Hung Out: A Needles and Pins Rock Romance (55 page)

“Why would you give me this?” Coming back to present time, she clenched the neck and felt her teeth grit.

“Don’t throw it.” Henni hastily set aside the box of clothing and scooted closer. “I never explained that Christmas to you. “ Your father bought that guitar for you. The day after you were born, he walked into the hospital with it. We put it up for you. And I thought you were about the right age that Christmas. The age he would have given it to you if he were still alive. But when you showed such an aversion to it—and anything musical as I soon realized around that time—I put it back into the box and back into the closet.”

Scarlette dropped her eyes to the age-faded box. “Thanks, Mom. Sorry I was a bratty kid.”

“Sorry I was a shitty mom.” The confession came out without a missed breath, and Scarlette studied her parent in surprise. “Since you have now made peace with guitars, open the other one. The big one.”

She’d known what it was the second Henni had slid it under the tree, and now she tore the paper, curious to see what type of guitar she’d find beneath this ribbon wrapped package. In seconds, she lifted an acoustic Taylor from a hard case. “It’s beautiful!”

Unable to contain herself, she began to strum, tuning as she noodled around.

“You’re really gifted.” Her mother’s compliment was accompanied by a faraway look. “Your dad was about your age when I met him. Actually younger. He was your age when his career exploded. You play with the same passion.”

Embarrassed, Scarlette fit the guitar back into the case and snapped it closed. Waving the smaller box, she teased, “Guitar picks?” But when she opened it, her jaw dropped open.

The distinctive silver cross necklace appeared in all pictures of her father from a certain point on. “This is
the
necklace?”

“The one and only. I gave it to him as a birthday present our first year together. His family gave it back to me at the service. I sat in the bathroom floor of the funeral home and cried. I’d wanted it to stay with him. But they wanted nothing of me buried with him.”

Reaching over, she pulled her mother close. It was a lot to take in. The memories and the memorabilia.

Instructing Henni to leave the dishes and the mess, she said she was going to bed. “I’m so tired.” And it was true. Fatigue drained her energy and ached her eyes.

Curling into a ball, she squeezed her eyes closed, but sleep didn’t come. Dishes rattled from the other room.
Henni doing dishes
. Her world as she knew it had jumped from its axis. The dishwasher was humming when a rap sounded on the bedroom door and her mother peeped in.

“Your phone.” Henni held the device out. “A text or something came through, and being almost midnight, I thought it might be important.”

Thanking her, Scarlette accepted the phone. The door had just closed behind her exiting mother when she pulled up the message from Gage and burst into tears.

Her crying quickly escalated into a fit of such extreme magnitude that Scarlette didn’t hear the door reopen. The bed shifted slightly beneath her mom’s weight.

“Who’s got you crying, baby?”

Sucking in a shaky breath, she sniffled while her mother stroked her hair. “Gage.”

Without another word, Henni stretched out on the bed with her, and pulled her close. “What happened?” Her mom’s fingers smoothed and soothed through her hair. “With Gage?”

“We just weren’t right together.”

“He cheated on you?” Henni’s words were so quiet they barely hung in the air. “All people aren’t wired for monogamy. That doesn’t mean they love you any less―”

“He didn’t. And he would never. Gage isn’t like that.” As she said it, she realized it was true. Of all the complications Gage had, lying and cheating was not part of his problematic equation. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Her mom stilled, and drew slightly back, affixing a curious look to her face. “It’s you, isn’t it? Damn, why am I just now realizing this? You’ve never committed to a relationship. You couldn’t escape those genes. Between your father and me, you got a double dose…”

“I don’t want to talk about it…” She repeated, and relaxed when her mother’s arms tightened again.

“Scarlette. Sometimes the best way to get over someone is to be with them. Just remember that.”

A mouthwatering aroma
tantalized and confused her when she woke. And then remembering her mother was a guest in her house befuddled her even more. Truthfully, her mother had cooked breakfast on occasion. And that occasion had generally been a scruffy rocker with bedhead sitting across the table while he and school-aged Scarlette scooped up the atypical meal of omelets or waffles.

This morning, it was pumpkin pancakes with whipped cream sans shirtless rocker.

“Smells good.” Scarlette folded her tablet open to a text. She had been one of a few students to get a jump on the next semester by picking up a syllabus in one of her harder classes the moment her schedule was confirmed. The previous night after her mother departed to the couch, as Christmas Eve ticked into Christmas Day, she’d downloaded the textbook. She’d also texted Gage back a simple, ‘You too.’

She poured two glasses of orange juice while Henni dished up two plates.

“Did you go to the store?” Scarlette wondered between mouthfuls of the gooey goodness.

“Yes. And that reminds me.
What
are you driving?” The disdain in Henni’s voice was accompanied by mock shock on her features. Scrubbed free of makeup, even after the abuse her body had been through, she appeared ten years younger.

Scarlette lifted a brow right back. “You took my car?”

“Well I didn’t walk.”

Scarlette rolled her eyes and refrained from mentioning a taxi or Uber. With a forefinger, she swiped a page in the textbook.

“I thought you were going to buy a nice car.”

“That
is
a nice car. What is it with everyone and my damn car?”

“I can’t speak for ‘everyone.’ But you deserve nice things. You’ve worked hard.” Her mother sent a pointed look to the tablet. “Can’t you put that away for ten minutes? It’s not good for digestion.”

