Antonia carefully switched lanes and let out a breath when the highway widened. She had white-knuckled most of the drive and wanted to get off the road as soon as possible. She swiped at the GPS screen and was relieved to know that the rest of the long stretch would lead straight to Galway. She remembered that Aiden said his neighborhood was in a small township called Claddagh. Hopefully, that wouldn’t involve driving in a busy tourist city. It didn’t matter, though. She was on a mission.

Her phone rang while she drove. Antonia groaned. That was the last thing she needed to deal with while making these dangerous curves. She pulled it out of her purse and swiped without looking down. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” her mother corrected.

Dammit.

“Hey Mom,” Antonia said putting her on speaker. “I’m in the car.”

“Your sister shared some information with me,” Diane said. She imagined her mother’s mouth set like Octavia’s, the quiet judgmental pursing of the lips.

“I’m sure she did,” Antonia replied. “That’s all you guys seem to do these days.”

“I’m just calling to tell you not to take that fool back.”

She kept her eyes on the road. “You don’t have to worry about that, Mom. I gave Derek a good cussing out already.”

“Good. I know I raised you with some self-respect.” Even though she couldn’t help but jab at her daughter, Diane did sound relieved. Perhaps even proud? “And I don’t want you to come back until you’ve found what you were looking for.”

Antonia didn’t know what to say to that. Her mother didn’t get sentimental with her daughters. Ever. It was foreign to her ears. “What are you talking about, Mom?”

“I’m just saying.” Diane paused. “Don’t always settle for what’s easier. I didn’t work as hard as I did for you girls to settle for any old thing.”

It only took thousands of miles of distance for her mother to have a moment with her. She smiled to herself as she drove. “I won’t.”

“Your sister shared something else.”

Antonia’s smile dropped as she decreased her speed. “Oh yeah?”

“She said that you were back to writing. If I remember correctly, it’s been awhile.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that her sister was thoughtful enough to keep information about Aiden to herself. “It has, Mom. I’m writing a novel.” Saying the words aloud to her biggest critic was a relief. “I’m...a writer,” she added.

“I know you’re a writer,” Diane said with a smart tone. “I just wondered when you’d get back to it. I only wanted to say I’m glad to hear it.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat before replying, “Thank you.”

“Okay,” Diane was already running out of things to say. “Charlie and I are about to sit down to some coffee, I’ll get at you later.”

“Of course, Mom.”

“We’re proud of you for doing the right thing, baby.”

Antonia drew a shaky breath. She didn’t want to start crying while she was on the phone with her mother. “Thanks, Mama. I love you,” she said with a sniff. “I’ll talk to you later?”