AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slide a hand into the pocket of Alex’s trousers. He looks down. “What the…”
Finding a coin, I extract it and bring it up between Mum and Dad in my left hand, running it across my knuckles so it glints in the light. The movement distracts them, and they both drop their gazes to it. I bring up my right hand and take the coin from the left, then open my fingers and reveal my empty palm.
Mum blinks, and then her lips curve up a little. Dad gives me a wry look.
“Why don’t you take Mum up to her room?” Alex says softly. “She’s been wanting to catch up with you.”
I don’t want to, but I can see that Mum’s upset, and even though she’s not blind drunk, she’s obviously on the way. “Come on,” I say grudgingly. “Let’s go. Don’t make a scene.”
I collect my clutch bag, and she lets me lead her across the room. I glance at Damon, who’s frowning, but I can’t explain, and I’m too upset to stop and talk to him. I take Mum out and across the elevators. “What floor are you on?”
“Twenty-eight.”
It’s the top floor. Of course she’d have the penthouse.
The fight has gone out of her. She looks around the lobby and, seeing two women staring at her by the front desk, turns her back, sliding her hands into the pockets of her trousers and hunching her shoulders.
We wait for the doors to open, then go inside. The two women rush to join us, but I put out a hand, and they stop, disappointed, and let the doors close.
“Thank you,” Mum says gratefully. She touches her key card to the panel and presses the button for the top floor, and the car rises.
She smiles, stretches out a hand, and strokes my cheek. “My beautiful baby girl. I’ve missed you so much.”
I move out of her reach. “It’s a bit late for that.”
“Michelle…”
“Nobody calls me that anymore, Mum.”
“No. I’m sorry. Belle. I said to Damon earlier that I remember when he gave you that name.”
I scowl. I don’t want to talk to her about Damon.
“Don’t be angry with me,” she whispers. She’s very pale, and for the first time I notice how much weight she’s lost. As always, her makeup is immaculate, but it can’t hide the fact that she looks tired and miserable.
“I’m sorry about Ryan,” I say awkwardly. I haven’t spoken to her since the news broke that they’d split.
“Thank you.”
“What happened?” The media hasn’t been able to fathom a cause for their breakup.
“I found him in bed with someone else.” Her expression darkens. “Again. It seems I’m cursed in that regard.”
I stare at her. “What do you mean?”
The lift slows and pings, and the doors open. She looks at me, blinks slowly, then says, “I don’t know. I am pretty drunk. Forget I said anything.” She walks out, down the corridor.
I stand there for a moment, then run to catch her up. She stops outside a door, touches her key card to it, and goes inside. I enter behind her, letting it close.
The penthouse is a suite, far too large for one person, but Mum would never stay in anything less than the best. She goes through to the kitchen, opens the cupboard, and pulls out a bottle of gin. “Want a G&T?” she asks.
I nod, having a feeling I’m going to need it. “What did you mean when you said ‘again’? Had Ryan cheated on you before?”
“No.” She takes some ice from the freezer and tosses it into two tumblers, adds a splash of gin to each, then opens a bottle of tonic and pours a little over the gin. Pushing mine across to me, she picks up hers and then goes into the living room.
“So who did?” She’s had a number of relationships over the years, mainly famous faces that have flitted across my social media. I’ve only ever met one of her lovers. “Not… Tom?” My stomach turns to water as I say his name.
But she just says, “No.” She sits on the sofa and flops back, looking exhausted, and I remember that she must have jet lag.
