“You know me.” He took off his regulation blue police jacket and hat, his thin frame appearing even narrower in the navy blue uniform. “I’m always hungry.” He chafed his hands together. “It’s cold out there. I thought it was supposed to be warming up.”
“We still have some cold weather left. You need some gloves.” She poured him the coffee and fished some powdered sugar donuts from the bread box. “Are you about to go on duty or just coming off?”
He sat down at the scrubbed wood table, tracing the tiny initials he’d carved into it as a child with his long, narrow fingers. Peggy gave him piano lessons when he was four with dreams of him being a concert pianist with those supple fingers. But Paul had other ideas. “About to go in. I thought I’d stop by and see how things are going. I would’ve stopped last night, but I thought Steve would probably want some time alone with you.”
Peggy sat down opposite him. “You aren’t still having trouble with the idea of Steve and me being together, are you?”
He shook his head as he sipped his coffee. “No. I like him, Mom. It was weird to begin with, but I’m handling it. I was trying to be considerate.”
Her cinnamon-colored brow raised above one clear, green eye so like her son’s. “Thank you. But you’re always welcome here. I’m glad you came this morning.”
He shoved a whole miniature donut into his mouth and kept talking. “I’ve been moonlighting. Mai and I have been seeing each other for a few months. We’re thinking about getting a place together. We need some extra cash. I’ve been doing some side jobs they offered at the precinct. You know, directing the Bojangles’ customers into the parking lot, doing some security work. That kind of thing.”
“That’s wonderful about you and Mai!” Since Peggy was the one who saw the initial attraction between Mai Sato, the young medical examiner’s assistant, and her son, she was especially gratified. Not many people she thought should be together ended up together. She squeezed his cold hand across the table. “But you don’t have to moonlight. I have some money. I’ll be glad to help.”
“We’re almost set, Mom. Thanks anyway. I want to show Mai how important this is to me. I’ve had a tough time convincing her to give up that little packing crate she calls an apartment.”
Peggy was very proud of his attitude but didn’t say so. She didn’t want to sound too lofty. She was only recently on secure footing with her only son who had her fiery hair, temper, and independent spirit. After his father’s death, they had some bad times together. Paul suddenly wanted to join the police department after studying to be an architect. She didn’t want him to get hurt, especially since she suspected he was only interested in finding John’s killer. “I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Paul sipped his coffee with an awkward expression on his freckled face. “Anyway, we found a place on Providence Road. It’s a little bungalow house. We’re going to rent with an option to buy. Mai isn’t so sure about the buying part. I asked her to marry me. She turned me down. She said she might reconsider after we live together and share stuff for a while.”
Peggy nodded. Smart girl. “What kind of stuff?”
“Money. Dishes. Garbage. Dirty clothes. That kind of thing.” He shrugged his shoulders under the Charlotte PD uniform and ran his hand across his short, spiky red hair. “I don’t know why she doesn’t trust me. I’m really in love with her. I don’t think she feels the same about me, or she’d trust me, right?”
“Maybe she does.” Peggy played devil’s advocate. “Maybe she just wants to make sure there’s more to it than that. There’s a lot more than saying ‘I love you’ that goes into a relationship. Mai’s smart to try it out before she buys it.”
He looked stunned. “Most mothers don’t want their sons to live with a woman without marrying her.”
She waved her hand at him dismissively. “I’m not most mothers. And that was a hundred years ago! Things have changed since I was a girl. Just don’t tell your grandparents. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
Paul ate the rest of the donuts and threw away the empty bag. “I think maybe Mai was married before or at least had a serious relationship that went bad. She seems a little raw about the whole idea. But this house will take care of all that. She’ll see I’m okay.”
“I’m sure she will . . . if she’s ready.” Peggy smiled at her handsome son. She hoped he wasn’t being overconfident. It sounded like he was moving too fast for Mai. If she wasn’t ready to commit to the relationship becoming more serious, Paul would have to wait.
Maybe she’d see if Mai could meet her for lunch, and they could talk. She knew the girl didn’t have a close relationship with her family. Maybe she needed a sounding board. Peggy believed her relationship with her was strong enough to overlook the fact that she was Paul’s mother. She liked her whether she decided to be with Paul or not. She hoped Mai felt the same.
“I guess I’m willing to take that chance.” Paul kissed the top of her head. “I have to get going. It’s good to have you back, Mom. Charlotte and I missed you.”
The warm fuzzy that gave her lasted Peggy all the way through the crowded city streets as Sam eluded icy patches on the road.
Shakespeare was distracted by every child or bird he saw along the way. She held him back from jumping at the window of the truck with an iron grip and the gruff voice she’d used with Paul when he got in trouble as a child.
Interstate 77 was crowded as always. A large part of the road was down to one lane as they came out of the metro area. There were orange barrels and flashing signs everywhere while traffic backed up. The sun was warm, melting away the small amount of ice that had accumulated during the night. It still gleamed in the bright light on the overpasses and railings, but county trucks had spread plenty of slag on the road. No accidents were causing this holdup.
“Weren’t there any dog trainers closer than Ballantyne?” Sam asked as they waited in traffic.
“I’m sure there are.” Peggy glanced at him. “But Rue is Steve’s friend. I thought I’d give her a try. What’s wrong with you this morning anyway? You’re like a possum with a sore tail.”
He sighed, his heavily muscled chest sagging. “I’m not sure how that possum part relates to my problem. But you’re getting to be as bad as my mother. Unless it’s me, and I just can’t hide anything anymore.”
“You’re not a difficult person to understand, sweetie. Go ahead. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I’m failing chemistry, and my dad is on my case. He says he’s not paying a fortune for me to go to school if I bring home bad grades. Hunter never failed anything. Hunter always does the right thing.”
Peggy didn’t miss the mild rivalry he shared with his sister wrapped up in Sam’s words. Hunter and Sam were both overachievers, spurred on by their father. She’d met him once. He was one of those people who believed competition was good for children. “You aren’t Hunter. But I think chemistry is an important part of premed. I’m sure he’s just concerned about you. Why are you failing? You’re brilliant! You certainly shouldn’t be having problems this early in school anyway.”
“I’m not anywhere near premed yet, Peggy,” Sam declared with a rebellious snarl. “I might change my mind about being a doctor at all.”
As if a messenger from heaven came down to deny Sam’s words, a shaft of sunlight glinted off of a shiny chrome bumper on a burgundy Lincoln going up on the Interstate 485 ramp. It caught Peggy’s eye, like a shooting star set against the clear blue sky.