Free Room for You by Beth Ehemann Page A

our lungs. Once we got there, we grabbed a map and started checking off as many animals as we could before taking a break on a bench with some Dippin’ Dots.
    “Are you guys having fun?” I asked.
    They both nodded excitedly with ice cream dripping down their chins.
    HA! Who says I can’t be spontaneous and fun.
    I felt vindicated, like I was winning an imaginary contest against my subconscious.
    “What should we do next?”
    “Dolphin show!” Lucy shouted out.
    “Yeah, then the train ride!” Piper blurted right after her.
    I looked at the time on my phone. “Well, if we’re gonna do all that, we better get moving.” We tossed our ice cream cups in the garbage and headed for the dolphin show.
    By the time Chloe the dolphin jumped through the fourth ring, my cell phone had gone off twice. I had two texts, one from my mom and one from Alexa.
     
    MOM: THERE ARE FLOWERS AT THE HOUSE FOR YOU…
     
    ALEXA: RUNNING BEHIND ON ORDERS, BUT WE NEED TO CHAT. WANNA HANG WITH ME AT THE SHOP TONIGHT?
     
    The black and white words of Alexa’s text blurred together as my mind ran circles around the text from my mom. Who would have sent me flowers? The one person that came to mind was as disappointing as it was exciting. I didn’t want to think about it, so I closed my phone and put it away, deciding to concentrate the rest of the afternoon on nothing but the sweet smiles on my girls’ faces. We filled the afternoon with balloon animals, train rides and so much cotton candy I thought we were gonna burst.
    A couple hours later, we piled our exhausted bodies into my jeep and made our way home.
    “Mom, did you see that huge pile of zebra poop on the ground?” Piper held her arms about two feet apart, as Lucy giggled next to her.
    The girls continued their poop discussion and argued over which animal would make the best mommy until they exhausted themselves and fell asleep in the backseat. When we got home, Mom came out and helped me carry them in. With Piper in my arms, I tiptoed through the kitchen, thankful my mom was walking in front of me and couldn’t see my face when I passed the huge bouquet of beautiful pink and purple gladiolus on the island. I cringed when I saw that the card had the logo from The Twisted Petal on it. Alexa only had one employee, a teenage kid that made deliveries for her, so there was no question in my mind that she took this order and would be grilling me like a hamburger later.
    I tucked the girls cozy in their beds and walked to my room to get ready to head to Alexa’s shop. As much as I wanted to sprint into the kitchen and read the card, I wanted to get out of my mom’s crosshairs more. She followed me to my room, her eyes focused on me, reading every awkward movement I was making around my bedroom.
    “So, what’s the deal with the flowers?” She finally broke the silence.
    I turned to face her, expecting her to be judgmental.
    “I have no idea, Mom. I haven’t even looked at the envelope yet. I don’t really want to.”
    Her eyes softened as she walked over and sat on my bed, patting the open space next to her. I went over and sat down.
    “You like him, Kacie.” I searched her eyes as she continued, curious where this conversation was headed. “I can tell. Why the hesitation?” She reached up and played with a strand of hair trailing down my back.
    I immediately relaxed and rested my head on her shoulder. A mother’s touch is so powerful; it makes you feel like the bad is actually tolerable.
    “Mom, he’s a hockey player, a professional hockey player. That type of lifestyle doesn’t fit into ours.”
    “That’s pretty presumptuous of you. You’ve spent two days with him. What can you possibly know about his lifestyle?”
    I had no answer for her, she was right.
    “Go to Alexa’s, talk to her. You need some girl talk, not advice from an old lady.” She patted my knee and stood up, heading for my bedroom door.
    “You’re not an old lady. You’re a pretty cool mom, and