Chapter 6

My mom has a boyfriend, at least, I think she does. I wanted to tell Steven but I didn't think he would believe me. Why shouldn't he, though? Our mom is beautiful. Yes, she dresses a little mute and conservative, but she is an intelligent woman and dresses like one.

Most people say that I look like my dad. I wouldn't hate to look like my mother, though. She is tall, elegant, she has brown hair that is cut to her shoulders and she pulls it back from her face with broaches in a half-up-half-down hairstyle. It is her signature look. Around the house, she wears it in a messy bun at the back of her head with a cool headband that acts as a bandana. My mom is fit, walks every day, and eats well. It was hard not to see how beautiful that she was as I looked at her as closely as I had the past couple of days as I waited to catch her talking to whoever it was again and hoping that she would give away information. But, is this person good enough for my mom? It is hard to imagine that any man is good enough for her. It is also surprising that she gave them the time of day.

I decided to go down to the rec room to flip on a movie. The weather was still pouring rain and high winds. The weather man only said through the weekend. It was Monday night and the weather was still awful. What a rotten liar.

Jeremiah and Melanie left for Boston yesterday after lunch promising that they would return for Steven's declared party on Saturday. I often wondered if Melanie's parents cared that she was following Jere around all summer. I doubted they cared. She didn't seem to talk about it if they did mind. Taylor went back home too. Just for the week. Her mom needed her to go with her to her breast implant surgery with her, and stay with her for the aftercare. She was very dramatic about it. She was paying for it from alimony from her and her husbands divorce. Taylor's dad began dating a girl about five years older than Taylor herself and her mom went on a rampage. She got a new haircut, wardrobe, and now new breasts. Taylor thought it was a little dramatic, but she was in full support of her mother and currently not talking to her father.

Conrad drove Steven to see Katie and they were all going to go to a casino to gamble, something that wasn't my scene. I suggested to Conrad that he should go with Steven so that he wouldn't feel like Conrad was alienating him this summer. He kind of had been since we started our relationship back up.

I received a text from Con around 8:40.

Conrad: I really want to come back. Do you think they can take a cab back to the house?

I was thoughtful for a moment. Wishing that he could come back and keep me company, but I knew being selfish was not attractive.

Me: No that would hurt Steven's feelings. Not that I care. I just don't want you to lose a friend.

Yeah, I am looking out for you Conrad. He didn't take long to respond.

Conrad: Yeah, I know it would. You should have come.

Ha! Come and join you? With what money? I typed out a quick response.

Me: No way. Don't have any money to gamble away anyways.

Who did he think I was? The queen of England? Again, he was quick with his response.

Conrad: They have penny machines…

I could almost hear the sarcasm through the words. But, in my defense, I didn't know what those were.

Me: I don't know what that is…

Take that! I thought. I decided to watch Great Expectations on Netflix. I found it to be casting genius to cast the lead actors kid brother to play the lead actors younger self in the movie. I loved the movie because of that, among other things. My phone buzzed, alerting me that I had a new message.

Conrad: A slot machine that allows you to gamble with pennies.

I didn't need to know encyclopedia boy. Context clues were enough. I had just meant that I didn't know how they worked. Although it sounds interesting. I wonder what makes that a fun game to play? Maybe the low stakes aspect of it? If you lose, it isn't a big deal. Wait, penny machine, who carries around pennies.? I type out my thoughts and push send.

Me: Oh, well I don't have many of those either. Who carries around change these days?

The movie started to play and I got excited, jigging in my pajamas as I stuff a hand full of popcorn into my mouth, and when I do I am thankful that there is nobody around to witness my pig-like behavior. Another buzz.

Conrad: I do.

I rolled my eyes at his response. That is probably what he is playing on.

Me: Of course you do.

I wait for his response to my sarcasm. I could see the ironic smile playing at his lips as if I said it to him in person.

Conrad: Just watch me. I will make like thirty dollars and it will buy us breakfast at Denny's and putt-putt.

