“We don’t?—”
“Can we talk about you for a second?” she interrupts, changing the subject like always.
“What about me?” I let her off the hook. For now. We’ll be revisiting this conversation later.
“It must have been hard seeing me fall like that. Did you have anyone to comfort you?”
I frown, puzzled, until the smallest of smiles tugs at her lips. “Dammit. Who told you?”
“Addie. You know she loves drama.”
“We’re friends and?—”
“Uh-uh. Don’t bullshit me. You’ve been more than friends for months, maybe longer.”
“What? Where did you hear that garbage?”
“I didn’t hear anything. I saw it. With my own eyes.” She widens her eyes and waves a hand in front of her face, while I internally groan.
“When?”
“You’ve been happier lately. And so has Sal. But then there are moments when you’re both grumpy. At the same time. I’ll see Sal looking lost in the lobby one day and sure enough, that night when I call you, you’re ‘having a day.’ Then suddenly, all is right in the world again. For both of you. Can’t be a coincidence.”
“Of course it’s not a coincidence. It’s work-related, Mom.”
“I thought that at first. Until you showed up at my door early in the morning after spending the night at his place.”
“That wasn’t—” Mom’s brows rise so fast that I stop speaking.
“You’re really going to lie to me while I’m in the hospital?”
“Dammit.”
Mom laughs out loud, prompting me to look back at the open door, thankful to find we’re still alone. “Okay. I stayed at Sal’s. We ran into each other when we were out, and I fell asleep in his car on the way home. It was the week I was staying in the hotel, so he didn’t know where to take me.”
“That was nice of him.”
“It was.”
“A friend would do that.”
“Exactly.” I smile, sitting down in the chair near Mom’s head, relaxing a little.
“So…how do you explain the rehearsal dinner?”
Fuck. I stiffen as my heart stops momentarily before starting up again, galloping in my chest. “You were all smiles then,” she continues, a soft grin on her lips. “Stealing glances. Moments alone.”
“Again, that’s?—”
“Kissing?”
Goddammit. There is no way she knows about that. No one saw us. “How did you…” I trail off when Mom’s eyes grow in surprise. She didn’t know. She was bluffing and I walked right into it.
I sink my head into my hands and groan while Mom stays silent, letting me have my little freak-out moment. That kiss with Sal still plays on repeat in my mind. When we’d been fooling around in his office and in the staff changing rooms, it was easy to pretend we were scratching an itch.
After that kiss…well, that’s another story. I understand why Sal gave me an all-or-nothing speech.
“Weweremore than friends for a little while there.” I glance up at Mom, and all it takes is a second of her meeting my gaze before her face drops.
