“So that’s where you disappeared to!” She clapped her hands earning glares from the few people in the coffee shop in the early afternoon. “Did you get married that night too?”
“Yes,” I said.
Our conversation paused when we ordered. Mom kept glancing my way, narrowed eyes, but didn’t speak until we took our drinks to a table.
“He knew exactly who you were, didn’t he.” She pointed one of her talon-like nails. “So what did he offer you?”
Well, shit. I hadn’t planned on sharing the whole truth yet. That’s what I got for trying to be too cute with my words. Mom had shit taste in men, excluding my father (maybe) but she wasn’t an idiot.
“I know you, Emma,” she continued when I stayed silent, “you’re not a love at first sight person. Hell, I didn’t think you were a ‘love at any sight’ person, but the way you looked at that husband of yours, someone’s falling in love!”
She said the last few words in a sing song.
“I wanted to look the part,” I replied, probably too quickly, “be the dutiful wife as my husband took control. Show the right face.”
“Oh, you can’t kid a kidder, honey,” Mom said with a giggle. “Back in my dancing days, I’d make my customers think they were the only man in the world for me and they tipped in kind. I can see through that act like a peep show window. You’re a good actress, I mean I taught you almost everything I know, but you can’t fool me.”
That seemed to be the case. Before I answered, my eyes scanned the tables nearby. An older couple sat closest, a half-eaten pastry on a plate between them. A few giggling girls sat in the corner, scrunched together and staring at a phone screen. A guy hunched over his laptop sat alone nearby. He glanced around the room and held my eyes for a moment before returning to his work.
None of them sent alarm bells blaring in my head. Only the laptop guy even neared the profile of a gangster. With his doughy physique, he wouldn’t have cast an intimidating presence. The eye contact had me reassess him, just in case, but again, no threat. He was probably a writer who needed to be seen writing and on the lookout for any attention. Still, I leaned close and whispered my answer to Mom.
“He has his positive qualities,” I admitted and rubbed my thumb against my fingertips. “And now that he’s taken over the Families, he’s gained even more.”
Mom clapped her hands and pointed at me. She stifled a laugh. I pulled away and tried my best to ignore the attention she’d just put on us. Even the girls staring at their phone glanced up.
“Well, I look forward to getting to know my new son-in-law,” Mom said in a normal tone after she finally realized the spectacle she’d made, “and we’ll have to have to have a real ceremony.”
“You got married at the courthouse, pregnant with another man’s daughter,” I said with a finger pointed at myself.
“Yes,” she conceded and flashed a smirk, “but you have never seen me looking at Sal with the adoration I saw in your eyes back there. I’m sure your husband would be happy to pay for quite the shindig.”
She beamed a predator’s smile but it faltered. A neutral expression came to her face, her eyes darted to the door and back so quickly most people wouldn’t have noticed it. Her fake smile made an appearance next. I didn’t need to hear her next words to know Sal had entered the coffee shop.
“Sal, I thought you were going to look for something a bit stronger,” she greeted my stepfather.
“I did.” He waved the question off and snatched a chair from an empty table, sitting next to Mom. “Figured I’d give you a few minutes for girl talk before I saw if you wanted to check the bar, no the pub I found. It’s got a lot more going on than this place.”
“Sure, I could use a drink,” I answered before Mom could.
Sal’s squinty eyes turned my way for the first time since he’d arrived. He bit his lip in a frown. It wasn’t anything new. He never really wanted me around.
“Oh, the drinking age is different here,” Mom said, eyes as excited as her tone, “I won’t have to wait a few months before I can buy you a drink at a bar. Let’s go.”
She hopped to her feet and snatched her cup from the table. Sal’s face turned even sourer. With her on board too, he’d lost any opportunity to get rid of me quickly. What fun.
Outside, Sal motioned up the street. He stepped between me and Mom when we began walking. Bashir and one of his men were leaning against the wall outside the shop. Neither appeared to be paying attention. I turned to say something and could see them following us in the corner of my eyes. Ian had good allies, it seemed.
“So this drink you’re buying me, could it be bottle service?” I said to cover my glance backward.
“With your inheritance, maybe you should buy me a drink,” she replied but frowned at the end.
I couldn’t help but remember how my parents had interacted at the wedding last year. With everything I’d learned about my biological father, I’d been so wrapped up in my own feelings to consider Mom’s.
A bead of sweat dripped down Sal’s face. This was only my second visit to Scotland. Both had been in summer but the weather never really felt all that summery. Sure, he wore a dark suit and had been drinking, but it still stood out.
“I don’t even know how much I got,” I said, more focused on Sal than my mom. “For all I know, my father put all his assets into the business. If that’s the case, I’ll have to get my husband to pay.”
Mom barked a laugh. Sal sneered. Having been the target of most of the collection of snide looks that crossed my stepfather’s face, I’d cataloged the one he currently sported as a warning. Whenever he glared at me, cheek twitching with a smile that could slip between the ribs, I knew it was time to back off. I would have thought he’d be happy. I wouldn’t be taking up a room in his house anymore.
