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2
Toya
The restaurant was nice. My mother had chosen well, I couldn’t help being a bit impressed. Even the parking hadn’t been completely horrible to find. As I nodded to the host and continued past the other guests, I felt the slight chill of the AC; it was a comfort from the heat outside.
“Latoya!”
Hearing my name, I stopped midway to the back and spotted my mother waving from her seat near the large windows that gave a great view of the city below. Smiling, I walked towards her only to turn my eyes and fill a brow lift. I was impressed, the man my mother had wrangled with her girly text was a silver-fox. He stood as I drew closer. His height was the average six-foot flat, but he’d not let his body soften. He had swarthy complexion, which made his smile appear brighter.
As I arrived at the table, I lifted my hand. “Hi, I’m the daughter.”
He laughed immediately, taking my hand and clasping it between his two larger ones. The warmth penetrated my cool skin. “Ha-Ha, well, I’m the boyfriend, Hunter.” I nodded at that.
“Latoya, you didn’t have a hard time finding parking, did you?” my mom asked as Hunter let my hand go.
I shook my head. “No, it was oddly easy considering usually this area is difficult to navigate. At least for parking anyway,” I said this as I took a seat, the two of them following my example. I went to set my purse in the fourth chair that was empty, only for my mom to stop me.
“Wait, Hunter’s son is coming, so he’ll be sitting there.” She reached across the table. “Here, let me take it and sit it on the ledge here.” She motioned to the ledge under the large window.
“No, it’s fine, I’ll just sit it behind me,” I said easily, placing my purse behind me. “So, isn’t this the time you’re supposed to regale me on how you both met?” I knew what I was doing. Manipulation was standard for a sociopath, being charismatic was another thing.
My mother turned slightly bashful, but the smile that cut across her face spoke volumes. “Well, you know how you and Laine kept telling me I should “get some” already?”
I distantly remember the conversation, it’d come up when my mother had stayed with me for a week and had been moping about, because her friends were either married or dating. I nodded, saying an automatic thank you to the server who sat a paper menu atop my play. “Yes, but I didn’t think you’d listen to Laine, about anything really.”
She frowned, shooting me a mildly irritated look. “Well, there wasn’t much to do when she snatched my phone and set up the app and everything.” She glanced at Hunter, who seemed to be amused by their back and forth. “And it’s rude not to respond,” she added, glancing at him.
“Mom, you could have easily deleted it later,” I said, amused myself at her girlish behavior. Ms. Clayton didn’t back down from any argument easily. “I could have done it for you.”
“Well, good you didn’t, because I wouldn’t have ever gotten to know such a beautiful woman.” Hunter’s thick southern drawl interrupted, pulling our attention, his grey eyes held only affection. “I should thank your friend too.”
I shook my head, reaching for my glass of water. “No need, Laine likes teasing my mom; she thinks she’s cute.”
“Latoya!”
Shrugging, I took a sip, “You kind of are…cute.”
The chime of the phone caught our attention, and Hunter pulled a phone from his suit coat pocket, and he squinted at it before he smiled. “It seems my son’s finally decided to arrive.”
“Yes, I was on time.” I crowd in mock victory, which caused them both to chuckle.
The conversation continued, me learning everything about Hunter without him realizing how much he was revealing until it was interrupted by him spotting something over my shoulder. He lifted a hand. “Connor, this way!”
Curious, I half-turned only to feel a chill deaden my limbs. The smile slowly dimmed until it was as cold as concrete. I felt my stomach tighten, and a rage grew so abruptly that I inhaled and exhaled so sharply I thought I would choke.
He hadn’t changed much, or had he merely kept the promise to his youthful features? The cruel smile had become handsomer and warmer. The tanned skin was still smooth, and the thick hair that used to reach his nape now was tapered and cut in the trend of quaffed hair styles. His collar was open enough for me to spot the tail end of a tattoo. He’d beat his father in height by reaching about six-foot-three.
While his appearance would have the average woman swooning, I wanted to kill him.
The minute he reached the table, I had regained my smile, even the false sparkle in my eyes, because I loved my mother, and I wouldn’t cause a scene at the table. Also, he helped when his eyes met mine, and a note of confusion entered his expression.
Those sharp, green-eyes were like emerald jewels that traced my face to my neck as if searching for a clue to a puzzle. I quickly turned back around before I revealed too much. If he didn’t remember me, oh well.
“Connor, they didn’t give you a hard time about leaving, did they?” Hunter asked when Connor reach the table. There was real concern, but it was tied to amusement. “Usually, Lesly will try to keep you back for another case of beer.”
“Nah,” Connor said easily, his voice missing his father’s twang. “I made sure to distract him with Grant, who’s supposed to be proposing to his chick tonight.”
Relieved, Hunter nodded before he motioned to my mother. “This is Celeste Clayton, a celestial goddess who’s deigned to give me her attentions.”
