“I was visiting a friend in LA. I just drove in to San Diego ten minutes ago.”

Disbelief coated Mia’s throat, making it impossible to speak. Her mother had made such a big stink about wanting to see her kids, yet when the opportunity finally arose, she chose to visit a friend first? The woman wasn’t going to win any Mother of the Year awards, that was for sure.

“Are you going to let me in?” Brenda asked with a loud sigh.

Mia studied her mom’s appearance, noting that in the two years since they’d seen each other, Brenda had changed—and aged—considerably. She’d gotten some blond highlights in her brown hair, which looked incredibly tacky paired with her dark eyebrows. She also had a whole lot of new wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and her petite frame now packed at least twenty extra pounds.

Just seeing her again sparked a flash of fury in Mia’s belly. Her hand actually tingled with the urge to slap her mom in the face, and the fact that she was tempted to commit violence only angered her further. Brenda was the only person on this planet who evoked this much rage inside her. The woman was toxic, and Mia didn’t want anything to do with her.

“Sorry, but you wasted a trip,” she said coolly. “Danny’s not home, and I’m on my way out.”

Disappointment flooded her mom’s expression. “When will he be back?”

“Tomorrow morning,” she lied. “He’s on a school trip.”

“And you?”

Her voice was curt. “Late.”

“Oh. I see.” Brenda’s bottom lip trembled. “I won’t be here tomorrow. I’m heading back to Reno this evening.”

“Darn. What a shame.”

The two-inch crack in the door offered a clear glimpse of the tears that welled up in Brenda’s green eyes.

“I know you’re mad at me, baby, but I really wish you’d let me in so we could talk this out.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You left, end of story. And just in case you’ve forgotten, this isn’t the only time you deserted us so you could run off with some worthless piece of shit who meant more to you than your own kids.”

Her mother’s tears kept falling, but Mia refused to be conned.

“So if you want to talk to someone, go back to Reno and talk to your husband,” she finished angrily.

Brenda sniffed. “I don’t have a husband. I’m single again.”

Despite her better judgment, Mia narrowed her eyes and said, “You and Stan got divorced?”

“Stan?”

Her mom’s confusion caused a wave of hysterical laughter to bubble in her throat. “Stan,” she repeated. “You know, the husband you abandoned Danny for two years ago?”

“Oh. Right.” Brenda visibly swallowed. “We split up not long after the honeymoon.”

“Shocking.” Mia gritted her teeth. “Just for my own sick curiosity, how many times have you been married since?”

There was a beat. “Just once.”

The laughter spilled out, a high-pitched sound laced with desperation. “For f**k’s sake, Mom. That makes ten now. I think that’s a new record.”

“Mia—”

“I have to get dressed,” she snapped, her fingers trembling over the doorknob. “Go back to Reno. We’re doing perfectly fine without you, and we don’t want to see you, so don’t bother coming back here.”

“Mia—”

She closed the door and flicked the deadbolt, then sagged against the wood and sucked in a few shallow breaths. She knew her mom was still standing in the hall. She could sense her.

God, she wanted her to go away. To disappear off the face of the Earth.

Mia’s heart ached as if someone had stabbed it with a dull knife, throbbing even harder when she heard soft sobs coming from the corridor. It took some serious strength of will not to throw open the door and comfort her mother. But she was done taking care of Brenda. Done wiping away her tears, and dragging her out of bed whenever her latest divorce sent her spiraling into a black hole of depression. Done paying all the bills after Brenda got fired from yet another job because she blew off her shifts to f**k around with her boyfriends.

There came a point in a person’s life when he or she had to learn to take care of themselves. Mia was the child, damn it. Her mother should have been taking care of her, not the other way around.

She blinked away the hot sting of tears. Held her breath. Waited. And when she finally heard the footsteps retreating from the door, she exhaled in a hasty whoosh.

And started to cry.

Danny strode through the door several hours later with a spring to his step and a broad smile on his face. He’d never looked happier, and he surprised the hell out of Mia by giving her an enormous bear hug when he saw her.

Mia pasted a smile on her face, trying valiantly to share in his joy, but their mother’s unforeseen visit continued to play over in her mind like a shitty pop song. It was hard to convey enthusiasm for the Warriors’ latest win when she couldn’t stop picturing Brenda’s devastated expression as Mia slammed the door on her.

But she couldn’t let herself feel guilty about what she’d done. Her mother was a poison that killed everything in its path. She’d never cared about her children, only herself, and they were better off without her.

Mia clung to that reminder as she listened to Danny describe every single play of Friday night’s game. She was tempted to cut him off and tell him about Brenda’s appearance on their doorstep, but she resisted the urge. The best course of action was to keep Danny in the dark and forget that Brenda had ever been here.