had had a heart-to-heart with her mother, if her mother actually was more astute emotionally than Sabrina had given her credit for. She’d come in wearing her suit of armor and now felt like she’d overdressed.
Deciding she owed her mother honesty, she wet her lips. “I don’t know, Mom. I really don’t. I’ve been struggling, yeah. I just…I’m not sure what I need.” She shook her head and shrugged at the same time, unable to articulate exactly how she was feeling.
To her mother’s credit, she seemed to accept this weak explanation with a nod. Her intercom buzzed, and she gave a clipped, “Not now,” to her secretary through it. Turning back to Sabrina, she said, “Well, you’re scheduled to head to Ohio next week. Would you prefer to sit that one out?”
Sabrina blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Because what? Her mom was actually…cutting her some slack? Offering to take some of the pressure off? Giving her some downtime if she needed it? She frowned for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry, what is happening?”
Was that a flash of a smile on her mom’s face, just for, like, a split second? “Well. It’s possible it’s been brought to my attention that Ihaven’t…” Her mom stopped and seemed to gather her thoughts again before continuing. “That I haven’t paid attention to you lately beyond your”—a clear of her throat—“employment.”
It was Sabrina’s turn to hide a smile. Her dad at work. Definitely.
“And I would like to apologize for that and do better.”
“Okay.” She drew the word out, not trying to be sarcastic, but really just completely thrown by this new path her mother was choosing.
“Do you”—more hesitation—“want to talk about it? About what’s been on your mind?”
Sabrina wanted to be horrified by this, by her mother walking very clearly unfamiliar emotional territory for her, but she couldn’t be because her mom was actually trying. Like, making what seemed to be an honest effort to connect with her daughter, and how could Sabrina brush that off? It was new, and it was surprising, and she was absolutely not ready to talk about what had been on her mind.
“You know what, Mom? I do. I do want to talk about it. But maybe not yet?” It came out as a question because she was going for gentle, wanting her mom to know she could see her effort, that she appreciated it. She tried to read her mom’s face. Disappointment or relief? A little of both, maybe?
Her mom seemed to take a moment, as if this hadn’t been the answer she’d prepped for. She smoothed her hands over the surface of her desk and seemed to gather her thoughts. “All right. Here’s what we’re going to do. How about you skip Ohio? Stay home. Take a few weeks to just relax. Spend some time with your dog. See your friends. Have dinner with your parents.” She smiled at that last one. “We’ll revisit things after that.”
More blinking from Sabrina because…what the actual fuck was going on? This was so not her mother. This gentleness? This soft, kind demeanor? She made a mental note to call her father and ask him just exactly what he’d said to his wife.
Managing to pull herself out of her shock, she nodded. She should be concerned about her job. Bryce would take over the opening of the new store in Ohio, and he’d be thrilled about it, and Sabrina didn’t care. It was fine. Let him do it. She didn’t like him but knew he’d do a good job. He was a dick, but he loved the company. “Okay. That sounds good.” She pushed herself to her feet, needing this meeting to be overbecause the weirdness was almost too much. She met her mother’s eyes across the desk. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll call later.”
Her mother smiled but also looked as happy to have this meeting come to an end as Sabrina did.
Sabrina left the office feeling a mix of joy, relief, and utter confusion. That conversation had not been even remotely close to emotional—not in the actual sense of the definition of the word. But it had beenveryemotional for a conversation between her and her mother, and that was just mind-boggling. She got in her car to head back to her place but, instead, just sat there in the driver’s seat, staring out the windshield at nothing. Because seriously, what the hell was going on with her life right now?
* * *
“Sprinkles, sit.”
The dog dropped his butt to the floor and looked up at her with those big brown eyes that Sabrina had grown to love more than just about anything.
“Good boy.” She handed over the tiny piece of bacon. She’d made extra with breakfast specifically to have something he loved for when they worked on his training.
She’d never had a dog before, still wasn’t sure what had made her decide in a split second that she was keeping Sprinkles rather than dropping him off at a shelter. There had never been a question, and sometimes, she lay awake at night and marveled over that decision.
“Down.” She made the hand gesture the trainer had shown her, and Sprinkles stretched his front paws out until his belly was on the kitchen floor. “Good boy.” More bacon.
