I stood motionless in the doorway. Mrs. Collins stared back at me. Her eyelashes seemed to flutter, and she made a point of tossing her hair.
I tried to gauge how much she'd had to drink.
This can't be happening
, I thought.
She's Chad's mom. She can't seriously be coming on to me. Can she?
"You work out, don't you?" she asked.
I cinched up my bathrobe. I had to force myself not to answer the question. "I-I should really go," I said. "It's late."
"You're a guest in my house. You don't want to be rude, do you?"
"Listen," I said, "Mrs. Collins, this whole thing about that picture... I don't want to get in the middle of you guys. I mean, between you and Chad--"
"Would you rather have your own picture there... maybe one with the two of you?"
I wanted to say yes, but I wasn't sure where she was going with this. Even assuming Chad and I were at that stage in our relationship--
"I'm probably saying too much," she mumbled, and she gave a tipsy nod. "The boys... they always say I embarrass them."
I hadn't expected that response. I started to wonder if I'd gotten the wrong idea. "Isn't that normal for a mom?"
"They're right though," she said. "I'm a horrible parent."
"I-- no, you can't be--"
"Look at the evidence," she said. "Patrick keeps getting in trouble, and I don't know what to do with him... and to tell you the truth, I don't know what to do with Chad either."
"Chad is fine."
"Thanks to you."
I blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"I still don't really understand it," she said, "but I can tell how much better he seems. He was so depressed after his basketball scholarships didn't work out, which was around the same time he and Valerie broke up. I was worried he'd end up like his brother... but last spring, somehow, it seemed like everything changed."
I frowned. I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. "What do you mean, everything changed?"
"He was like his old self again... like the boy I'd known when he was a kid. His grades got better too. I could tell he was turning over a new leaf, I just didn't know why... and he acted strange whenever I asked him about it. He wouldn't give me details for months. Not that I blame him, knowing what I know now... but I do hate that I made him feel that way."
"Well," I said, "this stuff is complicated. You can't really blame yourself--"
"Are you trying to give me advice?" she asked. "You're not even half my age."
"I... well, I didn't mean it like that--"
"I didn't say it was a bad thing. I'm the one who doesn't have it together... between that and the fact that my marriage is on the rocks."
I swallowed hard. "I'm really sorry to hear that," I said.
"I haven't had sex in two years," she said. "It's as if Bill forgot about me... not to mention my needs."
A pang of discomfort rippled through my body. I didn't want to talk about those particular needs. But before I could say anything, she cleared her throat.
"It's almost over though," she said, "at least I think so... now that he's talking about moving away."
"What?"
"He's been offered a job at his company headquarters. They want him to relocate to Reston, Virginia. I told him he can do what he wants, but I'm staying right here... so whatever he decides, I guess that's up to him."
"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry...."
"It's my own fault," she said. "I made an impulsive decision, and I should've known better."
"What do you mean?"
"Did Chad ever tell you how the two of us met?"
I shook my head. "No...."
"I was on vacation in Hawaii, and Bill was on shore leave. Of course, being young, I felt like I was in paradise, and I told myself it was love at first sight. But then reality set in, and he got orders to ship out. I was worried I'd never see him again... so we got engaged. Even though we hardly knew each other."
I didn't know how to respond to that. It was a helluva lot to digest.
"I mean, he did give me my kids, so it wasn't a complete waste... but now here I am, at an age where I should be the wise one, and I don't even know what I want in my life."
"I... w-well, I'm not sure it's not that bad--"
"How do you figure?" she asked. "How am I supposed to find someone new? Online dating? I don't have the first clue how that works. When I met Bill, it didn't even exist."
"You'll figure things out."