AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lily sat waiting for us, a glass of something clear with an olive on a cocktail stick. It could have been water, but I suspected it was gin. She seemed like a gin kind of person. I was genuinely surprised at the olive. There were at least five calories in a fat olive, not to mention two grams of fat.
There was nobody else sitting at the table, so either Brax’s mother was powdering her nose or she’d cried off. I hoped for the latter.
“Brax, darling, so glad you could make it.” Lily stood and air-kissed her grandson while ignoring me. Pale silk accessorized with gold jewelry draped her skeletal frame. How that woman’s legs didn’t snap in a stiff breeze was beyond me. She made me feel like a baby elephant in comparison.
“I had no choice, Lily,” Brax quipped, softening the words with an entirely fake smile.
“Darling, don’t be like that. You know I love to spend time with my favorite grandson.”
“Last I checked, I’m your only grandson. Where’s Mother?”
“She’ll be here shortly. Selena is being a tad difficult at the moment.”
Brax stiffened. “Well she has just lost her father, so it’s understandable.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “The girl needs to grow a backbone. Life isn’t a fairytale. Loss makes us stronger, and the stronger we are, the more successful we are.”
Jesus, that woman was a fucking sociopath. How did she not feel compassion for a little girl who was struggling to process her grief?
It amazed me Brax wasn’t completely emotionally stunted. His entire body hummed with rage at his grandmother’s casual dismissal of his sister’s anguish.
His hand was still locked in mine, so I squeezed it, letting him know we were in this together, as he’d reminded me in the cab.
Slowly, his grip softened, and I relaxed somewhat. We’d get through this. Somehow.
Lily’s gaze shifted past Brax and found me. I saw her eyes widen when she clocked my outfit and forced myself to maintain the polite smile I’d effected since we walked in.
The only reason the Maitre D’ allowed me entry was because Brax told him who we were meeting. Otherwise, I’d have been tossed to the curb. Band tees and jeans were definitely not the dress code for this exclusive eatery.
“Selma, isn’t it?” Lily’s voice was glacial. It probably irked her having to make polite conversation with someone she saw as shit on her Manolo Blahniks.
“Stella,” I corrected, reaching out to stroke Brax’s bicep, reminding her of our relationship. A fake one for all intents and purposes, but real enough to annoy Lily.
She saw the way I asserted ownership and narrowed her eyes in fury. I wondered how long it would take her to figure out who I was. No doubt she had some PI digging into my background already, hoping to find some dirt she could use to pry us apart.
Well good luck, bitch. I had no secrets. Not anymore.
“Ah yes, Stella.”
A waiter appeared from nowhere and stood patiently waiting for us to order drinks. Lily pointed to her glass and looked away as if acknowledging the poor man might cause her irreparable damage.
“Can I have a vodka and soda, please?” I smiled at the guy. He was probably a student hustling his way through college and didn’t deserve to deal with a mega bitch like Lily Walker.
“Bourbon over ice.” At least Brax hadn’t resorted to tequila yet. That was his drink of choice when he wanted to get blind drunk. Still, the night was young.
The next 20 minutes crawled by as Lily and Brax made polite, stilted conversation. A waiter stopped by to take our order, but Lily dismissed him with a regal hand gesture.
I was just contemplating slitting my wrists when a tall woman with dark hair cut expertly into a chic bob arrived at our table.
The resemblance between her and Brax was unmistakable. This was his mother, Jennifer. Her gaze flitted to Brax and I saw the love and warmth there before her mask came down.
“Jennifer,” Lily snapped. “Better late than never I suppose.”
Brax jumped in before Jennifer could respond to Lily. “How’s Selena? Why didn’t you tell me she’s struggling?”
Jennifer touched her son’s arm. “Honey, she’s OK. Just a bit fragile right now. Moving into your grandmother’s house has exacerbated things but I’m sure she’ll settle.”
“Is she having therapy?”
