But being a dutiful and masochistic son, Sky had rode the train for nearly two hours to the station in Southampton and got out, expecting to see Nadine. She usually picked him up or warned him to get a cab if she couldn’t make it.
“Fucking Adele!”
Skywould notbe giving his new phone number to his mother. And this time, he meant it. Adele Ainsley-Sutton had pulled some nasty stunts in the past and it was just like her to be petty and malicious, but Sky had never resented her more as he made eye contact with his sister across the train station.
Chapter Seven
Sarina Cartwright: 911! Mom played us all! There was no truce! The truce was a lie!
Mason Cartwright: WHY???
Sarina Cartwright: I don’t know but stand by. This is bound to be fucked up.
Mason Cartwright: Bracingfor impact.
Sarina Cartwright: FUUUUUUCK! She’s insisting that Sky stay at our place.
Mason Cartwright: Our place?
Sarina Cartwright: In our GUEST ROOM.
Mason Cartwright: But that’s where I sleep. That’s MY room.
Sarina Cartwright: I am SO SORRY but I have to evict you. Can you have everything out and moved into my room in half an hour? We’re leaving soon but I can stall.
Mason Cartwright: Do I have a choice?
Sarina Cartwright: No, I’m afraid not. But I LOVE YOU and I am SO SORRY. I will oweyou BIG TIME.
Mason Cartwright: You bet your ass you owe me. I hate when we have to share a bed. You snore and thrash around like you’re in a fight.
Sarina Cartwright: I’m going to let that snoring comment slide this time because you have every right to be mad at me. Love you XOXO.
“Dad? Why are you so sweaty?” Sam asked and gave Mason’s sleeve a yank. They were sitting on the floor playingYeti In My Spaghettiand watching “The Princess Bride” before Sarina ruined their perfect evening.
“Sorry, buddy. We’re gonna have to pause this. I have to hurry up and get the guest room ready. Your Uncle Sky is coming to stay with us.”
“Can I help?” Sam scrambled to his feet, excited. “I didn’t know we have a guest room,” he said, stopping Mason in his tracks.
Blame it on Adele!
“Okay, pal.” Mason lowered and braced his hands on his knees. “You know how your Grandma Adele just…decides things and we go along with it?” He waited for Sam to nod and giggle because even he already appreciated that Adele Sutton was The Worst. “She decided that your Uncle Sky should stay with us so my room is now the guest room. That’s what we’re going to call it while he’s here. I’m gonna bunk with your mom and my room’s going to be theguest roomwhile Uncle Sky’s here, okay?”
“Cool! We’re gonna have a guest!”
“Yup. It’s so cool.”
It was sonot cool.
Mason waited until Sam jetted from the room to bite a knuckle, muffling a panicked shriek. His mother-in-law was a cruel and vindictive woman and Mason suspected that she was waiting for the perfect opportunity to blow up their “guest room” scam. He’d warned Sarina that Adele was on to them but did she listen?
No one got along with Adele because she was a soulless demon who took pleasure in the misfortunes of others but Mason had an especially tense relationship with his mother-in-law. She started asking some strange and intrusive questions after Sam was born and never missed a chance to make a backhanded comment or mock Mason’s sexuality. Adele was a master at all forms of bullying, from the subtle to the audaciously overt. In Mason’s case, she preferred to suggest that he was asexual, impotent, or gay when no one else was looking or close enough to hear.
Her suspicions about his sexuality and his ability to perform in the bedroom were deliciously wicked secrets that Adele loved to dangle between them and used to get her way whenever there was a conflict. Offering Sky their guest room was probably Adele’s way of saying “Gotcha!” because she knew that neither he nor Sarina would make a fuss or could say no. How could they without confirming her suspicions?
That was why Mason had no choice but to race upstairs and empty out his closet. Sam was already carrying as many of Mason’s shoes as he could get his arms around.
“Great job, Sammy!” Mason gave his hair a tussle as they passed each other in the hallway. “Just dump it all in your mom’s closet. She can straighten it up when she gets home.”
