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I don’t get much time to mull it over because the next actress arrives and—
“Mom?” I gasp, eyes widening in horror.
The initial confusion on Annabeth’s face quickly transforms into a bright, brilliant smile. She throws her arms up into the air with a squeal and rushes over, trapping me in her vice grip hug. “Darling!” she coos. “Oh, what a wonderful surprise! I had no idea you were going to be here. How’ve you been? I feel like it’s been forever and a day. You didn’t tell me you were working for Azure-Hale.”
I do my best to wriggle free. It doesn’t work. “I’m not working for them. I work for Mr. Stride.”
Hunter stands. “Annabeth.”
Her smile melts into something far more dopey. I don’t appreciate the way she nibbles on her bottom lip, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Hunter. It’s been a while.”
“It has.”
“How’ve you been?”
His face softens. “Good. How about you?”
“Good.”
I grit my teeth and do my best to ignore the heavy bitterness in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know what the fuck is happening, but I definitely don’t like it. It’s as if I’m not even here. They’re lost in their own world and I’m just a witness to it. There’s an unspoken tension between the two of them that I can’t even begin to describe.
Don’t look at her, look atme.
“We really should do lunch sometime soon,” Annabeth says. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Eden? The three of us can catch up and you can tell me all about your new job.”
I fight the urge to puke. Annabeth and I don’tdolunch. Hell, this is the first time we’ve seen each other in God knows how long. It’s been a year, maybe more, since she bothered to call with obligatory Christmas well-wishes. She didn’t even bother to wish me a happy twenty-first, too busy with whatever the hell she’s up to now.
Annabeth may be my mother, but she’s also a complete stranger to me.
“Yeah,” I manage to bite out. “Sure.”
“Should we jump right into the scene?” Annabeth asks. “I’m sure you’re all dying to get out of here.”
My chest tightens when Hunter smiles. I don’t think he’s ever smiled at me like that. At least, not since he became my boss. It’s been nothing but disapproving frowns and tight-lipped nods so far, with a few glances at a distance mixed in.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he says graciously.
I take a seat, head spinning. Can this day get any worse?
“Are you alright?” Charlie asks me, leaning close to whisper. “You look a bit woozy.”
“I’m fine,” I reply, forcing a polite smile. “Just tired.”
He chuckles. “Hang in there. We’re almost done.”
It isn’t until Charlie pulls back and shifts away completely that I realize Hunter’s draped an arm across the back of my seat, glaring daggers at his cinematographer. I don’t know what’s crawled up his ass, but I’m no longer in the mood to care. Annabeth has always had a gift for souring my day.
She gets through the scene and it’s… alright. Good, actually. My mother’s always been a talented actress. It just weirds me out how well she slips into the persona of Juliet, a character struggling between the loss of her loved one and the threat of losing her child. Juliet is a strong, deeply conflicted but ultimately caring woman. The kind of mother who’d throw herself on a bed of knives to protect her family.
I know for a fact that Annabeth would rather take half of Dad’s money and pretend to be a decent mother only when it serves her.
“Thank you for coming in, Annabeth,” Hunter says when she’s all finished.
“Thankyoufor the opportunity,” she replies, laughing softly.
It makes my skin crawl, the way she’s looking at him like a meal.
“I’ll call you later, darling,” Annabeth says to me with a sweet smile.
