I force an even tone, though my teeth are clenched together. “No. I haven’t.”
She stares at me, and something nags the back of my brain. “Later then. Have you eaten? I thought we could go downtown for dinner.”
“Actually, I have plans,” I say.
“Oh?”
I’m not sure why, but she doesn’t sound surprised. I stand up and start toward the kitchen. I need to get to my phone and cancel my plans with Penn, figure out what her angle is. I definitely can’t let her find out about him right now.
“Yeah, but I can cancel.” I reach for my phone, but before I can grab it, the door swings open. Ellie and Penn walk in. Ellie’s eyes widen instantly, and she freezes, causing Penn to walk into her back. Her worried gaze snaps to mine, and I know she can read the panic all over my face, but she recovers quickly.
“Mrs. Whittington,” Ellie says, “how are you?”
Penn glances at me, his brows furrowed, as he steps into the room, closing the door behind him. Clearly, he’s missing the telepathicRUNmessage I am trying to send to him.
“Hello, Ellie,” my mother says. “I’m well, and you?”
“I’m well,” Ellie replies, taking a seat.
My feet are still glued to the kitchen floor. I can’t force myself to move. Penn’s worried gaze hasn’t left me once. I know he’s put together the obvious—my mother is here—but heprobably doesn’t know why I’m acting so weird. We never talked about what Chad said that night. That my parents would never approve, and I was only killing time with him because it could never be anything serious without their approval.
While that has been true, it’s not anymore. I don’t need them to approve. Of course, I’d love if they did, but I’m not naive enough to think they will right away. I need to warm them up to the idea of someone like Penn. Introduce him slowly.
What am I saying? We’ve never talked about this being more than now, and he probably wants to run.
“Who’s your friend?” my mother asks Ellie, but her eyes are on me, as if she already knows.
“Oh, I’m sorry. How rude of me.” Ellie laughs. “This is my friend, Penn. He hired me to do some marketing for his band.” The lie rolls smoothly off her tongue. I need pointers.
Penn follows suit, extending a hand to my mother. She gives him a tight smile and shakes his hand, though I know she doesn’t want to. She’s nothing if not polite, even if it’s not genuine.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Whittington,” Penn says. “You’ve raised an amazing daughter.”
My heart flutters, and I give him a small smile.
“Yes, I have,” she says coolly, looking between the two of us.
I move into the living room and take the seat beside Ellie while Penn sits in the chair next to us. Awkward silence descends upon the room, tension thickening to an uncomfortable level. Sweat dots my brow, but I try to keep my composure. My mother can smell weakness.
“Ellie, are you excited for graduation? Your parents must be thrilled to get you back,” my mother says.
I close my eyes. I know exactly where she’s steering this conversation.
“Oh, I’m so excited, but I’m not moving back. I’ve decided to stay and get an internship here. My family is so excited for me! My father has some contacts with media companies. He knows that’s what I truly want to do, and they’resosupportive. I’m very grateful.”
I have to fight a smile because damn, she’s good. I’m in awe.
“How nice,” my mother says dryly, then turns to me, smiling a pretentious smile that has my stomach knotting. “We are so excited to have our Livvy home. I can’t tell you how happy her father is going to be once she starts at the club. He’s been waiting for this day since she was born. In fact, he’ll probably have the movers come pack up all her things before graduation so she can leave as soon as the ceremony is over.” Her words make me dizzy, and she smiles wider, like they had the intended effect.
I know Penn is staring at me, but I can’t bring myself to look at him.
“That’s too bad. I’m going to miss her. We’ve really made a home here,” Ellie says, but I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears. My heart thrashes against my chest, and a scream is trapped in my throat.
My mother ignores her and changes the subject to something even worse. “So, Livvy, how’s Chad?”
I jerk, her question throwing me off. “Huh? I don’t know.”
She frowns. “What do you mean? He’s your boyfriend. I was hoping the three of us could have dinner. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him.”
