15 Valentine Place. Pamela Bauer
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Leonie put her hands on Dylan’s arms and give him a thorough perusal. “Let me look at you.”
“He’s got all his limbs, Mom. I already checked,” Shane quipped, grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator. “Dylan, you want something stronger? Mom’s got beer in here.”
“No, but a cup of coffee would taste good.”
“I’ll get you a cup. You sit.” She pushed him toward a chair at the table. “I have some cold chicken I can put in the microwave. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great, but I’m not hungry. Why don’t you sit down so we can talk?”
“All right, but let me change first.” She gestured to the costume. “I wouldn’t want to spill anything on this fabric. It needs to be dry-cleaned. I’ll be right back.” With a wave she was gone, leaving him alone with his brother.
“Surprised by all the changes?” Shane asked, hooking a chair with his foot and sitting down across from Dylan.
“You could have warned me about that.” Dylan gestured with his thumb toward the living room. He didn’t intend for his tone to have an edge, but he was tired and it had been a shock to see his mother belly dancing.
Shane popped the top on his soda and took a drink. “I shouldn’t have had to warn you. If you called home, you’d know what’s been going on here.”
So much for the truce they’d declared in the car, Dylan thought, wondering if he and Shane would ever be able to sit down and talk without the past coming between them. He chose to ignore his brother’s comment. He wrapped his fingers around the cup in front of him, appreciating its warmth. He’d been cold ever since he’d left the airport and it felt good to be in the kitchen drinking hot coffee.
Shane broke the silence with an attempt at an apology. “Forget I made that crack. I was out of line.”
“It’s forgotten,” Dylan told him, although they both knew it wasn’t. He didn’t expect that years of tension between him and his brother would fade away with a few sentences. It would take time to rebuild their relationship, but time was something Dylan had.
“I meant what I said earlier, Shane. I have missed you. And this evening, coming home with you and Mickey in the car, listening to him talk…well, it’s made me realize I’ve missed a lot of other stuff, too.”
Shane grinned proudly. “Mick’s quite a kid, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he is. Smart little thing. Must take after his mother,” Dylan teased.
“Who takes after his mother?” Leonie asked on her return. She’d changed into a pair of jeans and a red sweatshirt. Dylan again was surprised at how young she looked.
“Your grandson,” Shane answered.
“I think he has the best of both of his parents,” she said with an affectionate pat on Shane’s shoulder. Then she looked at Dylan. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? How about a nice turkey sandwich?”
“See? She hasn’t changed as much as you thought. She’s still the same old mom,” Shane told Dylan with a sly grin. “Always trying to feed somebody.”
“I’m supposed to. It’s in a mother’s job description,” she insisted, arranging cookies on a plate.
“Belly dancing isn’t,” Dylan said. “What’s up with that?” he asked, nodding toward the other room.
“Maddie suggested she teach us because it’s such great exercise.” She set the plate on the table in front of Dylan. “It’s low impact and it releases tension. And the best part is, it’s fun.”
“Then you’re only doing it to have fun?” Dylan asked.
“You don’t think anyone would pay to see us, do you?” she asked with a laugh, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“Then why the fancy costumes?” Dylan wanted to know.
“Maddie suggested we get them—to make it more fun. At first I was a bit shy about wearing something so exotic looking, but then I figured what the heck, why not try it? So I did and I liked it.”
“Mom’s tried a lot of new things lately,” Shane pointed out.
“I’ve noticed,” Dylan stared at her hair. “So tell me. Do blondes have more fun?”
She fluffed her curls with her fingers. “As a matter of fact, I think they do. I probably should have done this years ago.”
“I liked you as a brunette,” Dylan told her.
“I did, too, but I wasn’t exactly a brunette anymore. Salt-and-pepper gray would be more accurate. People have told me I took ten years younger because of the highlighting.”
“Is that what you want? To look forty-two?” he asked.
“Thirty-two would be even better, but I’ll settle for forty-something,” she said with an impish grin. He must have frowned because her smile slid away. “You’re looking at me as if you don’t approve.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t approve; it was just that she didn’t look like his mother. She looked…well, young, for one thing. And so very different from the last time he’d seen her. Before he could say anything, Shane spoke up.
“I think you look great, Mom. And I won’t be offended if anyone asks if you’re my sister.” He gave her an affectionate wink.
She flapped her hand at him. “As if they would. It was a change I needed and it’s been a good one for me.” To Dylan she said, “You probably haven’t noticed, but I’ve lost weight since the last time you were here, too.”
“I noticed.”
As she sat down at the table she said, “Maddie’s the one who helped me shed the pounds.”
“Maddie knows about dieting, too, does she?” Dylan asked with a lift of one eyebrow.
“It’s not really about dieting, Dylan. It’s more about living a healthy lifestyle,” his mother corrected him.
“And I suppose that Maddie knows all about that, too.”
She frowned. “Dylan, why that tone of voice? There’s no reason for you to be sarcastic regarding Maddie.”
“I’m not trying to be sarcastic, just asking questions,” he insisted, although he knew he was sounding churlish. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Ah, don’t mind me. I’m just tired. Maybe I should take my bags and go to bed. You want me to take the spare bedroom on this floor?”
“I’m going to put you in Jason’s room. The spare bedroom is now my office.”
“If you needed a office, why didn’t you just use Dad’s?”
“Because she didn’t want to use his,” Shane said, coming to his mother’s defense. “Mom has a right to remodel the house if she wants.”
“I’m not criticizing her for making changes to the house,” Dylan snapped at his brother.
“It sure sounds as if you were.”
Leonie held up a hand. “You two stop. There’s no need to raise your voices.”
Dylan could see by the set of his brother’s jaw that he wanted to continue their discussion, but the look on his mother’s face kept him silent.
Then she turned to Dylan. “You won’t be uncomfortable in Jason’s room, will you?”
“No, not at all,” he assured her. “I guess I didn’t realize that you needed an office. I forgot that you were doing your column for the paper.”
“Yes, I am.” She cast a rather furtive glance at Shane, who apparently found it necessary to come to