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“I know a lot of things about my boys, Victor. Don’t doubt my abilities to source reliable information.”
“There are no girls, Mother. There’s never any girl for me. You should know that with all your abilities.”
“I’ll have to push back on that,” she replies. “There must be someone in the works. There must be someone who catches your eye...”
“I’m dating no one,” I say to her firmly. There’s no dramatic flair with this statement. No cheekiness. It’s clear and direct.
And she gets it.
Mother’s jaw slightly clenches. It’s only the barest of movements, but it’s enough for me to notice. She never reveals her true emotion, so when the mask does slip, even for a fraction, it’s a big fucking deal.
“I can find someone for you, Victor,” she whispers. “Someone respectable. Just say the word and things will be put into motion.”
Yeah, I truly do love her, but Mother is the very last person I would ever want to let in on my love life.
“You can find someone,” I whisper back, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll pay them a moment’s thought.”
“Tough boy you are.”
“It’s the truth,” I reply. “I’m not looking for anyone. I’m having too much fun living the single bachelor life.”
Mother lets go of my arm and nods back toward the mansion. I can feel the disappointment dripping from her, but I try not to let it affect me.
“Well, make yourself comfortable in your old room,” she says. “I had the maid make it up for your arrival.”
“Thank you, Mother, for letting me stay.”
Her eyes dart away from mine and up toward the overcast sky.
“It’s hard having so many boys,” she purrs. “They always find it hard to love their mother and do what is best for her.”
“Sometimes you make things hard for us,” I shoot in return.
She turns back to me. Her fleeting moment of vulnerability evaporates. She winks – God, that cheeky Penmayne wink.
“I know I do,” she whispers.
She always knows exactly what buttons to push and when. It’s like she lives off the reactions from her sons.
“I won’t head straight for my old room,” I tell her. “I’m going to go to the gym downstairs and work out.”
“Of course.”
And then Mother simply... glides away in that smooth way of hers.
She loves the dramatic. I never need to wonder where I got it from.
8
JOSIE
“So... what did you two get up to behind the coffee shop when the crowd was baying for his blood?”
I stop wiping the table and look up at my manager. Amanda is staring intensely at me with her big green eyes, waiting for my answer to her direct question impatiently.
She really wants some juicy gossip, doesn’t she?
I roll my eyes at her professional cross-examination.
