Page 506 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Bucket list trip: a safari!” Teddy said.

“Yes, and because of the weather it’s the best time for us to go. I wish we could be there for the show, but you have to understand.”

James snorted out a laugh. “It’s sort of expected now, Mom. We have an event, you can’t make it. We have a crisis, you’re out of the country. Someone needs a shoulder to cry on, your phone is out of range.” He shrugged, still not looking at her. “But I guess you have to listen to your heart.”

The table had gone quiet as James tossed grenades at his mom.

“Yes, that’s exactly what one must do,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s something I wish you’d do more of, actually.”

Christopher sucked in a breath. I froze, wishing I could melt into the floor.

“And what does that mean?” James demanded, with his fork frozen in the air.

“Well, sweetheart, you seem to cycle through partners fairly quickly. I hope things are different this time.” Kathleen glanced at me and gave me a warm smile. I managed a lopsided grin back, because the conversation made me want to squirm right under the table. James didn’t look any happier to be discussing his past in front of the group.

“I’d say the Branson Boys have had their fair share of bad luck when it comes to relationships,” Christopher said with a frown. “There’s my mess with Amanda, and let’s not forget what Heidi put James through.”

“It was awful,” Bernie agreed. “That story in People was so cruel. I can’t believe she had the nerve to say that you’re emotionally stunted. How dare she?”

“The whole article was filled with lies,” James muttered.

“If that was the case, why didn’t you refute it?” Christopher asked. “Let people know that she’s full of shit.”

I tried to focus on the frittata in front of me, but I was riveted by the conversation, as uncomfortable as it felt.

“You know how that works,” James replied warily. “I issue a statement, then she does, then it’s a tennis match of who can hurt whom more. And honestly, she had the upper hand since she claimed I refused to commit to her. Public sympathy was already on her side.”

“Well, that part is kind of true, if you ask me,” Christopher said gingerly. “It’s not like you wanted a lifetime commitment from Heidi.”

James barked out a laugh. “Exactly. Can you imagine?”

I glanced at James and tried to figure out if he meant any lifetime commitment, or just one with a shallow, attention-hungry supermodel.

“Enough about her,” Bernie called from her spot at the head of the table. “We’re all in a good place now, yes? The Bransons are happy! Right? We’re all happy, happy, happy!”

It sounded like a plea. Everyone quickly agreed, but when I glanced at Christopher, I noticed that his expression had gone stony. And James didn’t even look at me during the whole discussion, to the point where I wondered if he even remembered that I was seated across from him.

I felt a tension headache coming on from the stress of the conversation, but the moment we were back in our room, James swept me into his arms and gave me a kiss that erased any of my doubts.

“What was that for?” I asked when we finally pulled apart.

“For putting up with all of that bullshit,” he said as he ran his thumb down my cheek. “I hate it when my mom brings up relationship stuff. She hasn’t exactly been a great example over the years.”

He let go of me, then pulled his travel bag out of the closet to start packing up even though the household staff had offered to do it for us.

“Yeah, but now she seems like she’s in a good place. She and Teddy are happy, right?” I grabbed my ratty old gym bag and started packing as well. I’d been embarrassed when I realized I didn’t have suitable luggage, but no one called me out for it.

I hugged the red party dress to my chest before gently folding it and stashing it away.

“They are, to the detriment of everyone else.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

James rolled his shirt from the night before in a ball and shoved it in his bag. “Since she met Teddy, it’s like she’s a whole different person. When we were growing up… I mean, I get that it couldn’t have been easy for her. By the time she was my age, she was a widow with two kids, living with her mother-in-law. She loves Bernie, we all do, but you know my grandmother has a very strong personality. I don’t think Mom had a lot of say in how things went around the house. But she stuck it out, putting family first. She was there for everything—every T-ball game, every parent-teacher conference, every science fair. As we got older, we didn’t lean on her as much, but we always knew she was there. I think she still blames herself for not realizing how bad things were for Christopher, but she was a real rock during the intervention and the process of getting him into rehab. Then a few months later, she’s at a support group meeting, and in walks Teddy.” James grimaced.

“I thought you liked Teddy,” I managed to say.

James shrugged. “It’s not that I think he’s a bad guy, but I’m not wild about the way Mom fell in love with him, and suddenly that was all that mattered. Nowadays, she goes M.I.A. constantly, and sometimes it feels like nothing matters but Teddy. My mom is in love with love.”