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"Wantlike a wife "No Want to er?" he asked This wasn’t a date If he was asking her out on a date he’d go and pick her up

"Sure"

His shoulders sagged with relief "Give reat I’ve reatconversation with her mother in which she’d made herself crystal clear

"You stepped over the line, Mom," Beth had told her mother

"What do you mean?" Her tone was defensive

"Kier" All it took was one word to explain what sheI knohy he was in town You’re concerned about Sam and me"

"Yes, S-a-m," her nize--"

Beth cut her off again "What I recognize is that you’re trying, once again, to oing to allow you to do that"

"I’ what I think is best for you"

"What you think is best," Beth said pointedly "You"

"I’m older and wiser No one knows you better thanto say this once This is my life I will date who I want I will make my own decisions I will make my own choices If you can’t letasped softly "You don’tIpause

"Are we clear, Moh "Yes, we’re clear"

"Good"

After she disconnected, Beth felt like standing on her balcony and pounding her chest like Tarzan She had taken control of her life No more Kier No more control issues Beth had made it clear THIS WAS HER LIFE

Sa to talk or spend ether But ether She’d missed hi news

By the time she arrived at the restaurant, Sam had their name on the list, and no more than five ers and she did, too She considered the at home Actually, she and Sam shared a lot in common when it came to tastes

Once seated, the waiter took orders for their drinks and their meal as well As soon as he left the table, Beth, as all but bursting with excite"

Sa to your mother"

That was true Beth had been upset about Kier’s visit and wanted toto allow her to manipulate her life choices Ellie Prudhomme had phoned countless ti her calls ever since she sent Kier to check up onto fly to Portland if I didn’t take her call" Beth had been surprised She didn’t think her mother even kne to text

"Guess she took the option away froain"

"So how’d it go?"

Sam leaned back and crossed his arms Beth read that as a defensive measure, certain she was about to tell hi hireat" Beth resisted the urge to pump her fists in the air "I told her I wasn’t her pawn and if she sent anyone else out to visit that I would cut off all communication with her"

Sam blinked hard "Did you mean it, Beth?"

"Every word" She was serious and wasn’t willing to compromise The taste of freedom, the ability to make her own choices, choose her own friends, teach and date whomever she pleased, was an elixir and she wasn’t about to risk losing it

"I’et your point across, but I don’t i down"

"She didn’t," Beth confir with h I told her she was right; I was ruiningthe life she planned forto live the way I want and she could flush her expectations down the toilet" Not exactly in those words, but close enough Beth bearatulate her "Aren’t you going to say anything? This is big for e"