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“They’ve got earbuds in,” Reece explains. He walks over, lays a hand on the woman’s shoulder and says, “Hey, you two, I want you to meet someone.”
Reece’s mother pops out of the chair and turns around to face us. She pulls her earbuds out of her ears and glares at Reece.
“Are you trying to kill your father? Why would you sneak in here like that?” she yells at him.
“Diana, darling. You’re going to kill me with that screaming.” Reece’s father stands up and smiles at his wife. I stare at Reece’s mother. If I wasn’t sure that’s who she was, I wouldn’t have recognized her as the woman I’ve seen in magazines and on TV. She looks so young and relaxed. Her dark hair is down. She always has it up or back. Her usually expertly made-up face is completely natural. She’s wearing a white T-shirt and some colorful leggings. She’s barefoot.
I realize I’m still staring when Reece comes to put his hand on the small of my back.
“Mom, Dad, I’d like to introduce you to Lucía Vega. She’s the author of the book we’re scripting for production and she’s the sister of Julian Rios.”
His mother gasps, but so do I. I had no idea he was going to tell them who I was.
His father’s eyes narrow on me but otherwise, he doesn’t react.
I step toward them, my right hand outstretched to shake her hand. She hesitates, glances at Reece and then reaches out to shake it.
I turn to his father whose eyes are still narrowed. I think he’s going to leave me hanging when he reaches out and hugs me instead.
“I read your book. I think you’re remarkable.”
I look at him curiously.
“Reece only told me about you,”—he gives his son a stern look— “last week. I’ve been reading your book and I have to tell you, Ms. Vega, if you lived a tenth of what Maria has, then it’s a miracle you’re even standing here.”
A rush of pride has me straightening my spine and look him in the eye as I say a very heartfelt, “Thank you.”
I look back at Reece’s mother. Her expression is not even close to warm.
“Reece, why are you and Ms. Vega here? It seems a little odd for you to be spending time with a screenwriter that you’ve hired.”
The effect her words have on me remind me of the first time I got caught in the sprinklers at school. I was startled, chilled and embarrassed.
“Di . . .” Reece’s father says, his tone chiding.
“Mom,” says Reece at the same time, his tone angry.
She looks at both of them with annoyance and then sighs. She puts a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Lucía. It’s been a very stressful month, but you didn’t deserve that. Please, come sit,” she says as she leads me to one of the sofas in the seating area. I go only because I think it would be rude to say no.
She considers me very thoughtfully. “I have a lot of reservations about this . . .” she searches for the right word, “association. I don’t think Reece should be carrying on with someone our business has a contractual relationship with. You’ll be the talk of the town. I don’t like negative attention.” She looks over her shoulder to where her husband and Reece are still standing. She drops her voice. “But, I can see the way Reece looks at you. So, I’ll just ask this of you.” Her face takes on a softness that is unexpected and disarming. “Be sensible and be discreet. At least until the film is out. Anything that’s said about you or that happens to you will impact it. And it’s my job as the COO of Artemis to make sure that Reece’s division has the operational support to make his films successful.”
Her face hardens slightly. “As his mother, it’s my job to make sure he’s well equipped to navigate life successfully and to advise him when I think he’s making a mistake.”
“Mom,” Reece interjects. I don’t react, what she’s saying doesn’t surprise me. If I was his mother, I might be saying the same thing.
She sighs and says, “It’s clear you make my son happy. He’s been smiling for no reason. All week.” She rolls her eyes and I smile at that. She’s trying. I won’t throw it back in her face. Now I see why she’s so successful. She’s domineering, but knows when that approach won’t work.
She stands up suddenly and walks over to her husband. She doesn’t even wait for me to respond, clearly she is used to being obeyed.
“Reece, you’ve interrupted our movie. Thank you for stopping by to introduce Lucía, but if you could run along so we can enjoy the rest of our afternoon, that would be lovely.” His father lets out a hearty laugh before he grabs his wife and nuzzles her neck.
“Let’s leave before they do something even more embarrassing,” Reece says. They’re totally absorbed in each other as they walk back to the chair and put their earbuds back in and start their movie again.
“Before my dad’s heart attack, they hadn’t set foot in this room for anything other than entertaining,” he says as soon as we’ve closed the doors behind us. “I’m sorry about my mother. This family is her everything. So, she’s very protective of us and of our image. Our studio wants our movies to be in the news, never us. She’s got a good heart.”
“She’s your mother. She loves you. I understand.” I mean it. I didn’t like everything she said, but I’m glad Reece has
