We moved to the table, her dad and James glaring at us, but I noticed the small smile from Elise before it fell from her face as James caught her.
“Where’s Ari?” Fern asked, trying to change the subject.
“Napping,” James spat back as we took our seats.
Christmas lunch was almost as painful as the other meals we’d had to sit through. Salmon mousse was served for starters and I almost vomited as I sampled the soft, squishy texture. And we were now eating dry turkey and vegetables. Most of the conversation was between James and the judge, discussing cases James was working on or their opinions about the sentences given in particular trials. The only other sounds in the room were the clattering of cutlery on plates and the annoying clock on the mantle, chiming away every fifteen minutes as if to prove how fucking slowly this dinner was going. When the silence grew too oppressive, I opened my mouth to speak, but Elise got therefirst. “So, tell us about your new job, Ferny. It sounds pretty impressive.”
James let out a sarcastic huff, making me wonder what his problem with Fern was.
“I mean, it’s not that big a deal, and I don’t want to bore you with the details.”
“Good. I’m not sure we want to know what your two bit job is,” James grumbled.
“I’m dying to know. Tell me everything,” Elise replied at the same time. James glared at his wife and her hand moved to her mouth as if she was wishing she could take back her words.
“Tell them, Princess,” I urged.
“Okay, so I now run communications for the entire record label. I handle all their PR and I work with the management teams to make sure the bands are getting the positive media coverage they deserve.” She raised her eyebrow at me, making me shrug my shoulders, trying to act innocent after my recent bad press.
“Sounds lovely, dear, but you’ll give it all up when you meet the right man. Get married, like we planned. Be a mum. You can’t be a good mum and have a job.”
I laughed louder than I’d meant to, making everyone but Fern and Elise scowl at me.
“I won’t be giving my job up, Mum. If I choose to get married or even have kids… neither of which I’m sure I want to do, then I will be with a man who respects my career.”
Her mum placed her knife and fork down silently and then pressed her white napkin to her lips before she spoke again. “Fern, this…” She waved her hand, indicating Fern’s face and outfit. “Is not how we raised you. I don’t think this job is good for you. I mean, look who you bring home. Look at how you’re dressing. You’re never going to meet a man who can take care of you. No one will want you. You’ll bring shame on your father andJames. How are they supposed to do their jobs when everyone knows you’re playing at being whatever you’re trying to be in that record label? You’re twenty-four. You should be engaged, at the very least.”
Fern’s face didn’t move, but her fingers dug into my thigh so hard I nearly cried out.
“I wish you could meet the boss of our record label, Mrs. Richards. She’s strong, she’s about to adopt two kids, she runs a successful business while keeping her husband very happy, and once upon a time she crash-landed a plane and blew it up to save her and someone else’s life. That’s the sort of woman men like me want. Women who wear what they want, speak their mind, know their importance, and are the queens in our lives. Don’t diminish Fern’s talents or ability because you did that to your other daughter or yourself.”
Carol glared at me before looking between her husband and James, obviously expecting one of them to step in and take over.
“But Fern could do so much better than you,” James spat out, his fists clenched on the table.
“Is that true, Princess? Have you ever had anyone better than me?”
Fern’s lips curled into a giant smile and I noticed how she glanced across at James before answering me. “Never.”
I couldn’t help it. I needed to give her family the biggestfuck youI could, so I wrapped my hand around the nape of Fern’s neck and pulled her toward me. I leaned in, pausing for a second, silently checking she was okay with what was about to happen and she answered by closing her eyes, her lips parting slightly on a sigh. Feeling four sets of eyes on me, I kissed Fern. Not a quick peck, but a long, deep kiss. My hand moved from her neck to her cheek, tilting her head so I could kiss her harder. Her lips were soft, her tongue pliant as I explored her mouth. She moaned softly as her hands fisted my hoodie, pulling me closer.
What started as a way to annoy her family seemed to have spiraled into something else completely, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. All I did know was that I could have kept on kissing her all night.
“Fern Dorothy Richards, I don’t know how you behave in your job, but this is unacceptable. Stop this immediately,” her dad yelled.
Fern pulled away, her eyes dark and her chest heaving. Still hanging onto my top, she seemed oblivious to her family staring at us.
“You done?” I asked her.
Smoothing her hands over my pecs, she nodded. “Come on then. Elise, come tell us when Ari’s awake.”
And with that, I led Fern back to our room.
Chapter 9
Fern
What the actual fuck just happened?
