woman smiled and said, "Marta told me that you did not like to be too formal." She shook Jamie's hand and said, "I'm Helena. I've just been here a week."
"It's good to meet you, Helena," Jamie said, smiling pleasantly. "Is my mother at home?"
"Yes. I believe she is upstairs. Shall I tell her that you're here?"
"No. No, thanks. I can find her." She turned and headed upstairs, looking in the usual places that her mother spent her days. When she didn't find her in her office or the small, but well-stocked library, she decided to look in her room. A light knock heralded her arrival, and she waited patiently as she heard her mother cross the room to open the door, which was, surprisingly, locked.
"Yes?" Catherine asked, opening the door warily. "Oh, Jamie!" she said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you."
Leaning back in the embrace, Jamie lifted a hand and brushed it across her mother's cheek. "You've been crying," she said softly, not often having seen such obvious evidence of tears .
"Your father was here earlier," Catherine informed her, sighing heavily as she did so.
"What did he do to you?" Jamie asked sharply, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, Honey, don't worry. He didn't do anything. It just made me sad to see him. As much of a sham as our marriage has been, it's still hard for me to face that it's over. We've managed to be friendly to each other through the years, for the most part," she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "I lost my husband many years ago, but now I feel like I'm losing a friend. My oldest friend," she added sadly. "It's so much harder than I thought it would be."
Jamie tucked her arm around her mother's waist and guided her to a small love seat near a window. "How could it not be hard, Mom?" she asked softly as Catherine's head dropped to rest on her shoulder. "You've been married for 22 years."
"It's funny, Jamie," she said softly, her thoughts drifting to her conversation with her husband. "We yelled at each other at the top of our lungs today." She cocked her head slightly as she added, "Things might have been different if we could have done that at the very beginning." She pursed her lips as she reflected, "We've always been so careful with each other."
Jamie nodded, seeing how an overly polite relationship could be counterproductive in a marriage. "Jack and I were that way for the most part," she admitted. "When he broke up with me, I think our entire conversation took less than five minutes. No argument, no yelling. He said it was over, and I accepted his decision." She shivered noticeably as she said, "Lord, what a mistake it would have been to marry him."
"You would have had a marriage like mine," Catherine said softly. "Now I'm hoping that one day I can have a relationship like yours."
Jamie smiled at her, giving her knee a tender squeeze. "That's exactly what I wish for you, Mom. I want you to have someone who loves you like you deserve to be loved. Someone who thinks you're the center of their universe."
"I'm so glad that you have that, Honey," Catherine sighed. "Nothing can make a mother happier than knowing her daughter has someone in her life who loves her well."
"Then you should be downright giddy," Jamie chuckled softly, giving her mother another squeeze.
"Having you and Ryan care for me makes me giddy, Honey. I don't know how I'd get through this without you."
"We're with you permanently, Mom. We're a team."
Jamie's cell phone chirped as she and Catherine were leaving the room. "Hello," she said.
"Hey, James, Mia," the perky voice sounded. "I need some advice."
"Sure, Hon. What is it?"
"I want to come down and see the girls play tonight, but I don't want to look like I'm chasing Jordan…even though I am," she chuckled softly.
"Ooooh," Jamie said, "What's up with her, anyway? Has she called you?"
"Nope. Not a word. It's weird, James, I know that we really hit it off the other night, and I sat around all day on Tuesday waiting for her
"It's good to meet you, Helena," Jamie said, smiling pleasantly. "Is my mother at home?"
"Yes. I believe she is upstairs. Shall I tell her that you're here?"
"No. No, thanks. I can find her." She turned and headed upstairs, looking in the usual places that her mother spent her days. When she didn't find her in her office or the small, but well-stocked library, she decided to look in her room. A light knock heralded her arrival, and she waited patiently as she heard her mother cross the room to open the door, which was, surprisingly, locked.
"Yes?" Catherine asked, opening the door warily. "Oh, Jamie!" she said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you."
Leaning back in the embrace, Jamie lifted a hand and brushed it across her mother's cheek. "You've been crying," she said softly, not often having seen such obvious evidence of tears .
"Your father was here earlier," Catherine informed her, sighing heavily as she did so.
"What did he do to you?" Jamie asked sharply, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, Honey, don't worry. He didn't do anything. It just made me sad to see him. As much of a sham as our marriage has been, it's still hard for me to face that it's over. We've managed to be friendly to each other through the years, for the most part," she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "I lost my husband many years ago, but now I feel like I'm losing a friend. My oldest friend," she added sadly. "It's so much harder than I thought it would be."
Jamie tucked her arm around her mother's waist and guided her to a small love seat near a window. "How could it not be hard, Mom?" she asked softly as Catherine's head dropped to rest on her shoulder. "You've been married for 22 years."
"It's funny, Jamie," she said softly, her thoughts drifting to her conversation with her husband. "We yelled at each other at the top of our lungs today." She cocked her head slightly as she added, "Things might have been different if we could have done that at the very beginning." She pursed her lips as she reflected, "We've always been so careful with each other."
Jamie nodded, seeing how an overly polite relationship could be counterproductive in a marriage. "Jack and I were that way for the most part," she admitted. "When he broke up with me, I think our entire conversation took less than five minutes. No argument, no yelling. He said it was over, and I accepted his decision." She shivered noticeably as she said, "Lord, what a mistake it would have been to marry him."
"You would have had a marriage like mine," Catherine said softly. "Now I'm hoping that one day I can have a relationship like yours."
Jamie smiled at her, giving her knee a tender squeeze. "That's exactly what I wish for you, Mom. I want you to have someone who loves you like you deserve to be loved. Someone who thinks you're the center of their universe."
"I'm so glad that you have that, Honey," Catherine sighed. "Nothing can make a mother happier than knowing her daughter has someone in her life who loves her well."
"Then you should be downright giddy," Jamie chuckled softly, giving her mother another squeeze.
"Having you and Ryan care for me makes me giddy, Honey. I don't know how I'd get through this without you."
"We're with you permanently, Mom. We're a team."
Jamie's cell phone chirped as she and Catherine were leaving the room. "Hello," she said.
"Hey, James, Mia," the perky voice sounded. "I need some advice."
"Sure, Hon. What is it?"
"I want to come down and see the girls play tonight, but I don't want to look like I'm chasing Jordan…even though I am," she chuckled softly.
"Ooooh," Jamie said, "What's up with her, anyway? Has she called you?"
"Nope. Not a word. It's weird, James, I know that we really hit it off the other night, and I sat around all day on Tuesday waiting for her
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