Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“As long as you’re both on the same page.” She flashed me a scrutinizing look.
I wondered if she could see right through me, because in all honesty, it was a façade. There was nothing I wanted more than Evan Ricci.
My chest filled with emotion as my voice cracked. “I’m not really at peace with anything, Maura. I wasn’t expecting to see him again, let alone live with him, let alone still have such strong feelings for him—and Effie, for that matter. That little girl deserves the world.”
“She’s special, isn’t she?” Maura grinned.
“I’m really falling in love with her. And that scares me.”
“It’s not one-sided either, I bet, from the way Effie talks about you.”
“Well, I can’t speak for her, but I don’t believe it is. I can understand why Evan is cautious about women. Can you blame him, considering what happened with Effie’s mother?”
“Evan thinks everyone is a potential Katerina, but the fact is, Katerina is a rare breed. A mother who abandons her child deserves a special place in hell.”
I liked this chick. “You don’t mince words…” I chuckled, pulling myself together.
Maura crossed her arms, which were draped in the long black sleeves of her witch costume. “I don’t hold back. Katerina’s mother and mine are good friends, too. I tell Lydia all the time what I think about her daughter.”
“Evan hasn’t mentioned Effie’s grandmother. Is she still local?”
“She is.” Maura laughed as she looked past me. “In fact, Lydia just got here. She’s right over there.” She pointed to a dark-haired woman in the corner of the room.
“Oh my gosh. I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me, given how many people are here.”
Maura grabbed me by the arm. “Let me introduce you.”
Uh... A rush of adrenaline coursed through me. “Oh, that’s really not—”
Before I could say anything further, Maura had pulled me over to where the woman was standing.
“Lydia, this is Chloe, the woman who’s currently living with Evan.”
She couldn’t have softened that introduction a little? Talk about a hard launch.
But the woman smiled. “It’s wonderful to meet you. Effie has told me all about you.”
My eyes widened. “She has?”
I found it interesting that Effie had never mentioned talking to her grandmother about me. Then again, talking to her grandma wasn’t something she had to announce.
“Oh yes,” she said. “You’re all she talks about during our weekly phone chats.”
“Well, that’s sweet.”
I turned to where Maura had been standing, only to find she was gone. Was she trying to torture me by leaving me alone with Katerina’s mother?
Lydia cut right to the chase. “I know you must have thoughts about my daughter…”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you’re thinking them, as you should. I’m not going to justify her actions, because I can’t. All I can do is try to accept my daughter’s choices, even if I don’t agree with them.”
“That’s fair.”
“When Katerina got pregnant, she wasn’t ready to be a mother. She hadn’t even been sure she wanted to have kids. I think after a while, she went a little crazy, started missing her youth. After she and Evan separated, she met another man and became addicted to feeling younger again. He had no responsibilities and came from money. He convinced her to travel with him. I think she tells herself Effie is in great hands with Evan. And while that’s true, Katerina doesn’t understand the massive hole she’s left in Effie’s life. Maybe that’s a testament to how Katerina feels about herself. She doesn’t value herself enough to realize how she could possibly mean that much to her daughter. And that’s a damn shame because someday she’s gonna wake up from this fog she’s in and regret it all. It hasn’t happened yet, but I pity her when it does. By that time, Effie might not be as forgiving. Right now, Effie loves her mother no matter what and believes she might come back, but I do see that hope fading over time.” She shook her head. “I try to be a good grandmother to her, and thank the Lord Effie has a great father.” Lydia smiled. “I hope you understand that I can’t control my daughter as much as I wish I could.”
I found her very endearing and felt a bit bad that she felt obligated to explain the situation to me, a virtual stranger.
“Do you think I’m judging you?” I asked.
Lydia shrugged. “I don’t know how you couldn’t be…”
“You want to know what I think?”
Her jaw flexed. “Sure.”
“You can’t change people. They’re responsible for their own decisions. The only opinion I have is that Katerina is lucky to have her mother, someone who cares about her and will love her no matter what. And Effie is lucky to have her grandmother in her life.”
Lydia’s smile faded. “Evan tells me your mother has dementia…”
Again, I found myself surprised at how much she knew. “When did Evan talk to you about me?”