“How are you?Where are you?”
“I’m good.How are you?”He had no plans to tell her where he was.
“Busy, as always.You know what this time of year is like.Parties to go to.Charity functions to attend.”
Ever the social butterfly.That was his mother.“That’s good.Why are you calling?”He didn’t bother censoring his voice.He wanted her to know that just because he’d answered her call didn’t mean that things were fine between them.
“I wanted to talk to my son.Is that a crime?”
“It is if you’ve got an ulterior motive.”Like you normally do.Zach didn’t want to get into a fight with his mother moments before Tilly turned up.
Her sigh sounded down the line, and for a second or two, he felt remorse for being so hard on her.
It was possible that not all of her recent reactions had been fake.Maybe she had experienced some genuine fear after hearing what he’d been through.What he’d had to do to ensure the safety of the campers.Perhaps it was more of a case of her having always known his job was dangerous, but having to face it made it seem more real to her.
He didn’t know.He wanted to believe that she cared.That she was sincerely concerned about him.But after the way she’d manipulated everything for her gain, he had his doubts.
“You don’t need to be like that.I’m worried about you, Zach.You’re not acting rationally.You’ve changed your job.You’ve left your home, and I’ve no idea where you are!”
“For the first time in my life, I am acting rationally, Mom.I’m where I need to be.Where I want to be.”He looked at the clock on the wall.Tilly would be arriving any minute.“I’ve got to go, Mom.I’m fine, so you don’t need to be concerned.”
“A mother never stops worrying, son.”The words were said so softly Zach wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.They were a little out of character.
He didn’t say anything and disconnected the call.
Zach rubbed a hand over his face.He didn’t like this tension between him and his mom, but he didn’t know how to make her understand how he felt.She only heard what she wanted to hear.He would have to make a decision soon about what he was going to do.Tonight wasn’t that night, though.
The doorbell rang, saving him from thinking any longer.He strode to answer it, plastering a smile on his face.“Hey, Tilly, come on in.”
“What’s wrong?”she asked the second she crossed the threshold.
“Nothing.Why do you say that?”
She reached up and rubbed the spot between his eyes.“Because you look stressed.Or upset.Or both.”
How did she always seem to know when something was wrong with him?It was obvious she could see beneath the façade to who he was underneath.She’d seen how much his mom’s actions had affected him.
“I had a call from someone I didn’t want to speak to.But I’m so much better now that you’re here.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.Her mouth opened beneath his and he slipped his tongue in, moaning when her hands clutched his shirt.
How he wanted her.
Reluctantly, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.“You always make me feel so much better, Tulip.”
“I’m glad, and when you’re ready to talk about the call, I’ll be here.And if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
“You’re too good for me.”
“I could say the same about you.”She patted his chest and sniffed the air.“Something smells delicious.”
“It’s nothing special, just spaghetti and meatballs.”He suddenly wished he’d made something more exciting.
“Oh, no, that’s perfect.I love spaghetti and meatballs.Truthfully, I love anything that I don’t have to cook.”
Zach laughed.“There is that too.It’s always a chore to think of something to eat each night.”
“It is, but I’m a creature of habit.I can have the same thing over and over and be perfectly content.”
