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“Family naps. Who doesn’t love a good nap?”
Mom smiles, and I can tell from the softness on her face I’ve convinced her. “All right. If you’re sure you’re comfortable, and youpromise meyou will tell me if that changes.”
I have to swallow down the lump that forms in my throat. Bending the truth is one thing, breaking a promise feels like another.
But I tell myself there’s a lot of wiggle room in the language here. My comfort level is open to interpretation, isn’t it? Comfortable compared to what? Sleeping on a bed of nails? Yes, I’m totally comfortable compared to that.
I know it’s a loophole, but I also know what I can handle, and so far, I’ve handled Landon just fine on my own. Is it a low-risk system? No. Is there a probability of things getting much worse? Sure.
But there’s also a chance they get better, and I truly believe what I’ve said to her. I truly believe a success could nudge Landon in a different direction. We haven’t had time or the opportunity (to be fair, because he has refused to give us the opportunity) to show him why us all living together could be a good experience for him.
Well, aside from him having more opportunities to torture me, but my hope is that will die down once he realizes us all being a family together isn’t the worst thing that could have happened to him.
“Of course I would,” I tell her. I don’t want to linger on this point too long since it makes me feel guilty, so I take one last look at the ocean and sigh. “We should probably head downstairs now. I want to try the assortment of weird spa waters before our massages.”
“I’ve never understood putting fruit in water. Water is delicious as is, there’s just no need for it.”
“Especially when the cup’s packed full of ice. Mmm.”
Mom wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me a little hug, then we head back inside so we can get ready for our evening of pampering.
Chapter Fourteen
Landon
“Try not to do anything stupid this time.”
I look over at my cousin, smiling crookedly as he gives me advice he knows I’m not going to take. “Try not to get caught, you mean.”
Malek shakes his head. “I will never understand what you see in that girl.”
“That’s why we get along so well,” I half-joke as I open the car door and let myself out of his gleaming white Aperta. The door opens out and up, so I raise my hand in a half-assed wave goodbye before pushing the door closed.
He doesn’t wait for me to make it up the driveway. I hear him take off down the road behind me as I sling my duffel bag over my shoulder and make my way up the driveway toward the house.
I’m not surprised when I smell food cooking as soon as I open the door. It’s around dinnertime, and I’m sure Dad and his new little family are hyped to hang out.
I roll my eyes at my own thoughts as I start to take the first set of stairs on the right so I don’t have to deal with all that, but I stop when I hear Antonia call out for me.
Frowning, I make my way to the kitchen.
“There you are,” she says, flashing me a warm smile. “Your father wanted me to catch you when you came in. I’ll only be making dinner for you tonight, so I’m making your favorite.”
“I’m eating alone?”
“Your father’s going out for the evening. He’d like to speak with you in his study before he leaves.”
Scowling, I ask, “Where are the girls?”
Antonia shrugs. “I don’t know. Your father asked if I could come in and I was free, so here I am.”
Gemma’s car is in the driveway, so I expected them to be here. I suppose Parker could still be hiding out at Hannah’s, but something definitely feels off.
Dad’s study door is closed. I bang on it before I walk in, so he’s looking up when I enter, his expression grim.
“What’s going on? Gemma get sick of cooking already? Why’s Antonia here on a Saturday?”
Dad motions for me to sit in the seat across from his desk.
