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Ellen Meadows watched her son, Matt, engage in a verbal sparring match with Amanda Keller. Plainly, there was more going on than they would admit. Ellen knew it was connected to the woman next door. She saw the look on the brunette's face when Matt dropped his "Hell, no!" at her inquiry of Sady's friendship with Matt. Ellen also saw the look of panic on his face when he realized what he said.
Just like his father, Ellen thought with a shake of her head. Which means he could argue with Amanda for hours when in this mood. Best to head it off before it's out of control. Within minutes Ellen move Amanda out the door, with a promise to come down and enjoy a glass of wine with her.
The look Matt gave his mother said traitor. Ellen hid her smile and dug through her handbag. "Matt, since you don't have a girlfriend at the moment, I thought I'd tell you about Charlene." She handed him a photo.
"She only has two children, since her dirt-bag husband ran out on her after less than five years of marriage. Don't they look like a nice family?" she asked him.
"Seriously, Mom? Instant family? Just insert husband and stepfather here?" he asked. "Just how many chins does she have, anyway? It must be hard to keep them all up."
He turned to grab her luggage, and she smacked the back of his head with a grin. One down, and who knew how many more before he broke? Ellen thought about which “woman in need of a man” she would present tomorrow.
Matt took his mom's bags to the guest room and dropped them with a sigh. The latest parade of ugly women was just starting. He could have chopped the head off that scary beast if he'd thought before he opened his mouth... and hurt his best friend in the process. He wondered how long Sady would be mad.
"Pizza's getting cold," Ellen called from the kitchen. She put plates on the table and laughed at the look on his face. "I know you don't use plates for pizza, Matthew, but humor me, okay? Now, do you have any beer?"
Matt gave her a look of surprise, and she said, "We're not so different as you might believe. Although, I think you're more like your father."
"Mom, I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment," he replied.
"Consider it both."
"Are you here to psycho-analyze me?" he asked suspiciously.
Ellen gave a snort of laughter. "I gave up on that years ago. Like I said, you're too much like your father."
She smiled at her son, who looked so much like his dad. Tall, with dark hair, and a natural tendency to be lean and muscular. Unlike me, she thought. Short and a few pounds overweight, she looked like the nice mom she was. What she really wanted was to look like the nice grandma she desired to be. Matt inherited her blue eyes though, along with the naturally long lashes. Yes, he was a good looking man, just like her husband. He was also completely obtuse at times... like his father.
As they ate, she asked Matt about life in Michigan, his work, his friends, and things in general. He asked about his dad, her friends, and her flight. Ellen skated around the subject of her husband.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Ellen asked.
"I'm free to spend the day with you, except I have to go help my boss lay out camping equipment to dry. We just finished a job."
"Oh, you went camping? How was that? Did you have a good time?" Ellen probed.
Matt's brows dropped. "It rained." That's all he'd say about the camping trip. Ellen decided to get the details from Amanda.
***
Matt didn't need to wait long to see if Sady was still mad. Saturday, when the crew met at the Knight's to lay out the wet camping gear, she ignored him. Ellen came along to meet Matt's co-workers. Sady apologized to Ellen for her abrupt behavior when they met and invited her for an evening at Amanda's.
Ignoring the look of suspicion on her son's face, Ellen accepted. Between what Amanda blabbed, and what Sady didn't say, Ellen would piece together the story. She left Matt fuming at the Knight's house and rode back to the apartment with Sady and Amanda. The ladies enjoyed the evening and more than one bottle of wine. Sady and Amanda were still going strong when Ellen called it a night. Sneaking into Matt's apartment, she giggled to see he was up and waiting for her, pacing.
"Mom, it's after two in the morning! I see Amanda's evil influence is already at work," he complained.
Ellen patted his hand. "Just don't wake me up too early," she told him as she headed for the guest room.
Matt stared after her with his mouth open. That was it? What happened to his real mother? He shook his head and decided maybe he should have been drinking as well.
Sunday morning was quiet and Ellen didn't crawl out of bed until almost noon. After one look, Matt handed her a cup of coffee. She placed one hand on her head and took the coffee with the other. Not speaking, she smiled her thanks and sat down carefully. Two cups of coffee later, she was coherent.
"Well, I had a nice time with the girls," Ellen told him.
Matt’s brows dropped. Sitting home, wondering what they talked about, hadn't been a fun evening for him. "I'm glad you had a good time," he replied with a touch of sarcasm.
Ellen ignored the tone and continued. "Your friends are very nice."
He kept the scowl on his face. "Yeah, sure. What did they say about me?"
Ellen lifted her brows. "We didn't discuss you, Matt. Quit being paranoid. Now, I'll get dressed, and you take me somewhere nice to eat." Matt nodded- yep, that was the Ellen Meadows he knew and loved.
Over lunch, Ellen pulled another picture from her bag. "I have someone else I'd like you to meet. I realize that a woman with two children probably isn't the best choice for a man in your position. How about Gertrude? Her father's a pastor, and she's the lead singer in the choir. He told me those spots on her face are just a nervous condition that she'll outgrow." She held out the photo.
Matt gave his mom an incredulous look. "Mom, she must be at least fifty! I hope her father's done some good deeds in his life, or he's going to burn for lying about his own daughter." That earned him another smack on the head while Ellen chuckled to herself. She could keep this up for a month!
After lunch, Matt showed Ellen the sights around Ann Arbor, and that evening Harry and CJ invited them for dinner. Ellen complimented Harry on his cooking skills.
"He didn't learn them from me," CJ confided. "It was a necessary survival skill- poor Harry. Better him than me though," she finished with a grin.
"It's well past survival skill now," Ellen smiled. "Harry, you cook like a pro."
Modest Harry, embarrassed by the compliment, changed the subject.
"How long are you planning to stay, Ellen?" he asked.
"Until my son kicks me out," she said with a straight face. Then she snickered and added, "Just kidding, Matt! Can you put up with your mother for a week?"
Over Matt's look of protest, CJ said, "Matt, why don't you take the week off? You have a week of paid vacation coming, and I'm sure your mom would enjoy spending the time with you."
Harry turned his head away at the confounded look on Matt's face. Then he slapped Matt on the back. "Enjoy your week," he told him.
"Thanks a lot," Matt replied. Ellen exchanged a smile with the Knight's, then Matt turned to his mom. "Hey, Mom- won't Dad miss you?"
Wrong question! Everyone at the table discerned that. Ellen's face turned dark with anger, and her mouth tightened. "He's on another fishing trip with his buddies. I doubt he'll even notice."
Tactful Harry stepped into the silence. "How about some dessert, Ellen? I not only cook, I bake." Ellen gave him a grateful look and the awkward moment passed, for the time being.
As the Meadows left, CJ told Matt to bring Ellen by the office so she could see where he worked. He narrowed his eyes at CJ, but agreed.
"I like your friends," Ellen observed as Matt drove her to his apartment. "They must be fun to work with."
Matt found himself smiling. "Fun and frustrating." Then he told her about Amanda's RV escapade, and how he ended up on the wrong end of it. Ellen laughed, and Matt was happy to hear it. The comment she made at supper had him wondering about his parent's relationship. They didn't sound like the happy couple he remembered.