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Merri sighed. “You can want more.”
Now, it was her turn to sigh. When she turned to face the older woman, she had to look down. Adam was a giant—something he got from his father. His mother was a petite woman. She just seemed like a giant because of her larger-than-life character.
“I don’t.”
One eyebrow rose up.
“Merri.” The warning was unmistakable.
“I know what you’ve said. You don’t want a serious relationship.”
“I don’t.” And if she told herself that enough times, she might just believe it.
“Maybe not before that man showed up. Of course, he’s been watching you all night.”
“He has not.”
“He has. From the moment he knew you were here, he has been tracking you.”
She didn’t know how she felt about that. Again, she was feeling off if Merri had noticed Seth tracking her and Autumn hadn’t.
“And I can see you’re trying to figure this out, but you don’t have to do that tonight.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.”
“Autumn, you can lie to me all you want, but before long, lying to yourself will bite you in the bum.”
She smiled, and then it faded. “I told you. I’m broken.”
“You are not broken, and I have told you I will banish you from this house for a month if you continue to say that. I mean it.”
“I’m not normal.”
Merri shrugged, her dark eyes filled with understanding. “Normal is boring, but I’ll leave you alone about it. Besides, I think I’ll go flirt with Sam.”
“Be careful.”
“Are you warning me off of him?”
“Good God, no. You’re both adults. Just, Adam will freak out a little.”
She knew that Adam’s mother hadn’t really dated much since his father was killed in the line of duty.
“Oh, good. You know…that accent,” she said, humming.
“Ick. I don’t want to know about that.”
Merri wrapped her arm around Autumn. “Come on, I know you didn’t need to use the bathroom.”
Seth hurried outside, his mind reeling at what he’d overheard. He knew she was attracted to him, but he had no idea Autumn thought she was broken. Why would she believe that? And justwhat the hell happened at the cult that made her feel that? He knew that cults fucked with people’s psyche, but he had no idea just how badly it had messed her up.
He had followed her into the house, worried that his mother had been rude, not on purpose. His mother had one of those personalities that could not let things go. Once she’d zeroed in on a topic, she would dig until she felt satisfied. He always knew to avoid the house when she was trying out new recipes. She was a horrible cook but never failed to find a new recipe she wanted to perfect.
“There you are,” the woman in question said as he stepped out on the deck. It took him back to sneaking into the house after making out with Trudy Abelson. There was nothing like having a mother who could track your every move on instinct alone.
“What’s up?”
He tried to sound casual, but from the look on his mother’s face, he knew he hadn’t achieved his goals.
