My mom paid him no heed. “Your father had an appointment in the city this morning. We thought it would be nice to have lunch at the restaurant where you work.”
Oh, shit.
My insides turned to sludge.
My mom pinned me with her piercing, pale blue gaze. “Imagine our surprise when we mentioned to the waitress that you’re ourdaughter and she told us that it was a shame you no longer work there.”
“I can explain.” My voice came out strained, barely rising above a whisper.
“Please do.” Her words were as sharp and cold as icy knife blades. “How can you provide stability for Olivia when you don’t even have a job? How can you be a good example for her?”
“I…” My voice abandoned me. So did my brain. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in my defense.
Theo spoke up, surprising me. “She has a job.” She wheeled over to my mom and held out a shiny, uncreased Wyatt Investigations business card.
How many of those things did she have?
My mom read the card as my dad peeked over her shoulder. “Wyatt Investigations?”
Wyatt stepped forward. “I’m Wyatt. Of Wyatt Investigations.”
He offered his hand, and my dad shook it, looking a little bemused.
My mom barely glanced at Wyatt before shooting her gaze back to me. “You’re working as a private investigator?” She made it sound like the most undesirable job on the planet. “Taking photos of sleazy, cheating husbands in compromising positions?”
“No!” I choked out.
“Wyatt Investigations takes on a varied caseload,” Theo said, entirely calm and collected, the exact opposite of what I was feeling in that moment. “And Emersyn works in a primarily administrative capacity,” she added.
I bit back a protest. Now was not the time to refute that claim.
“Administrative?” my mom echoed in a questioning and skeptical tone.
“Booking client appointments, making phone calls, doing research,” Theo said.
“That’s not so bad, right?” I sounded desperate, but that’s becauseI was. Desperate to lighten my mom’s mood, to gain her approval, to keep her from campaigning to take Livy away from me.
“I suppose,” my mom conceded grudgingly.
“She’s a real asset to the agency,” Wyatt said.
I shot him a grateful smile.
“It’s true,” Theo agreed, and I could have hugged her in that moment.
“And you are?” my mom asked her.
“Theo Harris. I’m job shadowing Emersyn. It’s a school credit thing.”
It was a little scary how easily and smoothly the kid could lie.
“Well…we’ll let you get on with it then,” my dad said, putting an arm around my mom’s shoulders and attempting to steer her toward the door. “We didn’t mean to interrupt you during business hours.”
“Emersyn,” my mom said over her shoulder, “the next time you have news, perhaps you could share it with us, so we’re not taken by surprise.”
“Sure. Sorry,” I babbled. “It slipped my mind the last time we talked.”
My dad swept my mom out the door, and I had to force myself not to run over and slam it shut behind them. Instead, I speedwalked and closed it quietly.