Me: I will believe it when I see it. Gotta go. Watching Great Expectations. It needs my full attention.

Conrad: RUDE.

Me: Blowing kiss emoji

Conrad: emoji with no mouth bag of money emoji

I laughed at his choices of emoticons. Of course, he could find a way to be cute through texting. I put my phone down and stuffed another handful of movie theater popcorn into my mouth.

I really need to get a job while I am here. I really am broke. I will need money for when school starts back up. My senior year. In just one year I will be allowed to be a child and family therapist. My optimism will hopefully do me well in my new found job.

As the movie started I heard my mom coming down the stairs.

"Hey bean, whatcha watching?" Mom asked, calling me by my favorite nickname.

"Great Expectations. Have you ever seen it?" I asked her.

She had her hair pulled back in a fun braid and I analyzed her as she responded.

"No, is it good?" She asked.

"Yeah, it is," I responded.

We watched the movie in silence, just me and her.

"Mom?" I said towards the end.

"Yeah, bean?" Mom asked, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

"What do you do when me and Steven are in school?" I asked. She turned to me and looked surprised.

"Why do you ask?" She asked me with her interest piqued, but she kept her eyes on the movie. I smiled my nonchalant smile.

"Because I worry about you being lonely," I responded truthfully. I didn't want to outright ask her about a boyfriend. I would hope she would just tell me. My mom is a private person, though.

Mom smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Oh Belly, you shouldn't worry about old women. I have lots of clubs that I am in and I have my job of course. It keeps me busy," she responded. She always knew what to say. But, I felt like she was being a little evasive.

"Who do you hang out with?" I asked prying a little bit further.

Mom looked thoughtful for a moment not turning my way.

"Well, I hang out with Ellen from my book club. I also see Tonya, you know from your high school PTO, um… Connor's mom. She and I sometimes get brunch. I don't know Belly. I do see people." She responded to me humored and a little exasperated by my questions.

I decide to push a little further.

"Do you ever date?" I asked.

She turned on me with her full attention.

"Why?" She sounded more distant.

"Because you are single and beautiful! Why wouldn't you?" I said almost shrugging back into the couch cushions. She still pins me with a curious and authoritative look.

"Belly." Mom said trailing off. Hopefully, she will just admit it to me. Admit it! Admit it mom!

"Mom," I said encouraging her.

"I have a male friend. We are friends. We go out." Mom said looking back at the TV hoping that I would leave it alone. She should know better.

"Mom!" I shouted. Do I know him?" I asked turning on the couch sitting Indian style on the couch facing her.

"No you don't know him I met him right after Susannah died. I met him at the airport on my way to Turkey." Mom said taking some of my popcorn and putting it into her mouth. It wouldn't take her long to finish the small kernel before she would have to answer my next question.

"What is his name? And why do I not know about him? Oh, how romantic!" I asked. I could tell she was unsure of what to tell me.

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Well first off. You nor Steven have never asked. Second his name is Samuel."

True. Neither of us has ever taken an interest in my mom's personal life. We'd always been chasing around our own interests, never really looking out for mom. The thought made me feel guilty and sad.

"What is he like?" I asked.

Mom figured out that I wasn't going to let up so she turned and sat Indian style facing me as well.

"Well, he is quiet and intelligent. He is a world traveler and a renowned author. He has hiked to the top Mt. Everest. He is an instructor at Cambridge in word studies and he has tenor there and he also wrote a few textbooks on women's studies. He is quite the well-rounded man. He builds furniture as a hobby." And as my mom kept listing off all of the wonderful qualities. She made him sound like the most amazing man and the most amazing match for her. I couldn't believe it. She told me about how he lives in London most of the year and flies back to the States on summer break. He travels home to see his mom who is 96 and he travels to ruins and deep and mysterious places just so that he can just see them.

"I would love to meet him," I said truthfully.

Mom shook her head and began to get up.

