Grinning, she fixed herself a bowl of cereal and leaned against the counter to eat it. She was wearing her trademark gardening “uniform”—denim shorts, a tank top, sneakers and a baseball cap—and she had to admit, she loved having a job that allowed for such a casual get-up. She couldn’t imagine working somewhere that required her to wear pantsuits and high heels. That sounded like pure torture to her.
She was just rinsing her bowl and spoon in the sink when Danny stumbled into the kitchen with a loud yawn and a groggy look. His green T-shirt was the same shade as his eyes and revealed his defined biceps, and the jeans he wore encased a pair of long, muscular legs that continued to startle her.
Somehow, in the span of two years, Danny had transformed from a scrawny kid to a well-built young man. He was fourteen when he’d moved in with her, a lost, skinny boy who was dying to stay at one school long enough for him to play football. Now he was a sixteen-year-old heartbreaker, a junior at Madison High who’d just landed the coveted starting varsity quarterback position. He was over the moon about it, and Mia was thrilled for him. If anyone deserved to live his dreams, it was her baby brother.
“Eat your breakfast and make it snappy,” she told him. “We’re late.”
“We’re always late,” he answered as he dumped a monstrous amount of cereal into his bowl.
“Yeah, and whose fault is that?”
“Yours.” He smirked through a mouthful of cereal. “If you were a more responsible guardian, you wouldn’t set your alarm for twenty minutes before we have to leave.”
He had a point, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right. Instead, she stuck out her tongue and said, “If I’m such a bad guardian, go ahead and emancipate yourself. You wouldn’t survive a day without me, bud.”
Danny swallowed before offering a rueful smile. “You’re totes right about that. I don’t even wanna think about doing my own laundry.”
Five minutes later, the two of them hurried out the door and descended the three flights of stairs that brought them down to the small lobby of their building. Tenant parking was in the back, and Mia’s work truck awaited them when they emerged from the rear doors and into the early-morning sunshine.
They were on the road a minute later, carrying out their usual morning battle over the radio dial. Eventually she gave up and let Danny listen to his shitty hip-hop station. She’d only have to endure it for ten minutes, anyway.
“The season opener is this Friday,” Danny said when the radio station launched into a series of commercials.
“Yes, Daniel, I’m well aware of that. You’ve only told me like a gazillion times.” Mia clicked the right-turn signal and changed lanes, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
“You’re coming, right?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”
A sidelong look revealed the pleased expression on his face. No matter how much they bickered—and how many times he accused her of being “annoying”—she knew her brother loved her and desperately craved her approval.
Since he’d come to live with her, Mia had made an effort to be the parental role model he’d been lacking all his life. She helped him with homework, attended all his games, went to every parent-teacher conference. She was twenty-six years old, way too young to be the mother of a teenager, but she’d accepted her situation. You had to play the cards life dealt you, after all, and she didn’t regret taking on the mom role. If anyone deserved to live a normal life, it was her brother.
“So listen…”
Danny’s hesitant voice instantly raised her hackles. When she glanced over and saw the cautious expression on his face, she grew even more uneasy.
“What’s up?” she said.
“I just wanted to tell you this so you won’t be blindsided if she actually shows up, but…”
Mia’s shoulders stiffened. Shit. She knew exactly where this was going.
“Um…” Danny cleared his throat. “But yeah, I emailed Mom yesterday to tell her about the game. You know, just in case she’s in town or something and wants to…um…you know…come see us.”
A sigh the size of California lodged in Mia’s throat. Along with visible discomfort, there was a flicker of hope in her brother’s eyes. Fucking hope.
God. That woman deserved to rot in hell for everything she’d done to this kid.
“I see,” Mia said in a guarded tone. “Well…look…I understand why you…I mean, I know you want to…” She finally released the sigh, at a loss for words. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, hon. She’s…”
Not going to come, her internal voice finished.
Danny gave one of those teenage I-don’t-care-about-anything shrugs. “I know she won’t show. I just wanted her to know about the game, okay?”
Mia nodded. “Okay.”
With that, her brother leaned forward and twisted the volume dial. A 50 Cent track blared out of the speakers, with a baseline so heavy it caused the entire truck to vibrate, but Mia didn’t make a stink about it. The mood had turned somber, a common occurrence whenever they spoke about their absentee mother.
A few minutes later, Madison High came into view and Mia pulled up at the curb in front of the school. She stopped the truck just as the bell rang, turning to Danny with a pained smile.
“Have a good day, kiddo. You’ve got work after practice, right?”