The Switch Read Free

School’s out Tuesday, but I have that women’s retreat to St. Louis—we’re going to the symphony. Then there are football games and homecoming preparations—I’m on the committee for the fund-raising dinner in a couple of weeks.” Working as the high school secretary kept her deeply involved.
    Danny walked to the calendar hanging on the wall and checked. “How does October third and fourth sound? I’ll have the weekend off.”
    She pulled out her cell phone to check her own calendar. “Perfect.” She typed for a minute, then stuck the phone back in her pocket. “I miss home.”
    He stepped back out to check on the steaks, smiling when they looked perfect. He scooped them onto a plate and brought them to the table. “I miss your mom’s cinnamon rolls, warm and dripping with cream cheese frosting.”
    “Don’t mention her cinnamon rolls. I swear I put on two pounds just thinking about them.” Still, a look of bliss crossed her face.
    “That’s physically impossible, and your weight’s fine.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “But you know you can work out with me anytime you want.” This was an invitation he’d made several times. He knew she’d never get up early enough to join him.
    “Forget it. I’m on my feet enough as it is without getting up before the crack of dawn to look like a wimp running with you.”
    He chuckled and reached for the soda she’d set in front of his plate. There was nothing like spending a couple hours with Laura when he needed some downtime.
    * * *
    I love my mother. I love my mother. I love my mother. Tia hoped if she kept repeating the mantra she would be able to hold her tongue until she was alone. She looked over at where her mother was poking through the kitchen cupboards and then away again. She plunged her hands into the dish water to keep from grabbing the cans on the cupboard and putting them back.
    Mona Baumgartner had been searching for anything containing allergens in her daughter’s house. She was determined to remove all such foods before she returned home to St. Joseph. “What if Samantha hadn’t been able to call? Or what if she hadn’t been here?” She plunked a jar of peanut butter onto the growing stack. “You would be dead.”
    “Mom, I’m fine. The girls are fine. We’ll avoid pine nuts from now on.” These encounters with her mother always left Tia emotionally exhausted. Drama queen didn’t even begin to cover it.
    “Not good enough. And I was thinking, if you needed a blood transfusion, they would need to know what your blood type was. What if they didn’t have any O blood and you were unconscious? How are they supposed to know?” She whirled around, her black-colored bob flaring out with the centrifugal force. “Have you had the car seats checked lately? Is the baby seat in tight? You know they say something like half of all baby seats are improperly installed in cars.”
    “Yes, I went to one of those classes before we had Samantha, remember? Everything’s nice and tight.” Tia tried to hold onto her calm expression even as her mother pushed her toward her limits. She rinsed the pan from dinner and set it on the towel to dry.
    Mona moved to the next cupboard and began rooting around, pulling out two cans of mushrooms. “Nasty stuff, mushrooms. I never trust fungi.” She set them with the peanut butter and canned clams.
    Samantha ran in with a drawing to show to them. “Look what I drew!” She held it up, displaying a crayon depiction of an ambulance complete with a gurney and stick figure people who were obviously supposed to be EMTs. “That’s Mom!” She pointed to the body-less head on the gurney.
    “See, even your daughter is worried about you. I swear I’m going to have those medical alert bracelets made up for everyone with your blood types on them.” Mona’s hand fluttered over her heart. “It’ll give me peace of mind.”
    And Tia would feel obligated to wear it because Samantha might let it slip if they only