A flicker of hurt passed across her face, and she didn't say another word.
That was when Fay James strolled out of the guest room with her daughter in tow, eyeing me with a look that was half question, half accusation.
"So, your mom showing up this late at night... she's not planning on staying over, is she?"
Before I could open my mouth, Rebecca snapped.
"Staying over? Where exactly would she sleep? Fay and Candy Abbott need the guest room. There's no space for her."
Connor glanced at my mother with undisguised distaste, then turned to me.
"Babe, my sister and my niece are going to be staying with us for a while. There really isn't room. But there's that motel right outside the neighborhood, right? Sixty bucks a night. That's a pretty good deal. Just send your mom there. I'll pay for it."
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled hundred-dollar bill, holding it out to me like it was some grand act of charity.
I stared at that wrinkled bill and almost laughed.
This house was mine. Bought and paid for before the wedding. Three bedrooms, one living room. My mother had never spent a single night here.
After we got married, Connor gave up his rental and moved in with me. Then he said his mother was lonely back home, asked if she could come stay for a little while.
I figured the house was big enough. I said yes.
That "little while" turned into three full years.
And it wasn't just Connor and Rebecca who'd made themselves at home. Fay showed up constantly, dragging Candy along, parking themselves in my guest room for months at a stretch.
The kid's toys ended up scattered across every room. The couch was permanently dusted with snack crumbs. The bathroom floor was always slick with water and matted with stray hair.
Whenever those two were around, the house was a disaster zone.
Sometimes I just couldn't stand it anymore. I'd ask Fay to clean up after herself, but Rebecca would immediately smooth things over.
"A little mess gives the house character. Too clean and it doesn't feel like a home."
Connor would chime in too.
"My family's lived like this our whole lives. You can't expect people to change overnight. Just be a little more understanding."
But now?
My mother had dropped a single strand of hair.
And they wanted to throw her out in the middle of the night.
I pushed away the money Connor held out and said coldly, "My mother isn't going anywhere tonight."
"She's staying here."