Page 26

Helping my mother, I dump the onion and mushroom into the frypan with some butter. Then I realize I haven’t asked if they are allergic to anything. The last thing I need is one of them dropping dead on my floor. Just as I go to ask, my mother does, having the same thought.

“Do you have food allergies?”

Cyrus grins at her question, like he thinks it’s funny. “No, Debbie, no allergies. Want a hand?” he asks.

“No, we are alright,” she says, turning back to me and chucking the mince in the pan.

I turn the other element on, and she drops the pasta in a pot of water, placing it on the stove before whispering to me.

“They seem very attached to you. Are you sleeping with them, too?”

“Mom!” I whisper-yell at her, knowing they’ll likely overhear her. “No, I am not.”

“I was just asking, geez. You know I don’t care. They are both fine-looking men,” she says, and I snort.

I look over my shoulder at them and find Cyrus has a sly smile on his face he is trying to conceal.

“How old are they?” she asks, and I chuckle, shaking my head.

“Are you asking for me or yourself?” I reply, and she elbows me and giggles.

“I am 34. Elijah is 33,” Cyrus says behind us, and now I know he’s overheard my mother’s not-so-quiet whispers.

I look over my shoulder at him and notice Eli is gone with Maya before I hear Shimmer Shine on the TV.

“Maya is showing him some cartoons,” Cyrus answers when I look toward the hallway. “You seem very open with your mother,” he continues, and my mother turns around to face him.

“Yes, we are very close,” she tells him.

“Would you have a problem with her being in a relationship with two men?” he asks curiously.

“Nope, as long as she is happy, I don’t care who she is with,” she answers.

Cyrus smiles at her and gives her a nod while I gape at him.

“Told you,” she says, nudging me with her elbow just as Eli walks back and sits at the table.

“What happened?” he asks, looking at Cyrus, missing half the conversation.

Cyrus shakes his head before looking at my mother. “We were asking her about this person, Sam. Do you know him?” he asks.

God, he is a daring asshole. I want to smack him.

“Yes, lovely guy. Bit of a player, though,” she answers.

She likes Sam but knows he only calls me when he is in town and looking for bedroom comforts.

“Mom, they are my bosses,” I squeak.

“What? He asked. I ain’t going to lie to him, and by the looks on their faces, they don’t think of you just as an employee,” she answers.

God, please let the floor open up and swallow me. “They are married to each other.”

“They are gay? Damn, the hot ones are always gay,” she says, making me chuckle.

“We aren’t gay. What’s the term they use? Bisexual?” Cyrus asks, looking to Eli for confirmation.

“So, then what’s the deal with my daughter? Surely, I didn’t imagine your interest in her,” my mother asks, now confused.