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I hug my mother before settling on a chair between them. “It’s good.”
“I’m sure it’s a huge relief that the situation with financial aid has been settled and you were able to stay at Western.”
“Yeah.” My father would blow a gasket if he knew that Wolf was the one who covered the tuition payment this semester. Even if I didn’t mention the part where I put my virginity up for sale, he’d still be furious. Any time the company or partnership with the Westervilles is brought up, Dad froths at the mouth.
Wolf is right. There’s no way they’ll accept his presence in my life. Even if I make every attempt to ease them into it. A year from now, their reaction will be the same.
It doesn’t give me a lot of hope for the future.
It’s only when Mom reaches out and lays her hand over mine that I blink back to the present. “It’s almost difficult to believe that he’s been gone for five years, isn’t it?”
Her soft words only make me feel worse because I wasn’t dwelling on my brother, I was thinking about Wolf and if they’ll ever accept that I’m in love with the person they consider our enemy.
The waiter stops by and takes our drink order along with our meal selections.
“How’s your job at the diner going?” A small smile lifts the corners of Dad’s lips. “I can only imagine that you have a newfound respect for the profession. I’m proud of you for going out and finding a job to cover some of your expenses. You were never afraid of a little hard work.”
Guilt suffuses me as I shift on my chair. Even though it’s not a huge lie in the grand scheme of things, it’s still not the truth. It feels like I’m keeping so many secrets from them. That’s not something I ever did before. And I hate it.
Hate that I’ve resorted to being so deceptive.
I gnaw my lower lip and contemplate the situation.
If I can’t come clean about Wolf, the least I can do is tell them where I’m really working. It’s always possible they won’t have an issue with it, and I’ve made a bigger deal out of it than necessary. And if that’s the case…
Maybe I’m wrong about how they’ll react to me dating Wolf.
I clear my throat, deciding to take a chance and come clean. “Actually, it’s not a diner. It’s a bar near campus.”
“A bar?” Mom frowns as her brows pinch together. “Did you quit the diner and get a new job?”
With a shake of my head, I force myself to continue. “No, I’ve always worked at the bar.”
“So…you lied?” Surprise and hurt weave their way through her voice.
“I did and I’m really sorry for hiding the truth. I should have been honest from the very beginning.”
“I don’t understand. Why on earth would you do that?”
“Sweetheart,” Dad cuts in, trying to stay calm. “Just tell us what’s going on. Why would you deceive us?”
The words burst free in a torrent. “Because I knew that you wouldn’t want me working in a place like that. You guys are so overprotective.”
Smothering.
A myriad of emotions flash across Dad’s face as he lifts the tumbler of brandy to his lips and takes a sip. An uncomfortable silence stretches between us before he murmurs, “Considering what happened, I think we have every right to be protective. You’re our little girl. And no matter what, that will never change.”
I stare down at the thick white cloth that covers the table and realize this was a mistake. But it’s much too late to backtrack now.
And part of me doesn’t want to.
“I’m almost twenty-one years old. Not so little anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, Fallyn. We’ll always worry.” The tears that gather in Mom’s eyes turn them shiny. “After Miles, I don’t think my heart could withstand another loss.”
“Mom…” It’s hard to hear her talk like that.
“I’m serious,” she says in a shaky voice.
