I was closing the door when I heard who she was addressing, Lowe’s voice echoing up the stairs.
“Mom, what are you doing here?! We agreed that you wouldn’t use that key unless it was for emergencies, and that you’d never to let yourself in without permission!”
I shot away from the gap I was standing in, and hid behind the door, just in case Abigail Slater’s beady eyes caught me, even though she’d have needed the ability to see through the solid wood floor to do so. It dawned on me that I didn’t care in the slightest if she did see me. After last night, I had no intention of letting Lowe go and would happily shout it from the rooftops.
She was finally, miraculously mine, and I wanted everyone to know.
“I brought you flowers, but I see you already have some. Who did these come from? And I heard you have a job.”
“Where did you hear that?” Lowe snapped.
“Robyn told me.”
I rolled my eyes. I could just imagine my mother gossiping to Abigail about what their kids were getting up to.
“And what? You felt compelled to come over and ask?”
There was some clattering as cupboard doors were opened and then the kitchen faucet turned on, muffling their conversation. I leaned out the door to catch a bit more.
“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d replied to my messages. I texted you five times yesterday!”
“Mom, I replied! I have a busy life and I’m working to build up my business. I don’t have time to answer every message you send me. And you breaking into my apartment isn’t okay! Jesus.”
“Don’t swear at me, Lowe. I haven’t seen you for three months, and you don’t look that busy seeing as it’s nearly ten a.m. and you’re not dressed yet. If you have enough time to sleep in, you have enough time to reply to your mom, and you have enough time to set aside for dating.”
My ears shot to attention. Dating?
“Have you been in touch with Robert, that nice doctor I told you about?”
“Mom…” Lowe hissed, but Abigail took no notice, nor did she lower her tone, which I was grateful for seeing as I wanted to know more about this dating garbage.
“Lowe, I work hard to try and find you suitable men, but it’s like you don’t even care about your future.”
Men? Doctor? Dating? My dick, which had been as hard as a steel pipe when Lowe had sprinted down the stairs, had now shriveled like a popped balloon.
“You seem to care enough for both of us.” Lowe’s tone bit more with every word she spoke.
“Lowe, you need to get out there and date. You have to make as much time for it as this business venture you’re on. Penn can’tbe working you that hard. I’m sure if you asked him, he’d give you time off to go out for a coffee date. Doesn’t need to take long. You could pop out for a few hours every day.”
I’d forgotten how tenacious Abigail could be - like a dog with a bone - but I could tell her right now that over my dead body would Lowe be taking time off work to go for fucking coffee dates. I’d pile her up with more work than she could fit in a day if that were the case, until she collapsed exhausted into bed. Every night. Next to me.
“Mom, give me my key back. You need to leave, and I have to get ready for work.”
“Lowe, don’t be dramatic,” Abigail tutted.
“I’m not being dramatic. We agreed you wouldn’t let yourself in, and you’ve broken that agreement.”
Abigail sighed deeply. “Okay, darling, have it your way. But make sure you give Robert a call; he’s expecting you to.”
Voices faded with their footsteps as they both walked toward the door, and I moved to sit on the end of the bed. Lowe didn’t return immediately. I wasn’t sure how long it took for her to come back up the stairs, but it was long enough for me to grab a towel from the bathroom and wrap it round my waist so I wasn’t totally naked, before I finally heard her footsteps.
She pushed open her bedroom door, hesitating slightly as she saw me, almost like she wasn’t expecting me to be there, waiting. Or she’d forgotten I was here.
“Hey,” she said, not quite meeting my eyes.
“Hey,” I stood up and walked to her, tilting her dropped chin up so I could see her face properly. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but stayed quiet.
