Wendy walked into her flat, dropped her coat and bag on the floor, and collapsed on her bed. It was only 5:30 in the evening, but Wendy just wanted to curl up and go to sleep. Her week hadn't been physically exhausting - things at Mrs. Nancy's had been relatively calm - but she felt mentally drained. She had wrestled with thoughts of Peter for days. It didn't help that she kept walking by the bakery where he worked. She never looked in, afraid that she'd catch him kissing his co-worker again, but she could feel his presence every time she passed by, as if his magic couldn't be contained within the walls of the shop.
Wendy was dozing off when she heard her mother come in the door. She suppressed a groan. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her mother's company, but ever since she'd spent that week in Neverland she'd been unusually happy, and it was a bit annoying, especially since the woman was unemployed. Thinking about her mother getting romantic down in Neverland with Captain Hook still made her a bit queasy.
"Hello, Wendy," Mrs. Darling sang, practically bouncing into the front room. "How was your day?"
"Pretty normal," Wendy replied, only making a minimal effort to prop herself up on her bed.
Mrs. Darling gave her a pitying look that Wendy was beginning to despise. "You should make some friends, honey. You should have some fun and adventure in your life."
Wendy closed her eyes so that she didn't roll them. She was glad that her mother was now full of life and energy, but she wished she wouldn't try to force it on her.
"How about your architecture class? Are you meeting anyone there?"
"Not really. We're all more focused on learning than socializing," Wendy replied with a tight smile. It wasn't entirely true. Her weekend architecture class was full of a lot of studious types, but there were also a fair amount chatty people as well. She was just never in the mood to engage with anyone.
"Well," her mother said, sitting herself on the edge of the bed, "I got a job today."
Wendy brightened. "That's wonderful! Is it at one of the hospitals?"
"Oh, it's not a nurse job. It's just something small to get me through while I look for a permanent position."
"What is it?"
"It's at that lovely bakery. The one Peter works at."
Wendy opened her mouth, but no words came out. The thought of her mother working with Peter was mortifying. "But why...? How...?"
"I just went in to get a bagel and mentioned to Peter that I was out of work. He practically begged me to come help them out."
"Wow. That's... something," said Wendy, still trying to keep her composure.
"It will be fun. Of course, it's only temporary."
"Thank goodness."
Mrs. Darling gave Wendy an odd look.
"I mean, you can only make doughnuts for so long before you're bored out of your mind, right?"
Mrs. Darling inclined her head. "I suppose so. And that other girl who works there seems a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure she's nice."
Wendy wanted to cry. Know she knew that she absolutely did not want her mother working at that bakery. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to be updating her on all the intimate details of Peter and his new girlfriend. Her heart ached at the thought of it.
"Well, if nothing else, this job will give you an excuse to come in and see Peter more often," Mrs. Darling said with a wink. Wendy gave her a weak smile. She was touched that her mother had apparently accepted this job at the bakery to help her get closer to Peter again, but all she was doing was causing Wendy more pain.
"I'm going to start on dinner," Mrs. Darling announced, jumping up from the bed. "I need to start honing my baking skills!"
Wendy watched her mom practically skip off to the kitchen. She still couldn't decide if her mother's recent trip to Neverland was a blessing or a burden.