"No Belly, it isn't anything serious. He is just someone that I can talk to and spend time with every now and again." Mom said heading towards the stairs.

"Mom you like teachers." I pointed out because my dad was a college professor, hence, his grad student girlfriend that is no longer in grad school. They lived together now and I wondered where that was going too. And now she had been dating or seeing Samuel every now and again for the past six years. It sounded kind of serious to me.

Mom rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Good night Belly."

"Good night mom."

She only just thought the conversation was over.

I decided to watch another movie until the boys came home. I decided on the film version of Pride and Prejudice, the Keira Knightly version. I dimmed the lights further in the room and snuggled under my favorite woven blanket as the A/C kicked back on and it was positioned straight overhead.

The house was quiet except for the movie. Mom had gone to bed and it was 11:30 then I heard footsteps creaking from the floor above. I sent a quick text to Conrad.

Me: Hey are you guys home?

I had to wait a few minutes before he got back to me. The footsteps grew heavier overhead.

Conrad: No Steven is wasted and so is Katie. I am Conrad the babysitter. I am trying to round them up now. Why?

Upon seeing his text message my heart stopped. I heard too heavy of footsteps of them belong to my mom thumping down the stairs. I paused my movie and so that I could hide behind the couch. I fixed my eyes on one spot so that I could picture were the intruder was with my eyes just from the sound of how far away they were. My heart thudded in my chest and I feared the person coming down the stairs would hear it, and I tried to stop breathing so they wouldn't hear that either. But my heart was beating so fast that I could only pant.

My phone buzzed. My heart stopped. I looked down at it like a traitor. Jeremiah's head popped around the couch.

"Belly?"

"Oh, my gosh Jeremiah!" I said popping up and clinging a hand to my chest.

"What are you doing Belly?" He asked with humor.

"I was watching a movie before you started creeping around the house," I said angrily with him for scaring me.

I looked down to Conrad's text.

Conrad: Is everything okay Belly?

I quickly responded.

Me: . . . I heard footsteps upstairs and mom's gone to bed. emoji smacking face in horror it was only Jeremiah. Thank goodness. I was so scared.

"Sorry, I had to let Conrad know I was still alive," I said to Jeremiah as I plopped back onto the couch to get under the blanket. All the terror had frozen me down to my bones.

"You are still as nutty as ever Belly." He said dragging his feet over to the couch to sit on the far end.

"What are you doing back?" I asked.

"Dad is letting me have the rest of the summer off. He said he wants me to enjoy my last summer of freedom." Jeremiah explained as if it were funny to him.

"Well, that was nice of him. Why didn't he just leave you alone to begin with? I asked him.

"I guess I was a little distracted while I had been there. He got mad at me one day for distracting the office with paper football. We made a field goal and everything." He said shrugging with humor in his eyes.

"Oh well. I guess you were momentarily fired. Where is Melanie?" I asked.

He looked over at me suddenly and with a funny pointed look.

"What?" I asked laughing at him.

"Melanie is gone." He said propping his feet up on the coffee table.

My phoned buzzed and I ignored it so that I wouldn't be rude to Jeremiah.

"What do you mean she is gone? Did you murder her?" I asked laughing.

"No, she is in Florida with her family. That is where she is from. I don't think that she and I are going to work out." He said running his hand through his hair. He looked tired.

"Bad breakup?" I asked.

"I've had worse." He said dryly. Then he smiled and said. "Yeah, she started crying when I suggested we take a break. I don't do the long distance thing." Jeremiah smiled like he was cool.

"Uh-huh, alright cool guy. Well, at least, you are a man who knows what they want." I said taking a sip of my canned cherry Coke.

"Share," Jeremiah said reaching for my drink.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Get your own," I said keeping it from him.

"Belly I have been driving for what feels like all day," Jeremiah whined.

"Quit your blubbering, Fisher and go get your own Coke," I said taking a long sip of my drink.

