As much as Amanda hated leaving work early, she wanted plenty of time to shower and put herself together before making the drive to Rochester. Not that she didn’t always want to be put together, but Mel and Bella run-ins required full armor.
Tonight would be just that. Her daughter’s final recital of the semester meant she’d be seeing her ex and her ex’s wife. Close to ten years of practice made it easier to be in the same space, but it didn’t mean she was ever comfortable with it. Or that she managed to tune out entirely the fact that Bella was twenty years younger, a professional powerhouse, and could have been mistaken for a supermodel. Ugh. She was so not in the mood.
Instead of moping, Amanda did what she did best: she pulled herself together and got on with it. Forty-five minutes later, she was dressed, hair done, and putting on lipstick. Not model material but more than presentable. And as the mother of a college freshman, it was exactly the look she was going for.
She headed downstairs, pleased to see Cal dressed and with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “Ready?”
He nodded. “We’re going to eat first, right? I’m starving.”
“Yes. Our reservations are for five so your sister can come too and we’ll have plenty of time to get her to the concert.”
“I guess I can wait that long.”
“Didn’t you eat something after school?”
He groaned. “I did, but that was like an hour ago.”
What he referred to as a snack, she jokingly called second lunch. Oh, to have the metabolism of a teenage boy. “Horror. Why don’t you grab a granola bar to tide you over?”
“I had one after my burrito.”
Of course he did. “Then I’m thinking you’ll survive.”
“Fine. But I’m having an appetizer. And dessert.”
He said it like she ever denied him either of those things. Well, dessert, sometimes. But even that was rare. “Deal.”
They got in the car and headed north. The drive took less than two hours, but she’d reserved a hotel for the night so they could move Daniella out of her dorm the following day. Not having to make two trips, or drive home at ten at night, made the splurge more than worth it. She was pretty sure Mel had made the same plan, which meant they’d be able to pack up everything at once. Aside from having to see Bella twice in two days, it was perfect.
“Can I stay over with Daniella tonight?”
Amanda raised a brow. “You’re going to give up a private bathroom and a bed to yourself to sleep on the floor of your sister’s dorm room?”
Cal lifted a shoulder and looked away. “Yeah.”
“Where’s the party?”
He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “Mom.”
“I’m not saying you can’t go, I just want to know the specifics.”
He sighed again. “It’s Daniella’s roommate’s boyfriend. Wait. Girlfriend? What do you call a non-binary person you’re sleeping with?”
“Um, partner?”
Cal wrinkled his nose. “That sounds super old.”
Amanda pulled through the toll booth and got on the thruway. “Maybe not the thing to say when you’re asking me for something.”
“I didn’t mean you’re old. I meant it sounds like what adults do. Are. You know.”
She did. Giving him a hard time felt like both a right and a responsibility, though. It kept him in line, but it also gave them rapport, the kind of rapport that would hopefully become the cornerstone of their relationship as he became an adult. “I do. So, where do they live?”
“On campus in one of the apartments. It’s going to be super chill.”
She wasn’t sure she’d go that far, but she preferred it to off-campus or, worse, a frat house. “And how will you get back to Daniella’s dorm after?”
“We can walk. It’s all on campus and there are those blue lights everywhere.”
She knew the answer, but wanted to make sure he did, too. “All right.”
“All right I can go?”
He’d be in college on his own soon enough. He might as well get a taste of it under the wing of his serious older sister. “You may. But we’re still leaving at nine and all her things need to be packed up. I have a wedding cake to finish and deliver tomorrow night.”
Cal leaned across the seat and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”
It was her turn to sigh. She didn’t want to turn back the clock, but moments like this gave her a tiny pang of they grow up so fast. “I know.”
He pushed the button to turn on the radio. “In honor of your awesomeness, you get to pick the music. What’ll it be?”
She smiled. Control of the radio in the car was a big deal. She’d lost track of the number of fights through the years. It said something that he offered after she’d already said yes. “Yacht rock all the way.”
He groaned but laughed, then sang along with her to Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald. And in that moment, all felt right with the world.
After picking up Daniella, they headed to the restaurant where she’d made reservations. They hadn’t been seated two minutes when her phone pinged. Mel.
Any chance you’re doing dinner before the concert?
Amanda frowned at the screen. Just sat down. Why?
Flying solo and would love to join you.
She closed her eyes. Not exactly how she wanted to spend her evening, but not having to see Bella at all would be a perk. And while family dinners had become increasingly rare as the kids grew up, both Daniella and Cal loved it when they all sat down together. Roux. We’ll add a chair and order appetizers.
* * *
Amanda basked in parental pride while her kids talked nonstop. The recital had been perfect, with Daniella looking poised and confident as part of the ensemble performance and during her brief solo. Sure, it wasn’t at the caliber of what the music majors put on, but the fact that her daughter could do it while also studying molecular biology? Well, it was more than any mother could ask for.
She dropped Daniella and Cal off with promises to stay safe and be ready to go in the morning, then headed to her hotel. Maybe she’d order a glass of wine and take it to her room. Now that she wasn’t bunking with Cal, she could take a bath and lounge around in one of those cushy robes. It shouldn’t, but it made her feel better to know Mel would be spending the night alone, too.
