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"That's because they're usually not," I said. "Especially not yours."
"Well, I guess I have a bad habit of picking the wrong men… maybe someday I'll meet 'the one'…" Even though my mother was stunned by my news, she was incapable of talking about anyone other than herself for longer than a minute. She prattled on about the nonexistent state of her love life while my mind raced a mile a minute.
Knowing she could go on forever, I interrupted her with the million-dollar question. "When're you coming home?"
"Sooner than expected, honey." The line crackled again. It sounded as though I was about to lose her. "I'll come find you—"
The line went dead, cutting her off mid-sentence.
That was just perfect. My mom was coming back sooner than expected, she knew I was in Boston, and she knew I was dating someone. Why had I opened my mouth? I could have just let her blather on about her yoga poses. I'd just made everything worse. Again.
Kyle walked in, his normal tan replaced by a slightly ashen color. His father seemed to have that effect on him.
"Pierce wants to see us. Together."
I gulped. "When?"
"He has meetings over the next few days, so first thing in the morning on Sunday."
"Awesome," I said, a pit of dread forming in my stomach. "Just awesome."
Kyle
My stomach growled, and I looked at my phone. It was only five, too early to just get room service and go to bed. "Can we just go get a quick dinner then call it a night? This has been the longest day ever. I'm beat." I scrubbed my hands over my face.
"Of course," Lowell said.
We didn't ask each other about our simultaneous parental phone calls. I guessed hers had probably gone as poorly as mine—she looked as tired as I felt.
Evan picked us up and took us to the North End, the Italian section of Boston. It was a relief to be there, out and largely anonymous on the East Coast, without worrying about fifty photographers waiting to ambush us.
The North End was perfectly charming with narrow streets, cobblestoned sidewalks, and cafes with their windows open wide. After several failed attempts to pull away, Lowell held my hand without objection. We wandered around the neighborhood, enjoying the delicious smells and reading the different menus. My fatigue eventually evaporated, and I relaxed, relishing the time with Lowell.
We finally decided on a tiny restaurant on the corner. They served us red wine in small plastic cups. The day melted away as we shared stuffed clams and fresh, hot bread.
After our entrees arrived, Lowell twirled her black pasta and moaned with pleasure when she had a bite. "Why do carbs have to be so good?" She eyed her plate, which was filled with homemade pasta and smothered in puttanesca sauce.
"Because God wants you to eat," I said right before I stuffed a large chunk of lobster meat into my mouth. God was on my mind at the moment. I'd ordered the Lobster Fra Diavolo, and it was so good, I was pretty sure that I'd died and gone to heaven.
Lowell stole a piece of lobster from my plate. I shot her a look, and she raised her eyebrow, daring me to object.
"You said God wants me to eat. I'm just following orders."
"Don't be fresh," I warned. "I might have to spank you when we get home."
Lo spluttered and coughed while I laughed. She took a sip of wine and collected herself. She cleared her throat and tried to look all-business. "So… what did your dad want this time? What on Earth does he want to talk to both of us about?"
I didn't want to tell her everything that Pierce had said. If she knew, she'd pack me up and deliver me to my father in a suit, ready to go to work first thing in the morning. Not because she wanted to get rid of me—at least I hoped she didn't. She'd do it because she was a good person and would put my needs before hers.
I wasn't going back to my father's company. Not yet. But I did have to find a way to protect Lowell from whatever my father had planned. Or find a way for him to understand that hurting her was completely off-limits.
"He probably wants to make us an offer. Or deliver a threat."
Lowell shrugged. "He can't make my situation much worse."
I watched her for a beat. "Of course he can. He can out me as an escort who is tangentially related to you."
She held my gaze. "He won't do that. You already said he won't do that to you."
