Chapter Six
Samuel came to pick them up, alone this time. He was dressed up, and it was a little different from how he was when it was just the two of them, or them and Brianna. Camila herself was in a pretty dress. They were both trying to impress her mom so she would give them her blessings.
Camila knew it wouldn’t be so easy, though. Samuel’s clothes were nice, but understated. The car looked really expensive, though, there was no way to hide that. Her mom wasn’t interested in his wealth. If anything, she was more worried about it.
“Good evening, Ms. Blake,” Samuel said, voice polite.
Camila turned to her mom, who just hummed and nodded back at him, eyeing him like she expected him to attack her daughter in front of her. Camila wanted to do a face palm, but held herself back.
Samuel was a perfect gentleman, opening the rear door for both of them to sit in the back together, and still her mom wasn’t moved.
This is going to be impossible,she lamented to herself.
Her gaze met with Samuel’s in the rearview mirror, and she felt her nervousness calm down a bit. She sighed and leaned back in the chair, glancing at her mom every so often.
She wanted her mom’s opinion on this, and she hoped it was positive. But Camila wanted to be in a relationship with Samuel, and with or without her mom being okay with it, she didn’t think she would just give it up. So she mostly wanted her mom to accept this so they wouldn’t have a fight between them over it.
The drive back to Samuel’s place was silent, and Camila almost felt suffocated by it on several occasions. She didn’t know what to say, and neither of the two people in the car with her were naturally talkative people. They were probably used to the silence, but she wasn’t. It wasn’t just awkward, it almost felt painful. She would glance at Samuel, at the mirror, and only after he met her eyes would she calm down before it started getting to her again.
Finally, they made it to Samuel’s place, and she let out a sigh of relief as he opened the door for her and her mom, then led the way inside.
“Food should be waiting for us inside. Do either of you have any allergies I should know of beforehand? I’m sorry, I forgot to ask.” There was the slightest crinkle on Samuel’s forehead that told Camila this was something he’d only just realized and was really worried about.
Her mom huffed. “A bit late to ask that, don’t you think? And how could you not know if Camila has allergies or not by now? How many times have the two of you gone out?”
Samuel froze, then made a surreptitious glance at Camila, before giving a short, bowing nod to her mom.
“My apologies, I was trying to be tactful. I’m aware Camila has no allergies, but I don’t know about you, ma’am.”
Camila saw her mom’s face twitch at the ‘ma’am’ and wanted to snicker. She would have, if she wasn’t already wallowing in despair. She watched as her mom walked into the big mansion, grumbling under her breath, and sent a forlorn look at Samuel. His lips quirked, but he said nothing as he placed a gentle hand on her back and guided her inside.
Brianna was waiting for them in the parlor-turned-dining-room that was pretty much where they sat to eat every time they came to the mansion instead of the formal dining room meant for a huge crowd. The table this time was set for four, food already placed on the table, covered, and Brianna was standing next to it.
She looked like she’d tried to dress up, her hair combed away from her face, held with something at the back of her neck. It exposed her pale skin, but she was looking a lot healthier recently since she was leaving the house often and eating plenty thanks to Samuel and Camila. She was in a peach, shin length dress that fluttered around her slim frame. Camila couldn’t help smiling at her, because the young woman in front of her was so different from the Brianna she’d first met.
“Mom,” she said, stepping forward to stand beside Brianna. “This is Brianna Kane, Samuel’s younger sister.”
Camila watched, and saw as her mom’s expression softened just the slightest bit, and the smile on her face grew wider.
Brianna couldn’t speak, but she did curtsy, and Camila thought it look so damn cute. Especially with how shy Brianna was acting, her head ducked down and hands fidgeting with the fabric of her dress.
It brought her mom’s defenses right down, and she nearly crowed with triumph. She knew this was only half the battle, though.
“It’s nice to meet you Brianna,” she said a little less gruffly than she’d been when speaking to Samuel. “My name is Morganna Blake. You can think of me as Morganna, dear.”
Her tone was kind at the end there, but then she ruined it by sending a glare at Samuel, as if to let him know that she meant it for Brianna only, not both the Kane siblings. Camila just sighed at her Mom’s antics and they all sat down.
Everyone got to serve for themselves, though Samuel served for both Camila and Brianna, before hesitating to serve for her mom. Almost immediately, she served her own plate, and then gave him a stony look.
“Now,” she started. “Mr. Kane, was it? I’ve heard so much about you from my daughter, but I don’t actually know what it is that you do?”
Camila froze in her seat and widened her eyes at her mom. Only, her mom was keeping her gaze resolutely on Samuel, and she didn’t doubt her mom was avoiding her gaze deliberately. The other two didn’t seem so concerned, though, Brianna looking up curiously, while Samuel held his usual expression.
“I am currently the CEO of a company,” Samuel explained patiently. “The company was built by both of my parents and I took over after they passed away.”
“In other words, this position was given to you? Did you earn it?”
Samuel put down his fork and knife and returned her mom’s serious gaze.