Or at least it never does for someone like me, whose mother’s way of showing concern for her daughter can be easily encapsulated in a three-worded text—or two if you take the abbreviation into account.
How’s Texas?
That’s Mom doing her duty, just so she can enjoy the rest of her own vacation with a clear-as-day conscience.
I don’t answer, and since I’m not clicking anything either, my phone goes dark again. Message preview seen, message still unread.
I take a sip of water, and as I try to convince myself that it’s fine, I’m fine, and everything’s fine—
“Icelle, darling.”
That’s when I hear Joy addressing my friend.
“You never told us. You did remember introducing Tiara to Arkane?”
“They introduced themselves to each other.”
And I completely forget about Mom being a candidate of World’s Best Mom (not!) with every head at the table swiveling to my direction, and I...I’m just lost for words.
Oh, Icelle, you...you...snitch!
“How remarkable,” Lucius says, mild, “for Arkane to take the time to introduce himself.”
And then Icelle...
Icellenods.
Just once. RBF fully in place. Not looking at anyone. Not explaining anything.
And that’s when the entire family lights up.
Raiden starts snickering into his napkin. Marius hides his smile behind his wineglass. Aldrich sighs in the way that men sigh when their dinner has just become more entertaining than they planned for.
And Joy.
Dear, sweet Joy—
“Oh, that’s wonderful!”
Oh boy.
She’s actually clapping her hands in glee—but elegantly, mind you, because everything this woman does is very, verynaturallyposh—and she’s looking at me in a way that feels rather...threatening?
Like how you’d used to have this sinking feeling as a kid when your mom looks at you a certain way, and then you find out they’ve suddenly had this bright idea that they know exactly what youneedto wear for a school event?
Yes, it’s that kind of threat I’m talking about, and yes, Mom had such days, too, and threats like it still scares adult-me for real.
“I should get working, too,” Joy enthuses. “We’ll have to make proper introductions to the rest of the family this summer, of course. The Cannizzaros are hosting in June, and Evergreen’s Fourth of July ball—we need to get a ticket for Tiara...”
“Um—”
“I—”
“Err—”
Joy reaches past Icelle to pat my hand and gives me a warm smile. “Don’t you worry, dear. I have everything taken care of.”
And then she goes on listing all the events I’m supposed to attend as Arkane’s plus-one, and I—
