Page 8 of The Write Stuff

My mother hadn’t been “smart” when starting out. She’d taken a chance, and it had worked for her. Did it grate that nobody believed I should take a chance? Yes. Deep down, I knew they all wanted the best for me. I decided to do it the “easy” way to start. In truth, writing a book was never easy. Using my mother’s people was easier, though, and I benefited from it greatly.

Still, in the back of my mind, I had the ideas for multiple hard science fiction novels percolating. I hadn’t given up on that dream. It was, however, delayed for a little bit.

Of course, the delay meant I could afford the best apartment I’d ever seen in Savannah’s historic district. That was worth it in my book.

“What were we saying again?” I asked, realizing the conversation had completely fallen by the wayside. That was normal for me. I got distracted easily.

“Your mother,” Bella prodded in a soft voice. “Did you come here with her?”

“Oh, yes and no.” I held out my hands. “She did bring me here after a convention one year — it was in Atlanta — and she needed some downtime. It was after the Austin thing.”

I cringed just thinking about the “Austin thing,” as it was known in our family. The “Austin thing” had haunted my mother for years after it happened. It still haunted her, and in fantastic fashion. Not that she would talk about it or anything. She absolutely refused. That meant I couldn’t talk about it. I would never force my mother to talk about something painful, and nothing was more painful than her breakup with Eleanor Ambrose.

“The ‘Austin thing’ being when Eleanor Ambrose lost her mind and attacked your mother in a roomful of people?” Nathan prodded.

Bella shot him a scandalized look. “Nathan!”

“I was just asking,” he replied, trying to look innocent. He had trouble pulling it off.

“It’s fine,” I assured him. “You’re not the first people to ask me about the ‘Austin thing,’ and I very much doubt you’ll be the last.” I used air quotes and smiled even though nothing felt funny.

“What happened?” Nathan said whatever came to his mind. I’d learned that quickly. Personally, I appreciated it. That meant I didn’t have to worry about him saying one thing and thinking another. That was always my greatest fear.

Bella, however, wasn’t happy. “You’re in trouble,” Bella muttered. “I’m going to go all Pinhead on you the second we get home tonight.”

Pinhead? What the hell was that?

Nathan didn’t look bothered. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, baby,” he said in what he likely believed was a sexy voice. It just made me want to laugh. “You know the Cenobite stuff turns me on.”

Bella rolled her eyes until they landed on me again. “Ignore him. I told him not to pry into your personal business.”

“Actually, she told me not to dig for dirt,” Nathan countered. “I can’t help it, and I do apologize, but a reason for that attack has never been made public. You can’t blame me for being curious. I mean … Eleanor Ambrose just lost it. She looked like a WWE wrestler when she came out of that staging area. I swear she jumped 10 feet to get her hands on your mother.”

He paused a beat, as if collecting himself. “It was extremely hot.”

Bella murdered him with a glare. “I’m going to make you watch Little House on the Prairie tonight if you’re not careful.”

That was enough to snap Nathan back to reality. “Wow, baby, that was savage.” He lifted his daughter to his chest — Sidney had passed out from the exertion it took to be a baby — and lightly rubbed her back.

“You just remember that I learned how to torture people from the best.” Bella turned back to me. “Ignore him. He really sucks when he wants to. He can’t help himself.”

“I love you, too, my Bellarina,” Nathan cooed.

Bella clearly wanted to remain stoic, but she couldn’t manage it. A grin took over her features before she sobered. “If you don’t want to tell us about the fight, you don’t have to,” she said. “It’s none of our business.”

I opted for honesty. “I don’t know what caused the fight,” I supplied.

Bella stilled.

Nathan, who had been mid pat on his daughter’s back, straightened. “Excuse me?” he said after a beat.

I held out my hands and shrugged. I always got this reaction. That never changed my answer. “I don’t know what caused the fight. My mother has never told me.”

“And you didn’t ask her?” Nathan actually looked outraged. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“She never wanted to talk about it,” I replied. “The initial incident …” I trailed off and scratched my cheek. How could I explain the bedlam that had followed the attack at the convention?

“My mother went to the hospital,” I started. “All of her wounds were superficial, but Eleanor got a few good licks in, and she tried to choke my mom, so they had to make sure she didn’t have any windpipe damage or anything.”