Mel. She’d been so weird at dinner. The concert, too. Charming and deferential. Hell, she’d been attentive. Amanda couldn’t remember the last time Mel had been attentive to her. Long before the divorce, that’s for sure. She couldn’t decide whether to enjoy it or be suspicious of it.
When she pulled into the garage at the hotel, Mel was waiting, ostensibly for her. Next level weird. Not to mention the sort of gesture that made Amanda fall for her in the first place all those years ago. At this point, she had to wonder if Mel was having a rare moment of sentimentality or wanted something. Probably the latter. Sentimentality didn’t seem to be in her DNA. Angling? Absolutely.
“Everyone make out okay?”
Amanda shrugged. “I think so. Daniella won’t get into trouble and she’ll keep an eye on Cal.”
Mel frowned. “You think Cal would get into trouble on his own?”
She didn’t. Not really. But new situations and wanting to be cool could inspire all sorts of shenanigans. “I’m glad they’ll be together.”
“This is why you were always better at the parenting thing than me. You know when to tie them down and when to let them free range.”
Classic Mel—shirking responsibility because Amanda was better at it. It was exactly the kind of statement that would have driven her up a tree during their marriage and the first few years of their divorce. Now that she didn’t have to depend on Mel for anything, it didn’t bother her as much. “Still working the helpless angle, I see.”
Mel slapped a hand to her chest. “You wound me.”
Amanda raised a brow. “I think you’ll live.”
Mel grinned. “You always did know how to keep me in my place.”
She chuckled, more amused by the banter than she would have expected. “Someone has to.”
“Would you like to grab a drink? It’s early still.” Mel looked at her with hopeful eyes. Like an eager puppy—cliché but irresistible.
“You and me? At a bar?” Just saying it aloud felt like a bad idea.
“Come on. We’re friends at this point, aren’t we?”
Friends. She wasn’t sure she’d go that far, but it was one of those umbrella words that offered shade to all manner of connections. “All right.”
Mel held the door as they entered the hotel. In the ten or so steps it took to get to the bar, she rested her hand in the small of Amanda’s back. Strange. Or, maybe, strange of her to notice.
The bar was dim, elegant rather than seedy. Small candles flickered on dark wood tables. Couples got cozy on leather love seats and in high-backed booths. Amanda cleared her throat. That had bad idea written all over it. “Why don’t we sit at the bar?”
Mel chuckled but didn’t argue. “Old-fashioned?”
Amanda smiled in spite of herself. Mel forgot their anniversary at least half the years they were married, but she always remembered the little things. Like Amanda’s favorite drink. “Yes, please.”
They took a pair of stools at the end of the bar. Not quite as intimate as one of the tables but not far off. Mel snagged the attention of the bartender and ordered. She still took her bourbon neat.
When their drinks came, Mel raised her glass. “Here’s to making a couple of fantastic kids.”
It would be impossible not to toast that. She tapped her glass to Mel’s. “Cheers.”
Mel sipped her drink. “How are you?”
“You know, I’m good.” She realized how nice it was to mean it and not just say it. “What about you?”
Mel sighed and shook her head. “Bella and I are doing a trial separation.”
“Oh. Oh, Mel, I’m sorry.” There might have been a time when she’d have wished doom on their marriage, but it was a long time ago. “What happened?”
Mel shrugged, seemingly at a loss. “We’ve been fighting nonstop. We’re trying to take a breather, let the dust settle.”
That explained why she was by herself. And clingy. “What’s causing all the tension?”
“Well, I don’t think the fertility treatments are helping.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Fertility treatments?”
Another shrug. “Bella wants kids. I didn’t feel like I could deny her because I’d already done the parenting thing.”
Amanda pressed her fingers to her eyes. “You know that’s a terrible reason to have kids, right?”
“Yes, right after having them to save a marriage.” Mel nodded, seemingly aware of the absurdity of what she was saying.
God, this was so none of her business. “Look, I’m not about to tell you—”
Mel raised a hand. “Don’t worry. We’ve hit the pause button for now.”
Relief spread through her. She didn’t stop to analyze whether it had more to do with bringing a baby into a failing relationship or the idea of Mel having a baby with another woman. Because, again, it was none of her business.
“Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
Normally, she hated when Mel did that. This time, though, she was in total agreement. “Let’s.”
“What’s going on with you? Tell me all the things.”
It was strange and more than a little satisfying to be the one with exciting goings-on. “I had my first meeting with the architect about the addition to the bakery.”
“Oh. Do tell.”
The thing about Mel was, for all her faults, she knew how to work a conversation. Being the center of her attention felt like being the center of the universe. It had been years since Amanda experienced it, but the pull was no less potent.
After the bakery, Mel asked about the house and the garden. She dismissed questions about her own work, calling it too boring to warrant mention. One drink became two. Amanda knew she’d regret the third—or was it the fourth?—but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d let loose. Her kids were off doing their thing and it wasn’t like she had to drive. The jazz in the background was soft and the company, whether she wanted to admit it or not, was good.
Maybe her vision started to blur a hair. Maybe she put a hand on Mel’s arm. Maybe Mel’s hand landed on her thigh. Maybe it inched up in a way that felt familiar but exciting at the same time. Maybe Mel kissed her in the elevator on the way up to their respective rooms.
Maybe she didn’t make it to her own room at all.