"You are not a nice girl." He said getting up and running up the stairs. I grinned in victory and hollered, "Get me another one while you are at it!" I giggled and put the movie back on. It hadn't gotten far. Elizabeth was still walking with her book back towards her family's home only about thirty seconds in.

I heard Jeremiah come back down the stairs.

He had two cokes, Twizzlers, and a freshly popped bowl of popcorn.

"Alright!" I said taking the popcorn from him so that he could settle in beside me.

"What are we watching Belles?" Jeremiah asked looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Pride and Prejudice," I said in a whisper. He needed to quiet down if he wanted to hang out with me.

"Didn't you just read the book the beginning of the summer?" he asked.

I looked over at him.

"Yeah I did." His eyes lingered on mine and I broke the look and continued watching the movie.

I checked my phone at my side now that we were settled into watching the movie.

Conrad: What is he doing back?

I typed out a response.

Me: Your dad gave him the rest of the summer off. We are watching a movie downstairs. Join us when you get home.

"Tell me something to get my mind off of Melanie and the awful breakup," Jeremiah said drawing my eyes away from my phone.

I thought for a moment.

"My mom has had, like, a guy friend for six years. His name is Samuel." I said finally glad to share the information with someone.

"A guy friend?" Jeremiah said outraged. A surprised smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, I know. He is a professor at Cambridge." I said wiggling my eyebrows.

"Let's look him up," Jeremiah said. He got up and ran back up the stairs – to get his laptop I assumed.

When he came back down he did a hilarious dance like in Willy Wonka when they go up and down the stairs in a little jig in the room with the meadow made of candy. We used to call this dance the, "Downstairs tease".

"Get your butt over here and let's snoop," I said bossing him around. He lifted the laptop over his head and ran my way. He always knew how to make me laugh.

He plopped back onto the couch and flipped open his laptop. I scooted closer so that I could see. All his movements made me bounce around on the couch too.

"Where to Harriet the Spy?" Jeremiah said, referring to the summer that I followed the boys around journaling about what they did.

I busted out laughing.

"I still have those journals in my room." I said looking at him as humor spread across his face.

"You were a little weirdo." Jere said making fun of me.

"Hey, I was bored. You guys always left me out." I said then I added. "Let's look on the Universities website." I said waiting for him to pull up the website.

While he typed he said, "I didn't always leave you out."

"I know you didn't." I agreed.

Jeremiah pulled up the website and look through the program profiles.

"What does he teach?" Jeremiah asked.

"World History." I said humming with impatience. I was also glad that I had remembered the detail.

Jeremiah found the link and we both saw the name Dr. Sameul B. Killian III

"He is the third." Jeremiah said laughing.

"Click on his name!" I scolded him.

"You seriously need to calm down. How much sugar have you had?" Jeremiah said clicking on his name.

Samuel B. Killian III was pale with black hair and greenish blue eyes. He had a rough beard and brushed back hair. He looked like he was Greek or Italian. There was a link with a video.

"Click the video." I said eager for more information. And we waited for the video to buffer.

"Hello my name is Dr. Samuel Killian and I teach world history here at Cambridge University. In my class you will learn everything from the Mayan Empire to the fairy legends in Scotland. I want you to all open your minds to wonders of history. If you take my class you will be pushed to your full potential, but you will also learn about the greatest wonders of the world and maybe it will inspire you to visit these places." He continues to talk about his office hours and prime times to take his class.

"He has a badass accent." Jeremiah said looking over at me.

"He seems awesome, and he likes my mom. My mom! How cool is that." I said with wonder and excitement.

"You should invite him to the beach house." Jere suggested. "Look Belly, here is his email." Jeremiah added.

"Mom would kill me." I said it, but I was also considering Jeremiah's idea to be a good one. Mom wouldn't be lonely if he came.

We heard the others arrive upstairs.

"They're back." I said to Jeremiah.

"Where did they go anyways?" He asked.

