Good Husband Material

His mother returned to the kitchen and set the phone back on its base. “That woman is doing her best to make me insane. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I actually voted for her to run the fund-raiser. I must have been experiencing a black out or something.”

He laughed. “You’ll survive. How’s the bathroom sink?”

“The leak is fixed. Don’t fret, Gage. There aren’t any chores for you this week.”

She led the way back into the living room, where they sat on opposite ends of the recovered sofa. Edie had replaced the ugly floral pattern with narrow-striped fabric.

“I don’t invite you over just to get free labor,” she said.

“I know, Mama, but I’m happy to help.”

She nodded. “Will you be all right when John takes over that sort of chore?”

His mother had never been one to walk around a problem—if she saw trouble, she headed right for it. He leaned forward and lightly touched the back of her hand.

“I’ve told you before, I’m pleased about John. Daddy’s been gone five years. You’re getting a second chance to be happy.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“I’m telling the truth.”

He was. The loss of his father had been a blow to both of them. Edie had spent the first year in a daze. Finally she’d pulled herself together and had tried to get on with her life. A part-time job she’d taken for something to do rather than because she needed the money had helped. As had her friends. Nearly a year before, she’d met John, a retired contractor.

Gage was willing to admit that he’d been a bit put off by the thought of his mother dating, but he’d quickly come around. John was a solid man who treated Edie as if she were a princess. Gage couldn’t have picked better for his mother himself.

“You’ll still come to dinner, won’t you? Once we’re married?”

“I promise.”

He’d been coming to dinner once a week ever since he’d returned to Possum Landing after being in the army. Like many things in his life, it was a tradition.

His mother’s dark gaze sharpened a little and he braced himself. Sure enough, she went right for the most interesting topic.

“I heard Kari Asbury is back in town.”

“Subtle, Mama.” He grinned. “According to Kari, she’s not back, she’s here for a short period of time while she fixes up her grandmother’s house and sells it.”

Edie frowned. “And then what? Is she going back to New York? She’s a lovely girl, but isn’t she getting a little old to be a fashion model?”

“She’s going to be a teacher. She has her credentials and is applying for jobs in different parts of Texas.”

“Not Possum Landing?”

“Not as far as I can tell.”

“Are you all right with that?”

“Sure.”

“If you’re lying to me, I’m not averse to getting out the old switch.”

He grinned. “You’d have to catch me first. I’m still a fast runner, Mama.”

Her face softened with affection. “Just be careful, Gage. There was a time when she broke your heart. I would hate to see that happen again.”

“It won’t,” he said confidently. A man was allowed to be a fool for a woman once in a lifetime, but not twice. “We’ll always be friends. We have too much past between us to avoid that. We’re neighbors, so I’ll be seeing her, but it won’t amount to anything significant.”

It was only a white lie, he thought cheerfully. Because getting Kari into bed was definitely his goal. And if things were as hot between them as he guessed they would be, the event would certainly qualify as “significant.” But that wasn’t something he wanted to share with his mother.

“You heard from Quinn lately?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Not since that one letter a month ago.” She sighed. “I worry about that boy.”

Gage didn’t think there was any point in mentioning that Quinn was thirty and a trained military operative. “Boy” hadn’t described him in years.

“He should be getting leave in the next few months.”

“I’m hoping he’ll make time to come to the wedding. I don’t know if he will, though.”

Gage wasn’t sure, either. He and Quinn had once been close, but time and circumstances had changed things. They’d both headed into the military after high school, but unlike Gage, Quinn had stayed in. He’d gone into Special Forces, then joined a secret group that worked around the world wherever there was trouble.

Despite being from the same family as Gage, Quinn had never fit in. Mostly because their father had made his life a living hell.

As always, the thought made Gage uncomfortable. He’d never understood why he’d been the golden boy of the family and Quinn had been the unwelcome stranger. He also didn’t know why he was thinking so much about the past lately.

Maybe it was Kari returning and stirring it up. Maybe now was a good time to ask a question that should have been asked long ago.

“Why didn’t Daddy like Quinn?”

Edie stiffened slightly. “What are you saying, Gage? Your father loved you two boys equally. He was a good father.”

Gage stared at her, wondering why she was lying. Why avoid the obvious?

“The old farmer’s market opened last week. I’m going to head over there this weekend and see if I can get some berries. Maybe I’ll bake a pie for next time.”

The change of subject was both obvious and awkward. Gage hesitated a second before giving in and saying that he always enjoyed her pies.

But as they chatted about the summer heat and who was vacationing where, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there were secrets hiding just below the surface. Had they always been there and he had never noticed?

Twenty minutes later, he hugged his mother goodbye, then picked up the trash bag from the kitchen and carried it out as he did every time he left. He put it in the large container by the garage and waved before stepping into his truck.

His mother waved back, then returned to the house.

Gage watched the closed back door for a while before starting the truck and heading home. What had happened tonight? Was something different, or was he making something out of nothing?

He slowly drove the familiar streets of Possum Landing. The signal by the railroad tracks had already started its slow flashing for the night. Those downtown would stay on until midnight, but on the outskirts of town they went to flashing at eight.

Unease settled at the base of his spine, making him want to turn around and demand answers from his mother. The problem was, he wasn’t sure what the questions were supposed to be.