Overjoyed, my fingers trace at the silky material as she drags me beside her into the restaurant.
Bending down, she swats my hand away, fussing as she resmooths the hem. I have the sudden itch to do the same to the worry line that’s indenting her otherwise flawless complexion. I tuck my arm behind my back instead.
“You look beautiful, sweetie.” She smiles over at me but it’s too stiff. “We both do.” Nodding her head, she rights herself on an exhale.
Lillian seems to need the added reassurance, for what I don’t know.
A hostess guides us to our table, giving me a chance to gawk. The ambience is upscale. An oversized chandelier twinkles, bouncing as it reflects off the dark wood. Fabric made of ebony leather canvases most of the chairs.
Yanked, my mother pulls when I don’t move fast enough. Falling behind from staring at the luxurious atmosphere.
I’ve never been somewhere so nice in all my life.
My head angles up in her direction when she squeezes. My fingers pinch underneath her large digits, but she doesn’t notice.
Her eyes are straight ahead, focusing somewhere else.
It’s a man they’re deadlocked on. Lillian’s mouth creases up into a grin, matching the one he gives her when he spots us. I swear I can hear her heart as it pounds when we come to a stop.
He’s taller up close, slender but not noticeably so. Dressed in a dark suit, he matches the luxury of this place.
They chat for a bit, not taking a seat, as I stay tucked beside her.
Lillian is jubilant. The most lively I’ve seen her ever. That makes me instantly like this man. He must be important if he got her to get out of bed.
Next thing I know, his attention is on me, and I don’t know why but I find myself matching the tenderness of his smile. He looks at me like he should be familiar to me, but I have no clue why.
Should he be?
Lillian likes him. That gleam since she first saw him not once disappearing from her cheeks.
This wave of eased happiness around our small group washes away with a single side step. The man shifts, allowing a boy who looks around my age to come forward.
I hadn’t seen him standing there before now and I know my mother was the same. Her hold tightens with more strength than I knew she was capable of. Cutting off the circulation up to my elbow.
The boy blinks, looking up to the man and back down, mouth twisted in distaste by the time he finds me.
“Why do you and your mom look the same, that’s weird. You’re a weirdo.”
I glance at my mother, willing her to defend me, but her face is too solid in its sheen of white.
The boy tugs at the bottom of the older man’s jacket. “Can we go back to the hotel, Dad? I don’t like weirdos.”
thirty-seven
Rory
Thefinalwarningbellrings overhead to alert students that class is about to start. I’m already in my seat so I overlook it.
More last-minute students shuffle into the room, but my focus is on reading over my notes. We have a test this morning and before I could go over everything, I’d fallen asleep.
Forgetting to set an alarm, I overslept. My scramble to get ready and not be late took up most of my morning. All of it combined putting me further behind than normal.
I’m nibbling on my thumbnail when a pair of brown-loafered feet stop at the front of my desk.
“You’ve seen better mornings, Princess.”
I slowly peel my eyes away from my notes. I don’t have time for Cole’s antics this morning. Very aware of how frazzled I look.