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“A dress.” Lark’s own voice shifted. It wasn’t as soft as it usually was. I liked everything about her, but I wanted her normal tone back. Needed it.
“I think she looks beautiful.” I squeezed her fingers. Her eyes filled with thanks and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Her mother’s mouth pinched. “Well, it’s too late to do anything about it now. Just sit down so no one else sees.”
My teeth ground together, but I swallowed down my angry retort. I wouldn’t embarrass Lark by yelling at her mother, who I hadn’t even been introduced to yet. But this instinctive need to protect her roared up inside me like it had when Matt had insulted her.
“Mom, this is my date, Nathan.” I extended my hand. She shook it for just the appropriate amount of time to not look rude. Which didn’t bother me because my skin was already crawling. “Nathan, this is my mother Bernice.”
She greeted and introduced me to the other people at the table before addressing her mother again. “It looks like an excellent turnout.”
“Yes.” Her spine was straight as she surveyed the room. “We should be able to fund the last of our research.”
“That’s great.”
“What are you researching?” Bernice’s mouth pinched further like my question was rude. Maybe I should’ve already known.
“We’re developing a new drug to treat a rare childhood cancer.” Her answer surprised me. I’d assessed her in the category of rich, with no substance or caring for others. Perhaps I’d been wrong.
“A worthy cause indeed.” I sipped my water, hoping it would calm the itchiness under my skin. Stop me from spouting random words, but it didn’t. “One would think that a company that made five trillion in profit last year could fund their own research.”
I’d dug into the company a while ago, looking for possible reasons why they might go after Lark. What I said was true, but I knew it was the wrong thing to mention when I felt their gazes piercing my skin. Everyone at the table fell silent.
“It’s a subject that is near to people’s hearts.” Bernice didn’t hiss at me the way she had with Lark, but the admonishment was still in her tone. “They want to be involved.”
“If they wish, but so many don’t have the luxury.”
The company could afford to fund this research themselves. They could even give the drug away free to the families whose children suffered from the disease. But they didn’t. Because of money.
It was a universal truth that people coveted money. To a certain degree, it was necessary. It provided food, shelter, comfort. But when you reached the millions, billions, trillions, it was just greed.
They’d never be able to spend a quarter of that in a lifetime. Ten lifetimes. But still, they wanted more.
It disgusted me. Even my brothers and I gave to charity. We knew we had too much. Who were the actual monsters? This company killed more people than we ever could by overpricing their drugs and making them inaccessible.
“That’s a really good point.” Lark’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She looked at me with a soft smile and confusion in her eyes, like she was considering the possibility for the first time.
I found myself smiling back at her. The rest of the table seemed to fall away. I only saw her. She understood me. I didn’t have to explain my logic. Or hide my opinion. I didn’t feel like I had to smooth down my edges to fit.
Then the world came tumbling back in. “What happened to Brett?”
Her Mother’s voice raked across my spine. But it was the quiet anger clouding Lark’s expression that had my annoyance growing.
“Brad.” She sighed before reaching for her wine. “We broke up. I told you.”
“Did you?” She made a dismissive humming sound.
Every fucking word out of her mouth pissed me off. The noise grated against my insides. My chest felt tight. My stomach twisted.
The longer we sat here, the tighter I felt. The need to lash out. To break. To hurt pressed down on me. Built until I couldn’t control it anymore
I wanted to rip out her vocal chords. Feel them shatter under my grip.
But Lark wouldn’t like that. So instead I reached out, grasping her thigh. I needed to touch her. Needed her warmth to soothe me.
The tension eased even more as she placed her palm over my hand. Her thumb stroked my skin like it was the most natural thing in the world. I focused on that; not this room I didn’t want to be in. I wanted to be where she was. The rest I would deal with.
A few minutes later, a man joined our table. I knew who he was from my research before his wife even spoke. “Look, Dear. Lark is here, and she brought a date.”
