Lead On (Complete)

~ Chapter 18 ~

Rose blinked a couple of times and finally pulled away from the curb. He was building a car garage here? That was crazy to her. It wasn't like their town had any because they didn't but he didn't need to put one now. No, this was for her; this was to let her know that he was planning on staying and truthfully she didn't know what to do with this information, or even how to feel about it.

And she was silently praying that her mother didn't hear about this anytime soon, not that she believed that prayer wasn't a short time. Otherwise Rose would never hear the end of it. Well, she knew she wouldn't anyway. Her mom knew her better than she liked to admit and that brought out a rather loud sigh. Yeah, Rose just knew better, she was sure her mom knew all about this.

She turned her car around and made the drive back to her house, the mood for a drive long gone now. Now she was confused and didn't know what to make of anything, her mind and feelings a mess. Even if her heart was his, she would never make her forgiveness an easy thing to get, she just couldn't, and she had more self-value than that. And since he was a smart man, he would know that it wouldn't be an easy task; although she was sure he was up for it.

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Rose walked around the other waitress to drop the food off for the people in the corner booth when she heard the bell to the front door ding. She turned around to tell the person that it was open seating and smiled when she saw her mom.

"Well, hey mama, what brings you down?" Rose asked as she kissed her mom's cheek.

"Can't a mother drive into town to see her daughter?" Rose narrowed her eyes at that. Not that her mom couldn't come but her mom just didn't drive around much, unless it was to her hair appointment or the store, and it wasn't a store shopping day. So, that meant that her mom wasn't waiting for the weekend to talk to her, not that Rose was all that surprised actually.

"Sure she can; and said daughter can be leery of that answer since she hasn't really done it before. But go ahead and have a seat mama and I'll go grab you some tea."

"Do you have a break coming up so you can sit with me?" her mom asked and Rose smiled; yup, something was up.

"Yeah. I was just wrapping up my tables before my lunch break." Her mom nodded and sat down. Rose went back to make her tea and get the tickets ready for her customers. She dropped them off, telling them she was going to lunch and to pay at the front counter. She sat down as she handed the glass to her mom who took a drink and smiled.

"You were always good at making a sweet tea."

"I did learn from the best." Her mom took another sip and then started coughing. She covered her mouth and turned her head. Rose quickly got up but her mom waved her hand for her to sit back down.

"I'm fine, just the wrong way." She took another small sip and folded her hands, resting them on the table, a sure sign to Rose that her mom was in the mood for a talk, or in this case a lecture, neither one did she want to hear.

"Yes, mom? What could possibly be on your mind?" Rose mentally had to stop herself from rolling her eyes because she just didn't care to hear either.

"Don't start Rosaria." Rose ducked her head but nodded. "I heard something and because I refuse to believe it, I thought I would come to talk to you rather than give truth to rumors."

"And what did you hear mama?" Not that Rose needed to ask that question for she was pretty sure she knew what her mom was going to hit her with.

"You were seen leaving the city limits with Jeff and seen coming back many hours later."

"Oh, mom."

"Don't start! Is it true?" Rose rolled her eyes. Who in the world had seen them and who in the hell would tell her mom? She was a God damn adult after all!

"Yes, okay? I left the limits with Jeff so we could talk, that was it!"

"Was it?" Rose squirmed under her mother's side-eye. How was a grown ass adult still squirming like a little girl under her mother's eye? Wasn't there an age or something when that shouldn't work anymore?

"And what if it was more, mom? I'm an adult..."

"Rosaria," her mom huffed and then stopped. "He broke your heart and I had to watch you cry every night for days on end," she started, cutting her daughter off with yet another look that said she wasn't finished. "I had to watch you not eat and mope around because the love of your life left you. And he comes back, gives you some pretty words and you're falling for him again. I don't want to see you hurt again, and he will do it, mark my words! Jeff is a no-good kind of man and he will never be a good man, regardless if he has money or not, and I have told you that plenty of times over." Her mom finished off her speech and took another drink, bringing another coughing attack. And after Rose settled her mom down, she repeated the words in her head. Her mom knew that Jeff was back, and for a good long while and that he had money if he was building a shop around here.

Not that their town needed one. It was that most people around here learned to fix things on their cars by themselves as mechanic shops weren't found. But then the younger crowd around here may make use of the shop. And maybe he was trying to help the older crowd who wasn't able to fix things anymore. And he actually had a good location because being more on the edge of town meant he caught a few other close towns as well.

"Mom, please don't worry about me. I don't trust Jeff and if," she stopped as her mom was about to open her mouth to speak again but this time it was her to who gave her mom a look to be quiet for a moment, "if I was even able to think about dating him again, he would have a lot of work to do. I have no intention, though, of giving in to any of his affections." The older woman grinned and patted her daughter's hand, a sign that Rose learned well over the years.

"You must think I'm foolish Rose. You have always loved Jeff and you have always given into him. I don't know why you think this time would be any different. But I will let you think that and I won't ask anymore. But you mark my words," she said as she stood up and had yet another cough, causing Rose to be concerned, "Jeff will kiss you and you won't stop it." With that, her mom left but the words went around and around in Rose's head. She would never tell her mom how right she was, but at least that was a mistake she walked away rather quickly from, letting Jeff know that them sleeping together was wrong.

Rose shook her head to herself. She loved her mom, that was all the family she had, but wow, sometimes the older woman irked her. And it didn't help that she was still getting lectures from her mom. Not that she didn't understand where her mom was coming from because she did, she knew her mom knew Rose well enough and her mom was right, but it still sucked being an adult and having to hear the same things you did as a teenager. Rose shook her head and went back to work.

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"Why do you keep looking at me like that for mom?" Rose asked as she brought her mom some warm tea. The cough was lingering and to Rose, it sounded like it was in the chest and she was getting worried but her mom kept saying it was just a cold and that tea and rest would solve it all.

"Have you talked to Jeff anymore?" her mom asked.

"No mom, I've been busy at work and with stuff at the house." She opened her mouth to say more when her phone went off. "Excuse me, mom." She checked the ID and answered. "Hey, Jimmy, what's up?"

"Hey Rose, think you could get Friday off? We were heading to the beach and wanted you to come."

"Yeah, the beach sounds good, thanks!" She hung up and looked at her mom who was almost spitting nails in anger.