His eyebrows go up as though he’s surprised, and his lips part ever so slightly.
“Why do you cold shoulder her so much?” I ask.
He clears his throat while shrugging. “Habit, really. She’s cool when her husband isn’t around, but she acts like him when he is around. She’s always been a sponge that mimics her company. Half the time I don’t think she really knows who she is.”
It’s probably the most personal he’s gotten since we arrived.
“My mother is a lot like that. Or was,” I admit. “When she was younger,” I add. “She’s shown me pictures of her various phases that weren’t really her phases. After she had us, she started finding herself.”
“Us?” he asks, immediately pouncing on that as his eyes snap to mine.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Yeah… Um… Me then my sister,” I prattle on.
I expect him to ask her name, and I silently curse myself for the lie I’ll have to tell.
“What’s she like now?” he asks instead, sending relief through my body.
“Mom? She’s great. I talk to her a lot when she’s not traveling. She has a house phone, but she doesn’t have a cell phone. She’s a bit of a hippie and doesn’t like a lot of technology. She never knows where she’s going until she gets there, so it’s rare I get
to speak to her. She seems to be traveling more and more.”
He smiles like he enjoys that answer. “Free spirit.”
“Very free. Dad was the one and only man she ever loved. Even though neither of them believed in marriage, they considered themselves husband and wife. In the end, his fame was too much for her, especially after having children. After that, she raised us, and they stayed close friends. She always took us to his concerts when he was nearby, and she always took us to him when we met covertly. Until we… I mean, until I was sixteen. Then she let us do our own thing while she started traveling.”
“You were just sixteen? Who took care of you?” he asks, confused.
“We took care of ourselves,” I say with a shrug. “I was more responsible than both of my parents by the time I was ten,” I add, laughing lightly. “Dad would swing by and carry us off during our breaks from school, and we’d go somewhere private like this place. But other than that, we were on our own. Mom never would have left if she’d been worried, and she did come home on occasion to spend time with us. It wasn’t like she abandoned us or anything.”
He frowns like he doesn’t like that answer, but he can’t understand. He’s used to the Leave It To Beaver conventional type of family. I had a flower child mother and a rockstar father. Nothing about my life has been conventional. You learn to go with it.
My parents are the type to give you anything you need except for their time. Bora is the same way. Their time is their time, and they’re selfish with it, even though they expect me to be free and available at the drop of a hat. Not that it bothers me. It doesn’t. Really, it doesn’t.
“How is owning a gym?” I ask lamely when the silence stretches on and my thoughts turn into a ramble.
He snorts while shaking his head, probably trying not to comment on what a terrible question that is.
“It’s fun. Actually, it’s perfect for me. I used to just be a personal trainer, but I’ve scaled back on my client list and just stuck to some of the higher profile ones since opening the gym.”
“Anyone I know?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.
“Possibly. What about you? Obviously you work out. Why not my gym?”
A teasing glint has returned to his eyes, and I smile while turning back to face the sand in front of us as we walk along the beach. It’ll be dark soon, but I don’t care. Talking to Jax is so much better than avoiding Jax.
“I may start coming there. Any yoga classes? Because I can’t lift weights. The last time I tried a leg press thingy, I got stuck. Don’t ask how. It’s more complicated than I can explain. And the treadmill is an evil invention that always sends me rolling to my ass.”
He snorts out a laugh that makes him cough as he pounds his chest with his fist.
“Noted,” he finally manages to say through his laughter.
Then I realize it’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to see him after this is all over with. Maybe I should tell him and just own the “pathetic” badge.
What’s the worst that could happen? He can’t kick me out of my own house. He’s not a violent person… At least I don’t think so. The worst that can happen is he’ll leave on the first available flight.
And then I’d never hear from him again… Why does that not feel too good?