“Honey, wanna order pizza tonight?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Honey?” Something was off. She always needed something when she acted that sickeningly sweet.
“Out with it, Mom.”
“Um, remember that dinner with my client?”
I watched her wrap a lock of hair around her index finger as she circled around my desk.
“The guy you wanna get in bed with?”
“June!”
“Oh, sorry, I meant the art aficionado you wanted to show your collection of paintings to.”
She stared at me, annoyed, but then went back to being easygoing. “Are you coming too?”
“What’s your problem? Are you afraid of eating dinner with a guy alone?”
Her eyes went wide, shocked at my back talk.
“Sorry, Mom, I’m anxious about studying.”
I saw her sigh and face-palm.
“Are you coming, June?”
“Okay.”
Pleased with my answer, she kissed me on the cheek, which convinced me to try my luck.
“Look, tonight—”
“Don’t tell me you wanna go out again.” She cut me off tersely.
“I’ll be busy working on an important assignment for class on the night of your famous dinner.”
She rolled her eyes then turned around to my bedroom door.
“Okay, but be back at eleven.”
“Midnight?”
“Eleven thirty.”
20
Blaze
“Blaze, Blaze . . .”
Oh no, he was coming toward me.
I was sitting diagonally on a bench looking out at the lights sparkling on the pool water. There weren’t many people here; maybe that was what compelled James to sit next to me.
“Want something to drink?”
The devil will never approach you unless he gets something out of it. A gust of cologne clouded my mind.