"Oh, they went to the Casino." I said sticking my tongue out like the idea sounded gross, although, I didn't really care that much about it.

Conrad came down looking disheveled.

"Hey guys." Conrad said with exhaust in his voice.

"Hey." I said cheerfully from the couch. I hopped over to give him a hug.

He captured me in his arms and held me close. I could feel his nose in my hair.

"Bad night?" Jeremiah asked.

"You know how Steve gets when he is intoxicated with a girl." Conrad said to Jeremiah.

"Ew, guys let's not talk about that." I said wrinkling my nose.

"Oh my gosh, Conrad look, this is mom's boyfriend." I said bringing him by his hand towards the laptop that sat it Jere's lap.

"Samuel?" Conrad asked before he saw the laptop.

"You knew?" I asked baffled. How did he know?

"Yeah I have known for like four years." Conrad said, surprised we didn't know. His eyes darting between me and Jere.

"Why didn't you tell me!" I scolded him. He found my surprise to be humorous and pulled me back towards him.

"I thought you knew. Laurel is more private than I thought. I mean your mom didn't outright tell me. I met him once when I came to take her to lunch a while back. Samuel was getting into a cab and heading back towards the airport." Conrad explained.

"No mom didn't tell me. I mean once I asked she did." I thought out loud.

"Well isn't it great that she has somebody?" Conrad asked. I frowned.

"Yes it is. I just want to meet him. Don't you think I have a right to meet the man my mom has been seeing for so long?" I asked.

"I think so." Jeremiah said from the couch behind me.

I turned and gave him a grateful smile.

Conrad grabbed both of my hands.

"I think you should get to meet him too Belly. But maybe that is something that you should talk to your mom about. You know how she is." Conrad said as if he knew my mom better than me. Which, maybe he did in his own way. But I was her daughter who was the next generation of her, at least genetically – so I was entitled to some type of support in this, without going to my mom who would say no.

"Yeah, but she will say no," I said.

"Dang right, she will say no." Jeremiah chimed in behind me again.

Conrad seemed annoyed with the both of us.

"What are you going to do Belly? Invite him here without your mom's permission?" Conrad asked as if the idea was insane.

"Actually yes," I said crossing my arms.

Conrad ran his hand through his hair again. It looked wild and unruly. I wanted to run my own hands through it, but maybe not in front of Jeremiah.

"Belly…" Conrad started until Jeremiah cut him off.

"If our dad was dating someone for that long I would want to meet her too," Jeremiah said putting his two cents in.

Conrad glared over at his younger brother.

"Belly let's go talk about this upstairs. If you really want to meet him, I will talk to Laurel with you." He said rubbing my hands.

"Okay," I said leaving Jeremiah behind to finish the movie and snacks on his own.

The next morning Conrad had helped me fix a good and nutritious breakfast for mom so that we could breach the subject of inviting Samuel to Cousins. Mom had done this for Mr. Fisher when she wanted to get her way a long time ago. I thought that maybe I could try this with her to get my own way. Steven had left early this morning to take Katie home so he couldn't come along with my plan. Steven still didn't know about mom's boyfriend and as long as he was staying occupied in his own world, I assumed it wasn't a high priority for him to know about it.

"What do you think she will say?" I asked Conrad.

"Honestly?" He asked me.

"Yes," I said fearing what he would say.

"I don't think she will go for it." He replied pushing my hair behind my ear.

"Why not?" I asked pouting a little bit.

"Because your mom is not the typical woman. She doesn't gush about her relationships. She never even gushes about any of the success she has at work. I mean have you heard her brag or flaunt anything, ever?"

Conrad had a good point. Mom was so reserved. I felt that she was almost too reserved. I would love to show Conrad off to anybody. I would love to walk hand in hand with him back in my home town so all of the girls that used to hear about me having a crush on a mysterious summer boy could see that I was finally with him after all of this time. I knew it was juvenile, but he did leave me at my junior prom, which prompted a lot of questions.

