Page 108 of Twisted Beauty

She shoved her empty bag into the closet and eyed the bed. It was early afternoon, but her fluffy down comforter called to her. So did the freshly brewed coffee in the other room. The idea of another twenty-four hours of uninterrupted sleep was winning, right up until the doorbell rang.

Damn it.

An image of Matt standing on the other side of the door flashed through her mind. Right. As if he’d break her heart at Katie’s house, and then realize he couldn’t live without her and hop on a last-minute flight to LA. Apparently she’d watched too many Hallmark movies.

Knowing how far-fetched it was didn’t stop her heart from hoping.

She opened the door and her stomach dropped when she saw her mother standing on the threshold with a scowl on her face and her hands on her hips. Maybe that bull by the horns thing was premature. She really just wanted to take a long nap.

“Hi, Mom.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Liv’s mother brushed past her and into the living room, where she folded her arms and scanned Liv’s apartment, probably looking for a rogue speck of dust. And there were plenty. Liv had been away for three weeks, for god’s sake. “You disappear and ignore my calls and texts for weeks and all you can say is ‘Hi, Mom’?”

Liv bristled. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with this right now. “So lovely of you to stop by, Maryanne. Can I get you a spot of tea?”

“That’s enough sass from you, young lady. You had me worried sick.”

Worried? Crap, Liv hadn’t thought of that. But really? What did she expect after her little heart-to-heart with Grant? That they’d have a mother-daughter pajama party and be BFFs?

“I’m sorry if you were worried. But really, Mom. My fiancé cheated on me and you left me messages telling me I was the one in the wrong for leaving? How do you think that made me feel?”

At least her mother had the decency to look a little chagrined. “Sometimes people have reasons. Maybe you should hear him out.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Olivia Jaye!”

“Do not Olivia Jaye me. I heard him just fine. Screaming Jillian’s name while they were going at it in the editing room at work. Do I really need to hear more about that? Or about the lies he’s told all his fans about me? Or about how he’s sure I’ll be a miserable failure without him?”

Shit, she was practically yelling. Full-on Jerry Springer style. This was so not like her.

Liv took a deep breath. Having a fight with her mother right now wasn’t going to fix anything. She made a concerted effort to lower her voice. “I’m sorry, but you took his side. You picked him. Over me. When I needed you most, you turned on me.”

Her mother walked over and wrapped Liv in her arms. As angry as Liv was, she wanted the hug more. She snuggled against her mom’s scrawny shoulder.

“Darling, I’m always on your side.”

Liv felt hot tears falling down her cheeks and onto her mother’s blouse. “You told him I always make bad decisions.”

“Is that coffee I smell?” her mother asked. Her voice was soft and gentle and…almost motherly. Just what Liv needed. “Maybe we should sit down for a few minutes and talk.”

Liv nodded. She extricated herself from the hug and wiped her eyes before heading into the kitchen for coffee.

How would she handle this without blowing another fuse?

Boundaries. She needed to set boundaries. She thought about Matt. How he adored Tito enough to uproot his own life and career to care for him, but still managed to keep Tito from dictating his love life. Matt was kind but firm, and it worked. He lived life on his own terms, and never got bullied. At the very least, she could give it a try with her controlling mother. Maybe her time with Matt had given her the courage to stand up for herself. That was something, at least.

She sighed, feeling the weight of the last couple of months in her chest. She filled the mugs, set the coffee maker back down, and shut her eyes. “I’m sure you think you’re steering me in the right direction, but you need to let me live my own life. All the negative judgment really takes a toll on me. Can you understand that?”

When she turned around, her mother was already seated at the table and staring out the little window in the kitchen door. She looked lost in thought, like she hadn’t even heard the last thing Liv said. Or chose not to hear it. That would be more like her.

Liv set the mugs down on the table and joined her mom. “I’m out of cream.”

Her mother picked up the mug and took a sip, still staring out the window. The view was nothing to stare at either. A tiny balcony that looked out onto the faded blue walls of the apartment building next door. You had to be outside and leaning over just the right part of the railing to see the ocean between buildings.

“Mom?”

“Did I ever tell you I was madly in love with another man when I met your father?”