I’d rather burn this place to the ground by my own hand.
That’s my new fucking normal.
“What about Barry? His food will get cold,” Mom chimes but still tucks in as she looks expectantly at my sister.
She shrugs. “Nothing he isn’t used to, Mom. He won’t be too late.”
My eyes are glued to Louisa as she talks with Morgan, discussing politics and everything in between. She’s a damn good actress, I’ll tell you that. She hasn’t shown an ounce of discomfort, the only hint of it when she tensed beneath my hold.
I suppose when you’ve had God knows how many years to practice, stepping into your second skin comes naturally. It’s probably her only form now.
Mom nudges her elbow into my side. “Tell us about England. Where did you go?”
In the midst of the chaos, I didn’t rehearse this.
All eyes land on me as I glance around the table.
FUCK.
Saint grips my clenching hands under the table, fanning the other arm behind my chair as he takes over from my stage fright. “I took her to London for the week, then travelled to most of the bigger cities before heading north for the rest of our time.”
I smile shyly to my mom. “Scotland’s beautiful at this time of year.”
I turn back to look at Saint; his face is like stone. His eyes pin me with a look that says maybe I should think before I speak.
Neither of us have fucking been there.
Mom coos, “I’m so jealous, I’ve always wanted to go there.”
My fork and knife move around the food on my plate, and I scoop a reluctant mouthful in. “The weather’s just the same as here, Mom.”
Thankfully, that’s just a well-known fact, no prior research history needed to conclude my thoughts.
Louisa’s voice cuts right through me. “Is Gina back from her vacation yet?”
My shoulder blades stiffen. “No…not yet. She’s still got a couple weeks yet.”
“What’s this I hear she has a boyfriend?” Mom asks, but I don’t get a chance to answer before Louisa does it for me.
“She met him through, Saint. Isn’t that right?”
It’s the first time since we sat down that Louisa has openly looked at him. “Yes, he worked for my dad. I met him a couple of times when I went away over the summers. We got friendly after that.” He holds Louisa’s wary glance, tone frosting over. “He’s good at what he does.”
I clock the gaze she pours over him, but she seems unruffled with his mild threat.
Why is she so obsessed with Regina?
Her gaze shifts to me, and something flickers behind her eyes. Her face…it softens.
It’s not there too long before she’s straightening her back, leaning against the chair. “And how exactly did you two cross paths with each other again? Don’t give me your half-assed answer again.”
Saint finishes the last of his food, eyeing mine and noticing it’s merely a pile of mush that I’ve hidden under an abundance of uneaten vegetables. “You tell them, darling.”
The wordtraitorscreams in big, red and bold letters behind my eyes. Didn’t my random-ass mention of Scotland not show him I’m not cut out for this?
I focus back on my sister. “Well…we just so happened to bump into each other.”
“Where?”
