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I lifted my chin. “No.”
“I thought you were going steady with Todd.”
With a snort, I rolled my eyes. “Honestly, Mom. No one uses the phrase going steady anymore.”
Wrinkling her forehead into a frown that caused her brows to pinch together, she snapped, “Don’t get snarky with me. Just answer the question. Which one is your boyfriend? Todd or Ryder?”
My lips moved, but no words came out. Instantly, I tried to answer with the truth. Neither. But as Barry’s stare burrowed into me, I breathed out the name, “Ryder,” hoping Ryder would forgive me for spilling that whopper.
“Are you still a virgin?” Mom rushed out the question, lumping the words together as if it had taken all her nerve to ask them.
My mouth fell open. “What?”
She shrugged. “You told me I should just ask the next time I wondered.”
It took me a couple tries to close my mouth again. And once I did, I barely re-opened it to hiss, “Yes, I’m still a virgin.”
Shoulders visibly relaxing, Mom nodded. “Okay. So then, what's going on with you? I know it’s something besides the trouble between us. I blame myself for letting us get so far out of touch with each other. I should’ve made you talk a week ago. But, Grace...” She sighed and rubbed at her suddenly tired looking face. “I’m your mother, and I still love you. If something is wrong, I want you to tell me about it. No matter what.”
My face crumpled. Why did she have to reach out toward me and try to open up while he was sitting right there? The injustice of it made me mad, and frustrated, and heartbroken. I wanted to scream, stamp my feet, cry.
Dropping her hand, she gazed at me from weary eyes. “You know what, if you don’t want to talk, fine. Just go. Get out of my sight.”
I stared a moment longer, hoping I hadn’t lost my one chance to tell her everything. Feeling Barry’s stare, I whirled away and hurried to my room like the coward I was.
I didn’t leave again until he knocked on my door.
“Grace,” he called softly. “Your mom says you need to come out for lunch.”
Glancing at the clock, I blinked, surprised so much time had already passed.
“I don’t think she’s going to let you get out of eating this time,” he coaxed.
Grinding my teeth, I pushed off the bed, straightened my clothing and stiffening my back. I waited a moment, hoping he’d moved on after delivering the message Mom had obviously sent him to give.
But when I opened up, there he stood.
It took everything inside me not the slam the door in his face.
“Grace,” he said softly.
The muscles in my fingers cramped from clutching the side of the door so hard.
“I just want to apologize for last night.” He moved in closer, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb, leaving only a tiny space for me to slide past him to get into the hall.
I remained stiffly in the doorway, watching him from distrusting eyes.
Waving his hand, he sighed. “I’d had a little too much to drink and I was…” He sighed again. “I said a lot of stuff that I didn’t…I never meant to scare you.”
Eyes narrowing, I studied him as I tried to dissect the meaning of his words. Maybe he hadn’t meant to scare me, but had he still meant what he’d said?
I kind of thought so. Ergo, I didn’t relax, didn’t take my leery gaze off him, didn’t even breathe. Holding my balled hand protectively over my chest, I nodded once, letting him think whatever he wanted from that response.
His face melted in sympathy. “Where did you go last night?” he asked quietly, glancing back, probably to make sure Mom wasn’t around.
I just shook my head and said, “Nowhere.”
Barry scowled. “Grace, I have a key to your room. When I went inside, you were gone.”
