“Oh… she looks away as if she’s sorting through a mental database. “That’s convenient.”
She taps through a few things on her screen… “You booked the room tonight, not them?”
“To be honest, I didn’t think Icouldsleep with them unless I had you on standby.”
“Well… as long as you don’t swallow your Sovian’s’s penile sphere, and as long as he’s there to clean up after your Bliteen lover, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t have your fun off the clock too.”
“Are you sure?”
She signs something on her pad while she nods. “I’ve put notes in your file. And if there’s ever an emergency, I’m not far away.”
“Thank you.”
“You aremorethan welcome.” She winks at me. “Have fun.”
“I will.”
Stopping by my locker room, I switch to sweats for the walk home and as I go, I try to ignore the strange sensation of being watched.
As soon as I get into my apartment, the message light flares.
I can turn off my phone, but the system keeps the messages left behind and very helpfully lets me know they’re there.
The flashing light has an urgency that makes my skin crawl, so I listen to the messages.
They get increasingly frantic. The threats vanish. She’s not lashing out anymore, she’s just scared.
My phone rings as soon as I turn it back on and I answer.
“Hi mom,” I say softly, but she doesn’t greet me back.
A shuddering breath of relief passes through the earpiece.
I know that particular sound. She’s been crying. “Jenny, please,” she says.
I don’t remember the last time she called me Jenny.
“I will come home and help you sort things out. But this is your loan. You are going to have to repay it.”
“Just come home. We’ll talk.” She thinks that if I am there, I’ll give in.
Who knows? Maybe I will.
CHAPTER 1
Ihadn’tforgottenhow bright the sun can be, but I did forget how irritating it is to need sunglasses and not have them.
But of course, my mother takes the scowl from that sun-related irritation personally.
She meets it with her own. “Well! You don’t need to look like I brought you here against your will. Stop frowning. You’re going to get wrinkles.”
“Hi Mom,” I say dryly. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”
She huffs, her shoulders moving sharply. “Why did you knock?”
Turning, and walking into the house without waiting for my answer, my mother leaves me to follow.
When I close the door behind me, I remind her, “Because I don’t live here anymore.”
