Page 50 of Miss Treated

“She was incredible.” She was helpful, friendly, and of course, she doted on Dominic like he was her son.

Dominic’s mother went on to talk about how the company had started with herself, Gerard, and Barbara.

A few minutes later, Anna smiled as Dominic put the freshly cooked omelet in front of her and added the glass of loaded OJ. After a bite, she sighed. “Delicious. Nicky gets his cooking and baking skills from his late grandmother. They used to bake all the time when he was, well, when we were staying with her.”

As he retook his seat, Dominic interjected, “It’s okay, Mom. Kelsey knows about my leukemia. I told her how we stayed with Gran.”

Her smile was immediate. “Oh, you did? How interesting. Tell me about yourself, Kelsey. Do you like being an auditor?”

“I do enjoy it. Very much.” I could see where Dominic got his warmth. While his father was all business, his mother expressed a genuine interest in me.

“Good. Do you live local?”

“Up in the LA area, but I’m down here for another few weeks.”

She suddenly leaned down with a piece of bacon. “Come here, Lady. Want some?”

Lady got close enough to take the bacon but then snuck back under Dominic’s chair.

“Someday, dog, you will love me. I’ve been working on her over the last year. At least she’ll let me walk her now, and she takes treats from me.”

“You know who she loves?” Dominic posed the question.

His mom glanced over at him. “Who?”

Dominic hooked his thumb toward me. “Curls up with her on the couch and everything.”

Her voice was full of wonder. “No way. Really?”

He nodded.

“Remarkable. They say animals can recognize a kind soul.”

Oh, boy. No pressure. We ate the rest of the meal while chatting about mundane topics. When I stood up to help Dominic clear the dishes, he wouldn’t hear of it but insisted I sit back down. He went off to the kitchen, leaving me alone with his mom again.

“Nicky is a good egg. Always has been,” she stated, drinking the remainder of her screwdriver.

“Yes, I can see that. Are he and his brothers a lot alike?”

She smiled. “My other two boys aren’t as good about keeping in touch. Don’t get me wrong: they’re both good men, but they’re a lot more like their father in putting business first. I keep hoping they’ll find someone who’ll make them see there’s more to life than a job.”

There was a sadness in her words as if she was talking about her husband putting his company before her. I wondered if the push for Dominic to take over would allow her husband more time to spend at home.

“Are you close with your parents? Do they live in California?” she inquired as Dominic returned to the table with freshly chopped mango, kiwi, and pineapple.

“My father lives in New Hampshire where I grew up, and he’s very involved with his businesses.” He’d never had time for me, but one of his secretaries sent money every birthday and Christmas. I could envision her stuffing envelopes on each holiday for all his children.

“My mother is in Miami and, um—” I still hadn’t called her back, but she’d left multiple voicemails. “We’re not very close, unfortunately.” It was the first time I’d uttered the words, like I was trying them on for size. As much as my mother might want to believe we were some kind of team, it wasn’t the truth. “But I have great relationships with my two older brothers. One is in LA and the other is in Sydney.”

“I was always close with my older sister too.”

The one I was actively investigating for theft. I tried not to let the guilt consume me. Not for the first time, I hoped I wouldn’t find anything, and somehow, costs at Chambers Tech had risen legitimately over the last year.

We chatted a bit more while polishing off the fruit. Then she turned to her son. “Thank you for allowing me to crash breakfast. I should get home.” She turned to me, her eyes sparkling. “Kelsey, it was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you again soon.”

Dominic stood. “I’ll walk you out to your car.”

Once he came back inside, he apologized. “I’m sorry for the interruption.”