Page 129 of At His Beck & Call

“What’s happening, Mommy?” he asks.

“Aunt Bethany’s gone nuts,” I say with a smile as Bethany searches in the shitty cabinets for two mugs for the champagne.

“Your mom and I are celebrating, Hen!” she says, turning triumphantly with two mugs in hand.

“Celebrating?” Henry asks, looking at me quizzically.

“Yep!” I say, wondering how to phrase this next part. “Things are going to be a bit easier for us, sweetheart. We’re gonna move out of here for a start, and you’re gonna get your own room.”

He laughs excitedly. “Are we going to go to dinner with Oliver again, too? And another show with all the ladies in pretty dresses?”

Bethany’s hands lower to her hips, the champagne forgotten as she stares at me in disbelief.

“Excuse me?” she says, placing everything on the table. “He took you out to dinner? Both of you?”

“Hen, why don’t you go watch the end of Zootopia, okay?”

Henry shuffles off to the couch, climbing carefully up, and settles back on the cushions as I go to stand beside my friend. Bethany’s eyes are worried as she pulls the champagne toward her and pours us both a cup.

“What the hell is going on, Liss?” she asks, looking beyond hurt. “You didn’t tell me about that.”

“I know,” I say plaintively. “I’m sorry I lied.”

“You should be!” she hisses. “I tell youeverything, and I was so worried about you taking this job. I had sleepless nights about introducing you to Pippa; I was terrified it would be traumatizing. Since when do you go out to dinner with a client... and bring your kid along?”

She drops her voice to a low whisper as she curses, but when she meets my gaze, her expression changes, and she slowly lowers the bottle.

“Oh no, babe, you haven’t done anything stupid, have you?”

“Like what? Fall for my boss?” I murmur bitterly, and Bethany raises her eyes to the ceiling with a long sigh.

“I fuckingknewit.”

“Aunt Beth said a bad word,” Henry parrots, and Bethany groans.

“I’m sorry, Hen. That was naughty of me.”

Henry promptly starts watching the movie again. I go over to the couch, covering him with a blanket and turning up the TV, stroking his head as he settles back in the chair.

When I return to the table, Bethany has filled both cups to the brim.

“Start talking,” she says darkly. “And don’t leave anything out this time. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me…”

“I’m sorry, Beth.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I didn’t know something was off the second I saw you together,” she says, rallying quickly. “You were so googly-eyed, but I thought maybe it was just because of the money.”

I scowl at her, and she puts her cup down with a thud.

“That’s thejob, Liss,” she says, her lips twisting. “Stop making out like it’s sordid. He’s paying for a service just like anybody else.”

“It’s not that,” I reply hastily, swirling the champagne in my cup as I take a long sip. “I just don’t like the thought of him paying me anymore. Itdoessound sordid to me, but only because of… I don’t know; I just don’t like it. It’s not that it’s degrading or a bad thing.”

Bethany sniffs. “Well, good, because my job is just as legitimate as a regular EA and I earn a fuck ton more.”

She plucks at a loose thread on her dress, crossing her legs as she glances at me irritably.

“Beth, I don’t think there’s any shame in what you do.”