“What kind of car did you get?” Turning the conversation around, Scarlette attacked.

“A pearl Aston Martin.” Henni was understandably wary when she mentioned the luxury vehicle. “I got a job.”

Her mother’s employment was as surprising as everything else that had happened in the course of this visit. She opened her mouth to ask questions. To be encouraging. Instead what came out was, “A six figure salary, I’m presuming? To afford that car?”

“Not that it’s any of your business. But I bought the car with the documentary money.”

The mention of the documentary dulled her appetite. And she really wanted to enjoy the pancakes. “Tell me about your job.”

“I’m the event coordinator at one of the resorts.”

“That’s great! Do you like it?”

When her mom didn’t answer right away, Scarlette looked up and felt silently chastised for keeping her eyes glued to the tablet screen.

“It’s Christmas.” Having cleared her plate, Henni set her fork down. Since we opened all of our presents, why don’t we go out? Walk on the beach or something?”

“I really need to get a jump on this. This class is going to be hard.”

“You graduate this time, right?” She asked and when Scarlette nodded, again turning her attention to the technical jargon, Henni stood, stacking their plates. “I’m proud of you, Scarlette.” She squeezed her shoulder in passing. “Give it a break on Christmas. Okay?”

“Mom, I just told you―”

“I know what you told me. It’s bullshit! You’ve always studied on Christmas. You can’t say that was necessary when you were a kid! And I guarantee you it’s not now! So whatever this drive is you have going on that makes you do this, stop it. Please. For one day.”

“Fine.” Scarlette snapped the cover closed. “We’ll go to the beach.”

“I have a better idea.” Henni suddenly seemed giddy. “I’ll drive.”

The dealership was deserted
. Row after row of gleaming Porches waited Christmas Day out. The closed status and the metal gate didn’t stop Henni who clambered over.

“C’mon! Did you ever get a favorite color? Or are you still into black?”

“There are cameras…”

“So? Who’s going to arrest Tyler Conterra’s kid on Christmas Day?” Henni curved a mischievous smile. “Let’s look at cars!”

“I wasn’t going to buy a Porsche.” Traffic buzzed on the avenue behind her. In front of her, stood her mother. The afternoon sun lit the salon highlights in her styled hair and lent a rosy hue to her cheeks. Her eyes danced and her expectant smile drooped a bit. “Okay. You know what? Let’s look at cars.” Scarlette stepped over the blockade.

Henni hooked an arm with hers. They strolled to a row of sleek black cars.

“Why are we here again?”

“We’re looking. And then tomorrow or the next day, we’re coming back to one of these places and buying your car.” Henni gestured again for her to join her on the other side. “Did you know the week after Christmas is the best time of year to buy a car? That ought to appeal to your responsible side. The dealer told me that when I bought mine.”

“But you didn’t wait.”

“Why wait for something you can have now?”

“Not you. That’s for sure.”

“And not you. Scarlette Fuckin’ Conterra doesn’t live in a tiny apartment and drive some secondhand shit car.

“Really? Then why did I do just that for years? Why was Scarlette Conterra working her own way through college?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like that. I thought the money would last longer. But things happened.”

“Yes!
You
happened.”

“Look, Scarlette. I know you think it was irresponsible. The amount of money I went through―”

“It was!”

“It was. I agree. Looking back, yes it was extreme. Yes, I regret a lot of it.” Here she paused and leveled her best mother look. “But I don’t regret all of it.”

“I’m curious what you don’t regret.” When her mother flipped her shades down over her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, Scarlette pursued. “As someone who pays your rent—who’s always paid your rent—and knowing I’ll be paying more of your bills before it’s over, I deserve to know what you don’t regret and why not.”

“I lived! I lived life each day to the max. I didn’t miss out on what I wanted. You want to know why I dated rockers? Because they live their lives at full volume! And that’s how I lived. It’s how I felt alive. You on the other hand, I believe you’re doing the opposite of what you want to do. And you’re miserable for it. Always studying. Writing papers. Taking tests.”

“You’re wrong. I’m about to graduate and do something I’ve always wanted to do. All the studying is about to pay off.”

In the grand scheme of things, she had decided she wanted to apply her degree in allopathic studies to chemical detoxification in a private rehab setting. Looking through the materials from Shady Oasis had made up her mind.

Chemical detoxification had an eighty percent relapse rate. But, facilities like the one Gage was in that used allopathic means to rid the impurities stored in fatty tissues, such as the method she’d already used on Gage, had only a thirty percent relapse rate.

“Really? Have you always wanted to rehab people hooked on junk? Or have you always wanted to balance your little corner of the universe? An addiction to drugs took your father away, so you cure addiction to drugs?”

When she didn’t receive an answer, Henni went with a calmer approach. “Scarlette, you’re a musician. Don’t waste that talent away because of some fear you developed while being exposed to the worst of that life.”

In going up one row and down another, they’d made a loop. Quickening her steps, Scarlette hopped the gate and hurried to the car, slipping into the driver’s side. She was left alone with her thoughts for a good few minutes before her mother opened the passenger door. Without saying anything, she passed the keys over.

They were quiet on the drive home. Scarlette passed the BMW dealership without stopping, and her mother made no argument.