***
“I saw you talking to Mia this morning.” Maureen took a seat across from Sean at the kitchen table. He’d carried in the supplies he picked up at the wholesaler and stopped in for a quick lunch before starting the next project.
“She seems so down to earth,” Maureen said as she stirred sugar into her tea, feigning indifference, but seeming really curious. “Nothing like that Rosa Steinbeck who stayed here in March.”
From the little interaction he had with Mia so far, he had to agree. Rosa Steinbeck, another A-list movie star, had stayed with them for three days back in March. From the moment the annoying woman entered The Victorian Rose, she’d been difficult. She made unreasonable demands at all times of the day and had been just plain old rude. They’d both breathed a sigh of relief when she left.
“Let’s hope she stays that way.” More than once he had almost lost his patience with Rosa. The only thing that kept him from telling her off was the knowledge of how terrible that would be for business. But sometimes … well, sometime it might be worth it to kick out a guest.
“I finished your bathroom this morning,” Sean said, dismissing thoughts of Rosa as he reached for the second half of his turkey sandwich.
“Oh great. No more using your bathroom.”
She said it innocently enough, but a minor pang of guilt still struck him. When he’d started the project he had anticipated a quick job. Instead it turned into something much longer, forcing his mother to use his shower in the attic in the morning and lugging her things over from the loft and up two flights of stairs. He’d offered to let her use his room so she didn’t have to carry things back and forth, but she’d refused, insisting that she didn’t mind.
Sean polished off his sandwich and started on a piece of blueberry pie. “When I’m done here I’m going to Quinn’s for floor tiles. Anything you need while I’m out?”
Maureen shook her head. “Not that I can think of. If Jessie is in there, say hello to her for me.” Turning her attention to her own lunch, Maureen remained silent for a few minutes, but then she looked up at him again, a twinkle in her eye. “I saw her a few weeks ago when I got my hair done. Have you seen her recently? She cut off about eight inches of her hair and got rid of her glasses. And I don’t know how much weight she’s lost, but she looks great. I almost didn’t recognize her.”
He’d noticed something different about her when he’d seen her last but hadn’t known exactly what it was. “I saw her on Monday when I stopped in the store.” It was hard not to see her regularly. She’d become a permanent fixture in her grandfather’s hardware store since taking over as manager.
“She’s such a nice girl,” Maureen said tentatively. “If she’s there, why don’t you ask her to the block party tonight or maybe to a movie this weekend? You two would make a cute couple.”
From time to time his mom tried to play matchmaker. She seemed to have an endless supply of friends who had single daughters, and Jessica Quinn was her favorite. He should’ve known another attempt was on its way. It had been over two months since her last attempt at finding him a girlfriend. “We’ve been through this. Jessie’s a friend, Ma.” Regardless of any hairstyle changes, he’d always see Jessica as a friend. He’d known her forever. She’d been close friends with his sister all through school. “Besides, I have plans for tonight.”
Maureen sighed and her shoulders sagged. “Joining Tony Bates and his brothers for the baseball game?”
“Heading to the block party.”
Maureen perked up in her chair. “Really? You don’t do that often.”
“Mia asked me, and I figured she might need someone around to keep the town jerks away. You know how some of them get when anyone of consequence visits—especially if alcohol is around.” He fabricated the answer as he went along. In truth when Mia invited him, thoughts of how other people might react to her hadn’t entered his mind. Instead he’d assumed she merely didn’t want to be alone. But now that he thought about it, his excuse held merit.
“Really?” His mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Well, that’s great.”
He knew that look on his mom’s face and needed to squash any grand ideas, here and now. “Don’t, Ma. She just didn’t want to show up alone and, other than you, I’m the only person in town she’s met.” Sean pushed back his chair and stood. He towered over his mother anyway, but with her seated it was even more evident. “I mean it, Ma. Don’t try to make any more out of it.”