“We don’t get to spend enough time together,” Tanner said, this time his expression serious. “We need to get away. Just the two of us.”
“Last time we tried that your ex-wife’s husband ended up dead. Besides, the campaign is only going to get busier in the upcoming months.”
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s all worth it. Amanda is always so upset these days. This has been hard on her.”
“She’s fine,” Maddie assured him, sliding her arms around his still lean waist. “Yes, it’s hard to hear about your past, but she’s a strong young woman. She’d be the first person to tell you to stay in the race. She’s so proud of you. But if you want, I’ll try and talk to her tonight. See how she’s been feeling these last few days.”
“That would be great. I don’t want her to think that I’d do this and put her last. You and Amanda will always come first with me.”
“We know that. Now let me get going or I’m going to be late. And you know how I feel about being late.”
“You hate it,” Tanner declared. “That’s why we’re fifteen minutes early to everything.”
“You love it.”
“I don’t hate it. It’s better than being late.”
“Which we will be if we don’t get on the road.” She pulled his head down for a quick kiss. He tasted like coffee and peppermint. “We’ll be back in the morning. Have fun with the boys.”
There was some more mumbling of complaints but it was all in good fun. Tanner was glad that she was having a night out with the girls. He probably wasn’t all that upset by having some time with the guys either. This was one of the reasons so many of them had stayed in town.
This…and the murder.
She wasn’t going to think about that tonight, however. She wanted a fun and relaxing evening with her longtime friends. This was exactly what she needed. No stress, no press, no pressure.
Amanda was quiet in the car the entire drive there. Maddie didn’t try and push her to talk, recognizing that her daughter was in one of her thoughtful states. She’d talk when she was ready and not a moment before. Until then, Maddie simply had to sit tight and try not to interfere. She had to keep reminding herself that Amanda was an adult, and adults didn’t have to tell their parents every little detail about their lives.
Even if their mother would like that and missed it. She and Amanda had always been so close. They still were, but it was different now. Amanda still needed her mom on occasion, but not as often as a few years ago.
Seth and Presley’s daughter Lulu was there, immediately whisking Amanda off to her bedroom for girl talk along with Cherish and Hope, Rayne and Dare’s daughters. Lizzie, Misty, and Jared were attending a birthday party for a family member so they couldn’t come.
“I’d give anything to know what those girls are talking about,” Presley said as the door closed behind the younger women. “Lulu has a new boyfriend but we haven’t met him yet, which drives Seth out of his mind. He thinks she’s hiding him because there’s something wrong with him.”
“What do you think?” Kaylee asked.
“I think he’s probably right,” Presley replied with a sigh. “Her last boyfriend was as wild as she is. They were a terrible influence on each other, and I came this close to forbidding her to see him. Seth wanted us to, but I reminded him of a couple of things and he backed down.”
“I have to know what those things are,” Rayne laughed. “How did you get him to change his mind? Whatever you did, I’d like to try on Dare. He’s as stubborn as a mule when he gets an idea in his head.”
“I reminded Seth about how he was in high school. Cat wild. And he turned out fine. I also reminded him that if we forbid Lulu to see that boy, that would only serve to make him more interesting. I didn’t want to give her something to rebel against, if you know what I mean. We have to pick our battles with that girl. I let the nose piercing go but I drew the line at a tattoo.”
“You must be exhausted,” Ava declared, mixing up a pitcher of margaritas. “What you need is a drink.”
“I wouldn’t mind it. In fact, I think we all need one. But we need to watch the booze tonight. We caught Lulu in the drinks cabinet last week. She was making herself a rum and Coke. Can you believe that? She thought we’d left for the evening, but we came home unexpectedly and caught her. Even Ben told her that it was a dumb move.”
“Is she grounded?” Rayne asked. “Cherish just got off restriction after using her phone in class. She’s had several warnings and I finally had to put my foot down.”
“Grounding?” Presley shook her head and chuckled. “We are far beyond grounding with Lulu. That does nothing. Taking her phone sometimes works. Laptop time also works on occasion, but mostly we give her extra chores. Last weekend she and Seth cleaned out the sheriff’s office, and this weekend they’re going to do the little apartment above it. And I’m talking deep cleaning. Blinds, baseboards, grout on the tile. When they were done, you could eat off the bathroom floor. I told her that the coffee shop’s office needs a good scrub but she swore she’s learned her lesson. I hope that’s true.”
“My house could use some deep cleaning,” Rayne said. “I think you’re brilliant. Next time I’ll do that instead of grounding them. Let’s face it, when they’re grounded, we’re grounded.”
“It was the same when Amanda was little,” Maddie said. “When I gave her a timeout I had to sit next to her so she wouldn’t just walk away. She was independent even back then.”
The women chatted about life, men, and kids until the pizza arrived, hot and smelling delicious. The girls finally emerged from Lulu’s room, grabbing plates and pouring sodas. According to Presley, there was a sundae bar for dessert. Hot fudge was exactly what Maddie needed today to make everything all better.
To her surprise, Amanda didn’t retreat back with the other girls, instead wandering out to the patio to eat her pizza. Maddie followed, hoping that her daughter was alright.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, settling on a patio chair and balancing her plate on her knees. Amanda was doing the same in a chair beside her, the beverages placed on a small round table in between. “If you don’t, that’s fine. I just wondered.”