Free Sassy's Studs by Dakota Rebel Page A

well. Last time I’d seen her, she’d been sporting her natural mousy brown locks. The cut was more flattering as well. She was dressed in a long khaki skirt with a white button down blouse and was wearing actual makeup. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her face done in all the time I’d lived with her. Something was different for sure, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had inspired such a change in her appearance.
    I allowed her to pull me into a hug and shifted my bags so I could awkwardly pat her on the back.
    “Mom,” I said as I backed away and looked her over. “You look fantastic.”
    “Thanks,” she beamed, lightly patting my cheek. “You look…tired. Let’s get you home.” She took one of my suitcases and led me back to her car. When I’d left she had been driving a fairly old Buick, but as she approached a white Mercedes and popped the trunk, I realized there was quite a bit she had failed to mention in our monthly phone conversations.
    I dumped my bags into the back of the car then climbed into the passenger seat, relieved at the feel of the cool air circulating from the vents. Mom got behind the wheel and quickly gunned the engine then pulled the car out of the pick-up lane and merged into traffic.
    “So,” I said after we hit the highway and started heading for her home in Henderson. “Who is he?”
    “Sassafras Jones,” she snapped. “I do not need a man to want to make changes to my life.”
    “I know that,” I said with a nod. “But who is he?”
    She turned to shoot me a glare, but I knew I was right. There was definitely someone. Her mouth had quirked up at the corner which always meant she was hiding something. My mother was the worst liar ever. She never bothered playing cards because she knew her expression was a beacon to anyone at the table.
    “I will have you know,” she said loftily, “I didn’t meet Mike until after I changed some things. You can’t make someone else happy if you aren’t happy with yourself. You have to learn to let go of the past, let go of the hurt, before you can put yourself out into the universe with something to offer. The world doesn’t need any more takers, Sassy. The world needs givers.”
    Oh Christ. My mother had been infected by New Age. It had hit LA hard in the recent years, and I could recognize a crystal sniffer a mile away at this point. Though…I had to admit, she wore it well. As much as I dismissed the craze, something about it had clicked with my mother. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe what she said, and if that was what she got out of it then good for her. But my experiences in California usually led to conversations about aliens and Wicca and the healing power of smudge sticks.
    “Whatever you say, Mom,” I agreed. “You look great and you seem happy, so I’m happy for you.”
    “Good,” she said, her tone sounding relieved. “I was worried you might judge or be mad at me.”
    “Mad at you?” I looked at her in shock. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”
    “Sassy, I don’t want you to ever think anyone could replace your father in my heart. I was afraid that when you found out I’m seeing someone you’d get angry that I was dishonoring Joakim.”
    “Oh, Mom.” I blinked back tears as I reached over to take her hand. “Dad’s been gone for ten years. It’s taken you far too long to move on. Dad would have wanted you to find someone else. I could never, ever be angry at you for finding someone to fill a void in your life.”
    I couldn’t believe she’d been worried about such a thing. I also couldn’t believe it had taken her over a decade to find someone new. I’d always known my father had been the love of my mom’s life. They’d been high school sweethearts, fought against the wishes of my grandparents to be married and had never looked back when my father’s American Indian relatives had shunned our family because of it. They’d had many wonderful years together before