Free Gillian's Do-Over by Kate Vale Page B

us the tickets—and reserved rooms at the inn there.”
    “ Quinn, why are you all of a sudden trying to control my life? You didn’t even ask me first.”
    “Mom, you have to stop puttering around here and grab life by the bal—uh, by the throat. Ever since that girl stopped over, you’ve been hiding out in your garden, just waiting for the cops to haul you away—as if you had anything to do with whatever Nick’s trying to get away with, not paying severance and all that. It’s time you kicked up your heels. Not the same kind of fun as your garden. Something you wouldn’t otherwise do. Admit it. If I hadn’t got the tickets, would you even consider it?”
    “I’m not considering it now. Show me what you’re holding.” She motioned to the brochure and sheaf of pictures clutched in his left hand.
    He shoved the items to her side of the table. “Bianca’s friend took those pictures. Imagine shooting the rapids like that! It’ll be fun.”
    His enthusiasm was infectious. “I can see you and Bia nca doing it. Me? Not so much. But it is a pretty area. Maybe I’ll sit on the shore and watch the two of you float by while I sunbathe.”
    “You could do that, but you’ll have more fun with us. Come on, Mom. Live a little. Do something outrageous. It’s not dangerous. Even little kids do it. See that picture?”
    “They have helmets on. I don’t see helmets on the adults,” she countered.
    “Everyone wears life jackets, even the adults,” he replied. “Ask Lauren to water your garden for you. We’re going. Next week. Before Bianca starts work.”
    “She found a position?”
    “She interviewed with two different firms this week. She’s pretty confident one of them is going to offer her a position.”
    “ Hmm. So when do we leave on this so-called adventure?”
    “Ten days from today.”
    Gillian peered at her son, so intent on wanting her to come with him. So insistent that she do something out of the ordinary. She had to admit her life was bland, staid, not all that exciting. But at least she wasn’t at risk of drowning. She wondered what Mo would say if she asked him about it.
    “Are you sure Bianca won’t consider me a wet blanket?”
    “You’re not sleeping with us, Mom. Your room is down the hall from ours.”
    She blushed at the implication.
    “Besides, maybe you’ll meet someone there. You know, someone your own age.”
    “I already know people my own age .” Mo, older by a good ten years than she and now a regular walking friend, came to mind. They’d been taking leisurely strolls a couple times a week since their first meeting, usually stopping for coffee before he escorted her home.
    “How many?”
    “One or two. Quinn, nosiness is not becoming.” She felt her cheeks flush. Now why was that? Mo was no man friend, just a walking partner. Matt’s more handsome visage flitted across her mind’s eye. But she hadn’t seen him in weeks. He was probably too busy for regular breaks, like most lawyers with their own practices.
    “You’re not going to call me old, are you?” she teased.
    “Of course not. You’re not old. You’re just—”
    “Of a certain age. I know what you were going to say.” She peered again at the pictures. “Are you sure folks my age do this sort of thing? All day, it says here.”
    “ Absolutely! And they feed us, all part of the package.”
    “Hmm.”
    “You’ll do it?”
    “I’ll go. But I don’t have nine lives, and I don’t want to lose the one I have.” She would make time to get to know Bianca. The real reason she was going. Quinn didn’t need to know.
    He cheered.
    “On one condition, Quinn.”
    He grimaced.
    “If I don’t like it, I can get out of the raft when we stop for lunch and watch you for the rest of the trip. If I bring my art supplies, I could paint and draw.”
    “I don’t know if they ’ll allow you to bail after we have lunch. But don’t worry. It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
    Somehow, the gleam in his eye suggested