needed to process what was happening to her. Jack had managed to make himself scarce, which had become as annoying as his near-constant presence earlier in the week.
Her psyche still smarted from the last whirlwind of emotion that swirled around her relationship with her ex-fiancé, but Craig was certainly helping. She berated, then reminded, herself that they had completely honest conversations about where she was in her head with regard to their relationship. Craig claimed to understand, wanted to give her space and time to get over Jack, but was unable to resist her, according to him. That did a girl's ego good for certain.
"I'm cooking tonight–dinner is at 7. You bring the wine."
She waited a few minutes–a man who knew his way around a kitchen turned her on almost as much as a man with as talented a tongue as he did. She squeezed her thighs together, sighed and made a snap decision.
"Sure. Sounds good. See you then."
Blake chose that moment to call.
"Hey" he said.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Not much. You heard from mom today?"
"Uh, no, why?" she felt a knot forming in her gut at the thought of Blake having to ask her that question.
"Oh, no reason really. I just hadn't talked to her in about a week, which is weird, so I wondered if you had."
Sara thought a moment.
"I actually did talk to her almost exactly a week ago. She was fine. Dad was fine, but bitching about taking his heart pills or some shit. I think it makes him impotent. Ha! The irony," she rolled her eyes. Their father had been a serial cheater for as long as Sara had been aware of such things. It boggled her mind that her mother, such a smart, beautiful doctor, would put up with his nonsense for so long. Anxiety pinged her consciousness, remembering how Blake had reminded her of this, the night she'd broken it off with Jack.
"Ok, well, I'll let you go..." he trailed off. Sara knew he wanted to say something else.
"What's wrong Blake?" She had a ton of stuff to do but didn't want him to think she wouldn't listen.
"What? I'm fine," he insisted. "Except, well, I don't want to bother you with this, I know you have your own issues."
"Jesus H. Christ Blake! Since when have you ever been a burden to me? All I ever do is cry on your damn shoulder about my love life," she put the phone on her shoulder and checked her email–full, as usual.
"Oh hell, it's just a fucking mess," he sighed.
"What is?" she asked, knowing full well what it was, but wanting him to tell her himself.
"Look, I really have to go," he insisted.
She could hear someone calling his name out in the brewery so decided not to press it. He'd let her know when he was ready.
"Ok, but I should let you know about my new man sometime," she smiled into the phone.
"Oh, I already know babe," he laughed and she felt her tension release. It was no good when her brother was unhinged about something. That was her job. "Everybody does! Including you-know-who and he's the only one who isn't really happy for you." He hung up.
She stared at the phone. Why in the hell she couldn't just have a private life, she had no idea. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed being the center of attention. She was fine with that, but she still wasn't completely convinced she knew what she ultimately wanted. The fact that so many people had already made up their minds about what her life "should be" grated on her nerves like never before.
Suddenly gripped with a strange compulsion, she quickly dialed "mom" and tapped her fingers on the desk waiting for her to answer. She'd never been that close to her parents, but all the craziness going on in her love life lately made her feel bereft and she needed to ask her mother a question.
"Hi honey!" Sara smiled, soothed in a way of daughters by mothers, despite disagreements and past clashes.
"Hey mom. Um, you busy?"
"No, I don't have to be down at the clinic for another half an hour." Sara leaned back in her chair. "Retirement" for her mother had meant diving into
Her psyche still smarted from the last whirlwind of emotion that swirled around her relationship with her ex-fiancé, but Craig was certainly helping. She berated, then reminded, herself that they had completely honest conversations about where she was in her head with regard to their relationship. Craig claimed to understand, wanted to give her space and time to get over Jack, but was unable to resist her, according to him. That did a girl's ego good for certain.
"I'm cooking tonight–dinner is at 7. You bring the wine."
She waited a few minutes–a man who knew his way around a kitchen turned her on almost as much as a man with as talented a tongue as he did. She squeezed her thighs together, sighed and made a snap decision.
"Sure. Sounds good. See you then."
Blake chose that moment to call.
"Hey" he said.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Not much. You heard from mom today?"
"Uh, no, why?" she felt a knot forming in her gut at the thought of Blake having to ask her that question.
"Oh, no reason really. I just hadn't talked to her in about a week, which is weird, so I wondered if you had."
Sara thought a moment.
"I actually did talk to her almost exactly a week ago. She was fine. Dad was fine, but bitching about taking his heart pills or some shit. I think it makes him impotent. Ha! The irony," she rolled her eyes. Their father had been a serial cheater for as long as Sara had been aware of such things. It boggled her mind that her mother, such a smart, beautiful doctor, would put up with his nonsense for so long. Anxiety pinged her consciousness, remembering how Blake had reminded her of this, the night she'd broken it off with Jack.
"Ok, well, I'll let you go..." he trailed off. Sara knew he wanted to say something else.
"What's wrong Blake?" She had a ton of stuff to do but didn't want him to think she wouldn't listen.
"What? I'm fine," he insisted. "Except, well, I don't want to bother you with this, I know you have your own issues."
"Jesus H. Christ Blake! Since when have you ever been a burden to me? All I ever do is cry on your damn shoulder about my love life," she put the phone on her shoulder and checked her email–full, as usual.
"Oh hell, it's just a fucking mess," he sighed.
"What is?" she asked, knowing full well what it was, but wanting him to tell her himself.
"Look, I really have to go," he insisted.
She could hear someone calling his name out in the brewery so decided not to press it. He'd let her know when he was ready.
"Ok, but I should let you know about my new man sometime," she smiled into the phone.
"Oh, I already know babe," he laughed and she felt her tension release. It was no good when her brother was unhinged about something. That was her job. "Everybody does! Including you-know-who and he's the only one who isn't really happy for you." He hung up.
She stared at the phone. Why in the hell she couldn't just have a private life, she had no idea. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed being the center of attention. She was fine with that, but she still wasn't completely convinced she knew what she ultimately wanted. The fact that so many people had already made up their minds about what her life "should be" grated on her nerves like never before.
Suddenly gripped with a strange compulsion, she quickly dialed "mom" and tapped her fingers on the desk waiting for her to answer. She'd never been that close to her parents, but all the craziness going on in her love life lately made her feel bereft and she needed to ask her mother a question.
"Hi honey!" Sara smiled, soothed in a way of daughters by mothers, despite disagreements and past clashes.
"Hey mom. Um, you busy?"
"No, I don't have to be down at the clinic for another half an hour." Sara leaned back in her chair. "Retirement" for her mother had meant diving into
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