“Faye!”
As Talia glanced over Faye’s shoulder, a blonde woman was waving in their direction. She wore a pair of jeans with Converse and a black T-shirt with ‘equality’ emblazoned across the chest. Okay, this was good. This was very good. Talia instantly relaxed as Faye turned and waved at her mum. “Coming now!”
Faye turned back to Talia. “You won’t fuck anything up. My mum is going to adore you. Let’s go and eat because I’m friggin’ starving!”
Talia placed her hand on the small of Faye’s back, guiding her towards Irene. She’d had no reason to worry. None at all.
“Oh my God!” Faye’s mum beamed a smile. “You two look bloody gorgeous together.” She dragged Faye into a hug, then released her and took Talia in her arms. “I’m Irene. Faye’s older sister.” Irene winked as she pulled back, laughing as she eyed Faye. “Isn’t that right, Faye?”
“Of course, yeah. Sister.”
“I’m not being funny, but you two couldactuallypass as being sisters,” Talia said, grinning. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Come on. I want to know all about how you two met. Faye does nothing but talk about you when she rings me.”
Talia relaxed entirely as she followed Irene and her trendy style into the restaurant Faye had booked. Faye glanced in her direction, smiling fully, before leaning in and whispering, “Told you.”
* * *
Faye sat backin her seat, sipping her wine as she watched Talia. Her mum had just excused herself to use the bathroom, and so far…Talia hadn’t had a meltdown. But she knew this would be the outcome of lunch together. Faye may not have too many people in her life, just a rare few she would consider being close to, but her mum was her entire life. She always had been. Perhaps that was because she’d had Faye at eighteen, maybe it was just her personality, but Faye had always had the closest of relationships with her.
She turned in her seat, about to ask Talia how she was feeling, when Talia suddenly interrupted.
“Okay, I love your mum. She’s amazing, and I kinda want to go out drinking with her.”
Faye laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know why you were worrying. I told you it’d all be fine. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like my mum.”
“I was more worried about her hating me.”
Faye rested a hand on Talia’s thigh. “Why would she hate you?”
“Girlfriend’s mums usually do, unfortunately.” Talia offered a weak smile, lowering her eyes to the hand on her thigh. She placed her own over Faye’s as she looked back up at her. “It’s hard to imagine anything else when that’s how it’s always been. I just…hate lying.”
“Lying?”
“To your mum about who I really am. She thinks I work in a bistro, Faye. What happens when she invites us over for the weekend and I can’t make it? How would that look then?”
“You’re not lying. You’ve just not told her everything. And that’s absolutely fine. It doesn’t change anything, beautiful.” Faye understood Talia’s concerns, but if she decided to lay it all bare right now, Faye would be by her side. “What are you thinking?”
“That I should be honest with her. I don’t want to get six months down the line with you and she finds out from someone else. Because she will, Faye. People like me always get found out.”
Faye scoffed. “People like you? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Just…those that do what I do. Someone recognises me or bumps into me at the club, and they can’t wait to tell the world. Look at what happened with Jenna. She couldn’t get to your place soon enough…”
“Talia, I don’t want you to feel as though you have to do this. Whether you tell her or not makes no difference to me.”
Talia visibly swallowed. “Do you think she’d accept me knowing I work at a strip club?”
“I’m not worried.” Faye sat back in her seat and cleared her throat as her mum returned to the table. She side glanced at Talia, offering a supportive squeeze of the knee. “So, what are you doing for the rest of the day?”
Irene topped up her glass of wine. “No idea. But I forgot to tell you about Marian down the road from me.”
“Oh?” Faye clenched a fist under her chin. “What about her?”
“Her husband left her. He’d been seeing an escort, and they fell in love. Marian is calling her fit to burn, but I was quite impressed. You should see the car she drives. Some fancy thing I don’t know the name of.”
Faye laughed. “You know everyone’s business, Mum.”