Page 42 of Everything We Found

“Sure.” She wasn’t going to deny her mom anything if it kept her talking.

Lisa retrieved a mug from the cabinet and fixed Nadia an instant coffee. “The other day I took the money you’d left on the counter to buy some groceries. I ran into Mr. Donato at the store.”

“Thomas’s dad?”

“He was buying champagne and flowers for one of his secretaries. She was retiring. He tells me he’s down to two secretaries but needs three. I don’t know why I said it. I haven’tworked since I married your father. But I told him I was interviewing for jobs and he invited me to his office for a chat.”

“He did?”

“I went yesterday. We talked for over two hours and he hired me on the spot. Today is my first day.”

“Wow… That’s—that’s great, Mom.” The Lisa standing before her compared to the one who hadn’t moved from the couch for months gave Nadia whiplash.

Lisa smoothed out her clothes. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful.” She felt a sting in her eyes and hugged her mom.

“I love you, darling. Oh, watch out. I don’t want to wrinkle my shirt.”

“Sorry.” Nadia stepped back.

Lisa’s face softened. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I haven’t been much of a mom lately.”

“That’s okay.”

Lisa shook her head. “It’s not, and I’m going to make it up to you. Promise. We’re going to be okay.”

Nadia hugged her mom again.

Lisa gasped. “Look at the time. You’re going to be late for school. Here, I made you lunch last night.” She handed Nadia a brown paper bag containing a sandwich, an apple, and a brownie. A feast compared to what Nadia had been eating lately.

A tear escaped despite her efforts to not cry. “I hate you.”

Lisa grabbed Nadia’s cheeks and kissed her forehead. “Hate you too. Now get going.”

Nadia wanted to ask about the house. Lisa had negotiated an extra month with the bank before eviction, but their extra time was running out. She worried she’d come home one day to find the locks changed.

But her mom seemed happier than she’d been in a long time. Nadia didn’t want to add to her worries. Though her mom finding a job was exciting. The responsibility for the house, theirfood, her mom’s well-being—it no longer fell solely on Nadia’s shoulders.

That evening, Nadia found Thomas at their usual table at Joe’s. She slid into the seat across from him. He didn’t say hi, just kept his eyes on his physics textbook while she struggled with algebra homework. After reworking an answer three times, she put her pencil down.

“My mom got a job,” she blurted.

He looked up from his book. “Awesome.”

“She’s working for your dad.”

He stared at her. His mouth flattened. “Cool,” he said after a beat, his gaze dropping to his textbook, his fingers pressing into the page. “Does she seem happy about it?”

“She does. Is that all right, that she’s working with him?”

“It’s fine.” He highlighted text with force, his leg bouncing under the table. “I just…” He stalled out, glancing up at her before returning his attention to the open book. “I hope it works out for her.”

He spoke carefully, his tone measured. Nadia watched him, trying to piece together the underlying meaning of his well-wishes. It made her think he knew something she didn’t.

What she did know was that this news unsettled him.

Thomas’s burly friend approached their table. “Hey, dude, we got a table over there. Come sit with us.”