So that was a new thing I was going to have to deal with, because I doubted Marc was going to do it on his own.
Which meant it was time for me to journey away from this conversation before I fucked up and blabbed something not meant for his ears. “Have you seen the courtyard yet?”
“No,” he said, looking disappointed. “But you’d know that because you didn’t take me there.”
“Valid point,” I said with a snort. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
That, at least, was one hurdle over; just a few hundred more to go.
MARC
I stared at the phone,mouth twisting. “Charlene, it’s been a week.”
“It’s been nine, nearly ten days since he got there, and we both know you know that,” she said impatiently but not incorrectly. It wasn’t even a bitchy comment; she knew me well enough to know I cared about Jude just as much as her, and I could be just as anal about keeping track of things…including how long Jude had been at Arete. “And you’re going to tell me he’s ‘fine’ and that’s all?”
Which, while completely fair, had the unfortunate side effect of putting me in an awkward position. “Well, I don’t really have more to tell you.”
“You don’t have to be stubborn; he’s my son as well.”
“I am more than aware of that; I was there when he was conceived and when he was born.”
“If I didn’t already know that you spend a great deal of time around Reggie, that tasteless joke would have given it away.”
True, a little bitchy, but true all the same. “I told you when we spoke before Jude started packing that I was going to be as hands off as possible while he was here, and I explained, in great detail…” God, so much detail. There was no one as pedanticand dedicated to the devil in the details, like a corporate lawyer, “exactly why I was choosing to do that.”
“You did,” she admitted. “But you never said that hands off meant you were going to pretend as if he wasn’t there.”
“I am and I’m not,” I told her, hoping the truth got her off my back. “I have to maintain some measure of pretending he’s not around, otherwise the temptation to hover will be too great. I also wanted to make sure he was being watched, so the compromise was to put Reggie on the task. If anything was going on that was necessary for either of us to know, Reggie would tell me in a flash.”
“He can be flighty,” she said, and I scowled as I got up to pour myself a small drink. The room was softly lit because I had been planning to get some decent sleep tonight, right up until Charlene called, at two in the morning her time.
“When it comes to things that matter, he’s beyond dependable. Don’t tear him down because you’re worried,” I said, biting back a comment about how her overbearing nature shouldn’t be Reggie’s problem like it had become mine and Jude’s.
“I’m not tearing him down; I’m noting a point of concern.”
“You said you felt better knowing he was watching. Just because we’re not doing things the way you would prefer doesn’t mean we’re doing it wrong.”
“Again, this is my son we’re talking about.”
“Our son. And that means I’m worried. But we have to make sure our worry doesn’t interfere in his life. Charlene, I know you care, and I know you’re worried, but he came here of his own volition, and we all agreed. So, the best thing we can do is let him dive into his first ever adult decision and see how he does. At least he’s doing it here, in a relatively controlled environment, a place where if something goes wrong, he has help.”
“I suppose you have quite a few fail-safes in place,” she said, but I heard the faint irritation in her voice. She had always been bitter that I’d never allowed her to come to Arete. That, except for a member of Reggie’s personal team, a decision he had pushed for hard and taken steps to ensure was kept quiet, women weren’t permitted to come to the resort. It had always been a place where men could come together, in a healthy, encouraging environment, and just…well, be men. Bringing in women, even infrequently, would have ruined the validity of our intentions.
That had never sat well with her.
“Charlene,” I warned.
“Yes, yes,” she said, and when I heard the sigh, I knew she was easing back. “You’re right. I hate that you’re right, always have, but…I’m worried.”
“Look, if it makes you feel better, I’ll ask Reggie next time I see him and I’ll pass on the salient points,” I told her. “A nice little update I’m sure is full of good things because otherwise Reggie would have passed it along.”
“That…works,” she said begrudgingly.
I sat back in my chair and raised my brow as the door to my quarters slid open and Reggie walked in, his nose, as usual, shoved into the screen of his tablet. He stopped short when he saw me sitting in my reading chair in the corner opposite my bed and looked around the room, as if surprised he was in the room he had intentionally walked into.
“Bad time?” he asked, and then he blinked, his eyes roaming over me. Which was a reminder that I was currently wearing sleep pants and nothing else. His stare was brief, but it made me feel naked, sprawled out on the bed, my knees up, exposing everything I had.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and gesturing for him to come in. “The timing is perfect. Charlene? I’m afraid I have to let yougo. Reggie walked in and he has that look on his face that says he’s got something for me to hear.”
