His mother shook her head. “No, boy. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m fine. Just a little clumsy, but fine.”
Andrew let out a shaky breath. “Okay. I have no choice but to believe you. But I want you to promise me that you’ll tell me if something is wrong.”
“I promise,” she grumbled. “I’m still the boss, though.”
He gave her a mock salute. “You definitely are.”
“So how is Paige?”
“Good,” he replied.
Mom tilted her head. “Why do I feel likeyou’rehiding something?” She cupped his chin and peered into his eyes. “Do you have something going on with Paige?”
He eased out of her grasp. “Mom, you’re so nosey. That’s why you and Mrs. Fulton get along so well.”
“It’s not nosey when it’s my son.”
“Okay, there is something going on,” he admitted.
With wide eyes, his mother said, “Really? Does Tina know?”
He shook his head. “No one knows. Just you.”
“Oh, ’cause I was gonna say . . .”
He grinned. “You were gonna say what?”
“Tina better not know anything before me.” She laughed.
“Anyway, when did this happen?”
“I went to see her when I left here the other day. There’s some business we had to discuss. While I was there, we connected.”
“Oh Lord, you had sex with her?” she whispered, as if someone was in the room with them and she didn’t want them to hear her.
Frowning, he asked her why she’d chosen to whisper. “No one is here.”
“What if Ariane is outside the door?”
Andrew barked out a laugh. “There is never a dull moment with you, Mom.”
“I’m just sayin’. Is this serious?”
“I do have feelings for her,” he confessed. “I want to help her, protect her.”
“You’ve done that her entire career.”
He thought about his mother’s words. From the beginning, he’d appointed himself Paige’s protector and pretended it was because Jax had asked him to take her on as a personal favor to him. He’d helped her build an impressive career, but she’d helped him, too. Representing her had opened many doors for him in the industry. Despite their friendship, they’d maintained a great working relationship. Could he risk that for romance?
“I’m just wondering if it’s wise to change things between us,” he said.
“I’m not worried about that,” his mother told him. “I am worried about the fact that she’s just out of a bad marriage.”
“That, too,” he agreed.
“It seems so soon. According to the magazine I read, the divorce was just finalized.”
“Yes, but they’ve been separated for a while.”