"Well, we will never know unless we ask," I said squeezing a grapefruit to make her juice. Conrad just gave me a reassuring smile.

Mom sauntered into the kitchen five minutes later with a big sun hat on. She had been outside where she had started growing herbs for cooking. Mom had really gotten into natural herbs and natural oils.

She was taking her gardening gloves off in the mud room and slipped out of her crocs and sauntered over to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.

"Is this homemade oatmeal?" Mom asked smelling the fruity oatmeal that I had prepared for her.

"Yes, would you like some?" I asked her already piling some into a bowl.

"And freshly squeezed grapefruit juice," I added placing the bowl on the breakfast bar in front of her and running over to pour her a glass of grapefruit juice.

"Connie, are you teaching Belly to be healthier?" Mom asked as she tried a bite of her oatmeal.

Conrad stifled a laugh that didn't go unnoticed by me.

I gave him my, you're in trouble look.

"Yeah I am actually Laur. I hope to instill some good habits before summer is out." Conrad said loving the joke that mom was unaware of.

"So mom," I said glaring over in my boyfriend's direction and changing my face into my super sweet baby Belly face.

"Yeah, Bean?" Mom asked eyes cast down at her oatmeal.

"So I was… no, we were wondering." I looked up at Conrad and tweaked my head to the side in a malicious grin and turned back to mom. "We were wondering if you would invite Samuel to the summer house so that we could all meet him," I asked, my breathing pausing as I awaited my mother's answer.

Mom looked up and me and slowly over to Conrad. Then back to me.

"I don't think that is a good idea." Mom said as she begun to stand up.

"No, wait, why?" I asked hurriedly.

"Because Belly our relationship isn't like that. I can't just ask him to fly across the country to come see me for a weekend." Mom scolded me.

"Why not? If he is your boyfriend that shouldn't be a big deal." I said back defiantly.

Mom got up this time and Conrad put a hand on my shoulder. It was to make me not follow her and to comfort me at the same time.

I stormed off in pursuit of the patio and ran out onto the beach. I stared out at the waves, angry at my mom for being so closed off. She hasn't changed at all. She is just as closed off as I remember. She only wants to do things that take any attention off of her. Conrad didn't follow me and I was thankful for it. I knew that I could possible snap at him in my bad mood. I sat own in the sand and listened to the ocean for a little while longer.

I heard someone approaching me and didn't turn to welcome them. It was Jeremiah.

"So your plan didn't go well?" Jeremiah asked.

I looked over at him with a plain pout on my face, but I didn't care.

"No," I said turning back to the ocean.

"Well, that's okay because I emailed him last night and he said he would be here next weekend," Jeremiah said quirking a cute smile my direction.

"No, you didn't!" I asked excited and impressed by his fearlessness.

"You bet I did. This way if your mom gets mad she can just get mad at me." Jeremiah said dancing with his shoulders making me laugh.

"You are crazy!" I said laughing some more. "Thank you, Jeremiah," I said pushing my now-long hair out of my face.

"You are welcome." He said with a grin to match mine.

I was so thankful to have my friend back. Someone that takes those crazy leaps for you and makes you do things you don't normally do. I knew Conrad would be mad at Jeremiah for this. But, to be honest I was thankful that he did. Not thankful for going behind my mom's back or anything, but to have someone give you something that you want in hopes that this will be good for my mom. I have seen how lonely she has been; she may need this without admitting it to herself.

"Does mom know yet. Like has he told her?" I asked Jere.

"He said he was going to," Jeremiah said grinning like he should have a handlebar mustache to twiddle.

"JEREMIAH!" My mom yelled from the house. We both turned around to see my mom power walking towards us in her oversized sun hat and Conrad stepping outside to see what the commotion was about.

"Uh-oh, you're in trouble," I said scooting away from him.

He just tossed his head back and laughed.

*THANK YOU FOR READING! CHECK BACK THIS WEEK FOR CHAPTER 7*****