Sunflower

Chapter 15

Lucy

I pour a cup of coffee for my mom and one for myself, taking my time in order to stall this conversation for as long as possible. I really do need to be getting ready for work, but I know my mother well and she will see herself as a priority over pretty much anything else.

I take our mugs and sit down at the table, sliding her mug in front of her.

"Oh, thank you," she says, taking the mug into both hands and sniffing the coffee first, before taking a sip. Something she's always done.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" I ask.

"Where's Chris?" she asks, looking around. "Did he already leave for work?"

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach at the mention of his name. I haven't told mom about our breakup yet, and I wasn't even sure I was going to anytime soon. I should've known she would just show up here, out of the blue. She does that from time to time, usually at the most inconvenient times possible.

"Yeah, he's at work," I answer.

"Ah. Okay. It's been a while since I've seen him. Tell him I said hello."

"I will," I reply, clearing my throat. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well," she grins sheepishly before holding out her left hand and revealing a huge diamond ring. "I'm getting married!"

It takes a lot longer than it should for me to react, but I had to go through my various reactions to find the appropriate one. Shocked? No. She wasn't in love with my father, so it's no surprise she's moving on after only being divorced for a year. Angry? No. I could care less what she does with her life as long as she keeps her nose in her own business, where it belongs. Happiness? No. She doesn't deserve to be happy. After Tommy's death, I watched her crumble for weeks, only to find out it was all an act. The truth is, both her and my father were relieved when Tommy died because that meant they were no longer burdened by him.

So that just means I don't give a-

"Lucy?" she asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I blink myself out of my daze and force a small smile. "That's great, mom."

"Just great?" she asks, disappointed by my answer.

"It's wonderful."

"I thought you would be happy for me," she frowns.

"I am," I answer, sipping my coffee slowly just to buy a few seconds.

"Aren't you going to ask who the lucky guy is?" she asks.

I set my mug down on the table a and blow out a breath. "Who?"

"Benjamin Albright," she grins happily, making her green eyes light up.

"As in...the CEO of Neptune Records?" I ask, furrowing my brows.

She nods excitedly.

"Wow. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone," I say, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable with the direction this conversation is going.

"We've only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but when you know, you know," she smiles.

"Huh," I say, staring down at my black coffee. "I guess some people only need a few weeks, and some need a few years."

I get up and walk over to the refrigerator to get nothing in particular, but rather just to get away from her for a few seconds. I find her presence suffocating, even more so than usual. The way she smiles as if everything is perfect in her life...it makes me so sick.