Page 58 of Screwed
Mama grabbed the glass with one hand and Callie’s fingers with the other, staring at them.
Oh yeah. Her tattoo.
“What have you done to yourself?”
“It’s a tattoo, Mama. A very small one.”
“Oh my God! It’s permanent?”
“Yes.” Callie paused. “I like it. It has meaning for me.”
“Meaning? Like what? What is it?”
“Surely you can see it’s a flower.”
“Don’t you sass me, young lady.”
Callie swallowed a sigh. “It’s a lotus blossom. It symbolizes strength through adversity.”
Mama lifted her gaze and met her eyes. “Adversity?”
“Beau cheating on me. Our marriage ending.” She straightened her shoulders. “Figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’m a stronger person now.”
Mama dropped Callie’s hand, and her own hand went to one temple. “Lord have mercy.”
“It’s a very small tattoo, Mama. Lots of people have them.”
“Sailors have tattoos.”
Callie laughed. What could she even say to that? “Don’t worry. Cash took me to get it done at a reputable place. I love how it turned out, and I haven’t had any problems with it.”
She knew Mama wasn’t really worried about those things, but whatever.
Mama lifted the glass, peered at the amber liquid in it, then tossed it back. “Thank you.”
Callie grinned, but her smile disappeared when Mama said, “I’ll talk to your father about this.”
“About what? My tattoo? It’s too late to do anything about it.”
“About your bakery business.”
“Oh. Well, sure, you can tell him about it.”
“Your father’s a successful businessman.”
Callie had just made that very point. She shrugged. “If he wants to see my business plan, he can come on over and inspect it.”
Mama’s lips thinned. “I’m sure he will.” She clinked her empty glass down on the marble counter. “Well, I’d better go. And I expect to see you in church next Sunday morning.”
Callie wasn’t making any promises. She was pretty sure her relationship with God didn’t depend on actually walking into a building, and she was also pretty sure that a lot of the people whodidwalk into that building every Sunday were not going to Heaven. “I’ll see, Mama. I’ve been really busy working on starting my business.”
“Sweet loving Lord.” Mama sighed as sheclickedout of the kitchen. “A bakery.”
Callie followed along behind her, and they exchanged a tiny hug before Mama stepped out the front door. “Bye, Mama.”
The door closed, and silence swelled around her in the empty house.
Callie trudged into the kitchen and dropped into the chair in front of the desk she’d been spending so much time at. She stared sightlessly at the computer, her arms dangling at her sides. A feeling of sadness swept over her. Cash was gone, and they hadn’t had a chance to finish the conversation they’d started in bed and…she missed him.
