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No thank you with a capital N, but I knew better than to argue.
Mother had invited them to visit, to move in, but I shuddered at the thought she unknowingly allowed a couple of vampires into our home. Not that I believed in such things, but still. I could imagine Lloyd biting Mother’s neck and sucking her body dry of life’s blood.
I could imagine Gideon’s mouth on my neck…
I choked on a bite of my risotto. Yeah. Not a good idea at the dinner table.
Scowling at my plate, I squeezed my thighs together.
I could feel Gideon’s stare and heat growing where it wasn’t supposed to. But I could also sense his father’s attention on me from time to time too. At least he didn’t make attempts to get me to approve of him like Mother’s other boyfriends had done.
I had expected him to prod at me, attempt to manipulate me. Try to read inside my head, see what kind of trouble I might cause in our new wannabe family that would never be a family if I could help it.
Mr. Destil actually seemed quite…normal. Unassuming and kind.
A foot bumped against my ankle, and I jerked my head up.
Gideon raised an eyebrow while slowly sliding his shoe across mine.
Eyes narrowing, I pulled my leg back beneath my chair, crossing my ankles and taking another dainty bite of fish as though I couldn’t be bothered by his actions.
Did he expect me to react verbally? He obviously had no clue about my mother and all her rules. Boy, was he in for a big surprise.
I couldn’t help a quick peek up at him though.
His slow, sexy wink fluttered my belly.
The chef-prepared food turned to cardboard on my tongue. My armpits tingled and grew damp.
I needed to call Jenny later for her advice on how to navigate this new life Mother planned for us, but without my cell, I was lost.
Mother and Mr. Destil chatted about business and his and Gideon’s move north—to stay—in a short couple of weeks. His rumbling voice filled my ears with chuckles and the kind of words Mother loved to hear lavished on her.
Beautiful.
Classy.
Sweet and poised.
The perfect woman to have by his side.
Talk about a total gag.
Not huffing became a chore as the hour wore on, and I kept silent since children shouldn’t open their mouths at the table unless answering a direct question.
He wants your money, Mother, not your love.
Of course, she didn’t hear my thoughts, but she would’ve waved off my opinion like she always did. My respect for the only parent I could remember faded more with every passing minute. It had begun when the first gold digger showed up with sweet words and wine. The second, third, and fourth who managed to hold Mother’s attention thought manipulating me onto their good sides would help them in their conquests to woo rich Widow Reed.
Sad that even when I was ten I could read their bullshit and Mother couldn’t.
Her nagging and their lack of being able to please her in any way—I could empathize with the desperate men on that at least—had each and every one hightailing it out the front door within a matter of weeks.
But Mr. Destil seemed the smart sort, wooing her rather than me with his full of shit one-liners and praise. He knew the words to say like he could hear Mother’s needy thoughts that constantly got spilled to me, and his presence at our table, in our home, settled in deep like the hidden reaches of an iceberg beneath darkened water. He wouldn’t be going anywhere, anytime soon, I feared. Which meant I would be stuck with an older stepbrother. But probably not for long.
Mother’s newest man was full of the right things to say, but once he got to know her beneath her fake exterior, he’d take off like all the rest. She’d proven herself unlovable for as long as I could remember. He would find out who she really was soon enough too.
I dared another peek at the boy I’d be spending time with until that day though.
