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This was true.
“Yeah,” he murmured, and went in to touch his lips to hers.
Samantha Wheeler walked in not long after that, and he saw she wasn’t happy to start.
Her eyes fell on Hale, with Elsa sitting next to him on one side of a four-top, and she became less happy.
Hale stood when she arrived, she handed out perfunctory greetings, and he was pleased when her gaze moved to Elsa’s injured hand as she sat down, and then she asked, “I heard about the incident. Are you all right?”
“Yes, thank you,” Elsa replied.
Sam looked to him. “You? Are you all right?”
It had happened five days ago. It had also been all over the news.
And his mother had his phone number.
“The woman was caught. It’s over,” Hale said by way of answer.
His mother watched him a moment then she settled in, placing her purse on the chair beside her and smiling brightly as the server came to take their drink orders.
When he left, she looked directly at Hale, and her smile died.
“Right, Hale, I’m here. What’s this about?”
Hi, Mom, nice to see you too.
Yes, Mom, thanks for asking. Elsa is here because it’s serious. We want you to know, we’re in love and moving in together.
I know, Mom, our last conversation didn’t go well, and I agree, we need to figure it out.
His imaginary conversational gambits must have gone on for a while because Elsa’s hand landed on his thigh, and she squeezed.
“Dad left me something before he died.”
“Something more than four hundred billion dollars?” she mumbled, fidgeting with her silverware.
He clenched his teeth and turned his head toward Elsa.
She was looking at him and gave his thigh another squeeze.
He got his shit tight and looked back to his mom.
“Yes, something more than that,” he said curtly. “Through what he gave me, I learned his parents abused him.”
Her gaze wandered over his shoulder.
She knew.
“Did you know about that?” he asked to confirm. “Did Dad talk about it?”
Her gaze wandered back to him. “Your father and I weren’t together very long.”
“That isn’t an answer to my question.”
“My apologies,” she said snappishly. “Yes. He mentioned his parents could get physical.”
“Did he share how bad it was? Because it was bad, Mom.”
