Like Mother, Like Daughter (Season 3)

Chapter Three: Trouble is a Friend

Axel apologized to me about the following weekend, as we would be unable to have any time together, because he was covering a shift at the prison. I told him that it was fine, as Mom was handing the reins to Franny for the weekend to test her out as the new manager, while she and I took the next few days off, after leaving just before the dinner shift on Friday. Dad had surprised the kids (and me, although I declined, as I had to take care of Hailey, and it wouldn't have been much fun for her at this stage anyway) with a trip to Six Flags, about an hour away from home, and would be there for the entire weekend with them. This meant that Mom and I had the entire weekend to ourselves, with Hailey, which was just as well, for even though we'd been getting on so well, I knew that there were still things that we needed to discuss.

"She fall asleep okay?" Mom asked as I came into the living room shortly after eight o'clock that evening, after feeding and changing Hailey, before putting her to bed. "You were up there for a while. Did she not settle?"

"Not right away," I said, shrugging a little as I climbed onto the couch, placing the video baby monitor on the coffee table, making sure I could see the feed from where I'm sitting. "How are the order forms going?" I asked.

"Lots of guesswork to be done," she said, shrugging. "Now that it's almost winter, if we want certain things to be ordered, we'd have to ship way far out to get them."

"Do we not have enough?"

"Not really," she said, dragging a hand across her face. "I mean, your father always says that he'll happily help me out, but I don't want to ask for handouts. It's not who I am."

I nodded. "I can respect that."

Mom flashed me a smile then, turning back to the paperwork. "I'll only be a few more minutes, sweetie," she said gently, and I nodded, taking out my phone and answering some texts from Franny, Pops, and Uncle Ian.

I smirked as I read Franny's texts, about how she and Clark were playfully fighting over what to paint which room of the new house they'd bought over the summer, on the other side of Uncle Kev and V's. It was pleasant that Franny lived just across the street from us, and I told her to put the argument aside for now, as she was supposed to be closing up the restaurant. As for Pops and Uncle Ian, they wanted to know that since I wouldn't be seeing Axel this weekend, if I'd come over at some point and bring Hailey. I told them I'd definitely come by, and kept the door open for Mom to join us in the visit.

"Okay, that's done," Mom said, and I put my phone back into my pocket as she set down the file folder onto the table. "So, what's new?"

I sighed, biting my lower lip. "It's complicated."

"Yeah?" she asked, adjusting herself so that her back was against the right arm of the couch, and that she could stare at me. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you know that Franny and Clark bought the house next door to Uncle Kev and V, and they've been living together, with Ezra, since the Fourth of July?"

Mom nodded. "Of course I do," she said, smiling. "Debbie was a little shocked at how quickly Clark moved, especially after the layer of deception in their relationship, but I told Debbie that she should let Franny make the choice, and to be supportive. Thankfully, Fiona stepped in and talked to her, too, and Lip, and Ian, and even Mandy. Debs still respects the hell outta Mandy, even all these years later..."

I nodded. "I've noticed," I said quietly.

"So, what's so complicated about that?" Mom wanted to know, gathering up her copper hair and allowing her neck to be exposed, so as some cooler air could drift onto it. "So, they're living together after less than a year of dating. I'm not going to judge."