“I knew how to pack a bag at that age.”
“You’re a millionaire with properties all over the country! Have you ever stopped to think that traveling might not be a routine part oftheirlives?”
He opened his mouth to retort, then paused, thinking. That pause was all the answer I needed.
It was obvious the thought had never crossed his mind.
“No, I didn’t,” he finally admitted. “But I told them to pack what they needed for two or three days.”
“And in their minds, the essentials were toys, candy, and crayons.”
“Okay, look, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll give you a credit card. You can take them out to buy new clothes. They’ll need a proper wardrobe anyway, since we’re here for two months, not three days.”
“Logan…” I paused, trying to rein in my irritation.
“What?”
“I’mgoing to be here for two months.Theyare your daughters. They’re five years old, and they have at least another thirteen years of living with you ahead of them.”
“I know, I know.”
Despite his words, the utterly lost look on his face made it perfectly clear he hadn’t fully processed any of it. He was so hyper-focused on his career that everything else in his life was just background noise.
Too irritated to continue, I left and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water to cool down. As I searched for a glass, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember when I’d taken it off silent mode. I’d keptit that way ever since I became gossip-fodder as Logan Turner’s alleged girlfriend and the mother of his secret twins. I must have switched it back on absentmindedly when we landed in New York.
I pulled out the phone, expecting another unknown number from a journalist. Instead, the screen showed a familiar contact.
It was from someone I really didn’t want to talk to. But I knew I couldn’t avoid her forever. I took a deep breath and answered.
“Hi, Mom…” I said, unable to keep the weariness out of my voice.
“Evelyn! My God, you finally answered me.”
“Missed you too, Mom. I’m fine, by the way. And you?” I asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“I am not fine, Evelyn, and you know it! Can you explain what on earth you’ve gotten yourself into? I’ve been avoiding the neighbors for days because they won’t stop asking me what happened to you and what’s this story about you having daughters!”
“You can stop avoiding them.”
“And how do I do that? What do I say when they ask if you’re the mother of Logan Turner’s children?”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just… don’t deny it.”
“For God’s sake, Evelyn. You arenotthose girls’ mother. Are you actually dating their father?”
I detected a slight shift in her tone with that last question. Of course she’d be thrilled if the answer was yes. Marriage was her ultimate life goal for me. A marriage to a millionaire would be the jackpot.
“No, Mom. I’m not. It’s just a business arrangement. But I need you to keep quiet about it.”
“An arrangement? What kind of arrangement, Evelyn? Honest women don’t make ‘arrangements’!”
“I thought you’d already accepted that I’m not exactly a ‘proper’ woman, Mom. At least, not in the way you’d hoped.”
“Oh, don’t start with that nonsense.”
I sighed, already exhausted by this familiar dance.
