hate the decisions he’s making, the more determined he’s going to be to defy you. And just so you know, he doesn’t have any particular taste in young women. He likes them all.”
I chuckled as she narrowed her eyes at me. They were an icy blue similar to my brother’s, but hers were so much colder. In fact, it was like being frozen in place when she glared at me. “Why are you here, Toren? It’s late, and you are not welcome in my home when my brother isn’t here.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and stiffened. “He is not your brother. You are not blood-related. You are not part of our family, no matter how badly you want to be.”
It was a common refrain that she liked to toss around whenever Jeno and I referred to each other as brother.
“Hmm… I remember saying the same thing to you when you married my father and demanded that I call you mom. I told you that I already had a mother, even if she’s pretty much worthless, and that we weren’t family, no matter how hard you tried to force me to play the role of dutiful son. I’m pretty sure you slapped me across the face for saying that, and my dad took away my car for a month.” I snickered at her and narrowed my eyes to match her glare for glare. “Oh, how the tides have turned.”
The older woman pulled her shoulders up and pursed her lips tightly together like she was sucking on a lemon. “Speaking of your mother, I heard she was in Monaco with her hot yoga instructor the last couple of months. Has she bothered to check on you since you’ve been home from rehab? Does she know you’re dragging my son into some farfetched movie-making scheme, instead of encouraging him to further his education? Does she know you rely on him for everything and won’t let him live his own life? Does she know you’re dragging him down into the ditch with you?”
I sighed and raked a hand through my messy hair. “She doesn’t care about me in the slightest. Do you really think she wastes time worrying about Jeno? She barely remembers my name most days. She’s the last person who will step in and save your son from my evil ways. Nice try, though.” I flashed her a wink. “Next time, ask about grandma. If she was concerned about me leading Jeno astray, I’d actually give a shit.”
“That woman is not his grandmother any more than you are his brother.” She sniffed again and gripped the strap of the purse slung over her shoulder so tightly, her knuckles turned white.
I rolled my eyes and pushed off the counter, taking a step toward where she was hovering near the fridge. “You considered her his grandmother when you needed money to pay off your credit card debt a few months ago. It’s been awhile between husbands. I’m sure you’re starting to feel the hit financially. Admit it. The only reason you want Jeno to get a degree is so he can take care of you, and you can finally stop husband-hopping as a career.”
She swore at me and started for the door, still not answering my question about why she was in my home unannounced and uninvited when she thought no one was home. I made a mental note to add some interior cameras to the security set up if this was a common occurrence and she was up to something shady. I was going to have to keep the upgrade from Jeno, which he wouldn’t like. But that blind spot he had for her was going to get me in trouble if I wasn’t careful.
“You can hate me all you want, Salinger. You can resent me and blame me that my marriage to your father fell through. But you can never deny that I love my son. You well know I am willing to do anything for him and his well-being. You can’t say that about anyone in your life other than Jeno. Your grandmother is too old and too out of it to see you for who you really are. She can only see the innocent little boy who used to sing and dance to make her happy. I’ll never know how you brainwashed my son into believing you were worth saving when it’s clear you just keep him around because he’s the only one who sees any value within you.