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“Fine, fine. Maybe we should make ourselves comfortable.” He motioned to the leather sectional and armchair set in one corner of the room.
Blake led me to the couch, and I sat beside him, trying to press myself as close to him as possible.
“Ant, will you please explain what is going on?”
Blake’s uncle sighed again, as if he was carrying the weight of the world. “I paid Miss Wilson a visit recently, in hopes of putting an end to their little affair.”
“Affair?” Miranda gasped.
It had me questioning who she thought I was. The girl holding onto her nephew as if he was her lifeline.
“It would seem that Blake and Penny have been engaging in… liaisons.”
I cringed. He made it sound so seedy as if we were meeting in beat-down motels to have illicit sex.
Blake slapped his hand down next to him. It collided with the weathered leather creating a squelching noise. “What Penny and I do is nobody’s business, including yours.” He glared at his uncle.
They were locked in some kind of standoff until Miranda cleared her throat and turned to the two of us. “Blake, is it true?” she said. “Are you seeing Penny?”
He nodded, never taking his eyes off Anthony.
“And does Brittany know?”
“She does now.” Blake broke his connection with his uncle and turned to face his aunt. “I love Penny. It’s always been her. Ever since you took me away from Lancaster.”
“I knew this would happen, Ant.” Miranda frowned. “You pushed him too hard and forced him to sever all ties. I’ve read about it. How in group homes, children can form unbreakable bonds. We should have considered what it would do to him.”
Anthony scoffed at his wife and said, “Don’t start quoting that nonsense you read, dear. We did what was best for our nephew. We have given him everything. Everything, and this is the repayment we get.”
“Repayment?” Blake spat. “I didn’t ask for you to come swooping in. I didn’t ask for you to rip me away from the only family I’d ever known. But I didn’t get a say. I was just expected to fit into your life; consequences be damned.”
Miranda clasped her hands staring at Blake with remorse while Anthony sat there wearing a mask of indifference.
I was stunned. Blake’s issues with his uncle clearly ran much deeper than I could have imagined.
“I did it to protect you, Blake,” he said. “To give you a life like the one your mother never had. You have the world at your feet and still, it isn’t enough.”
“Penny, would you like to come with me?” Miranda said, catching me off guard, and although I didn’t want to leave Blake, I felt like an intruder on a very private moment.
“Yes, please.” I nodded, turning to Blake. “I’ll be right outside, okay?”
He gave me a small nod, I squeezed his hand, before following Miranda out of the room.
* * *
“Can I get you some coffee, Penny?” she asked. “Or wine? I have a bottle of Chardonnay around here somewhere.”
I glanced back at the hallway, hoping I did the right thing by leaving Blake to hash things out with his uncle.
A soft hand came to rest on my arm, which I had wrapped around my waist. “They’ll be fine, dear. They need this. It’s been a long time coming.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” I said, offering Miranda a slight smile.
“So, tell me, Penny, what is it that you do?”
I joined her at the table. “I work for a catering agency. Galas, banquets, business lunches, that kind of thing.”
“Long hours, I imagine?” She regarded me.
