Cherry Creek - Dani Matthews Page 0,4
by at least several years, because he looks to be in his mid-to-late twenties. I scan his short, cropped dark blond hair and dark, navy blue eyes. His features are aristocratic, and the curve of his mouth has an arrogant look about it. Going by the designer clothes he’s wearing along with the flashy watch on his left wrist, I’m guessing he’s a man that’s used to getting his own way. Why would he have any interest in my mom? His type usually gravitates to wealthy socialites, not poor waitresses in threadbare clothing that’s seen better days.
My mom steps forward and smiles at me. “Livvy, meet Khristos, your uncle,” she announces.
Uncle? I stare at her with puzzlement before glancing back at him with confusion. My mom doesn’t have any brothers, and she doesn’t even remember who my father is. I’m the product of a one-night stand.
Khristos slips his hands in the front pockets of his dark pants and studies me with those dark eyes of his. “Hello, Livvy.”
Even the sound of his voice sounds rich, and I swear there’s a slight hint of an accent somewhere within it, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “Hi,” I say politely before I rise to my feet, my attention turning back to my mom. “How exactly is he my uncle?”
“He’s my half-brother. We share the same father but different mothers. I knew of him, but this is the first time we’ve met,” she explains to me.
I glance at him, scanning him from head to toe as I once again take in his designer clothing. He’s got ‘wealth’ written all over him. There is no way my mom would neglect to mention a rich half-brother. If she’d known of him, she would have been trying to glean money off him years ago. My mom has a strong work ethic, and I have to admit she works hard, but if someone’s willing to give her handouts, she’ll take it. I can’t help but feel a bit suspicious. My mom’s parents died several years ago in a car accident, but they’d never once mentioned my mom had a younger sibling.
“Khristos has been meaning to introduce himself for a while now, but after hearing what happened…” my mom’s voice trails off.
“I thought I’d drop in and check up on you both,” Khristos finishes. His eyes linger on my throat, and I see them darken with an emotion that I can’t even begin to decipher.
The attention he’s focusing on the ugly bruises has me reaching up and touching the tender skin self-consciously. Suddenly, I’m aware of how frumpy I look. Plus, I hadn’t bothered to take a shower today. It’s not like I want to impress him, but I’m usually a little more put together, even if my wardrobe is meager at best.
My mom clears her throat. “You look tired, Livvy. Why don’t you try to get some sleep. You can talk more with Khristos tomorrow,” she suggests.
I look at her intently, and I can see an odd sort of excitement in her gaze. Either something’s up, or she’s hoping to get some sort of financial aid from him. If that’s the case, I don’t want to stick around and watch her hint for handouts. “I think I will. Um, it was nice meeting you, Khristos,” I say lightly but also a bit warily.
“You too, Livvy. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
After a brief moment, I tear my eyes from his and turn to leave the living room. Why is he here? I feel like there’s something else going on, but I’m not in the mood to figure it out. I have enough going on at the moment, I don’t need to add to it.
***
The next morning, I find my mom’s ‘supposed’ brother in our living room when I wander out of my room in search of breakfast. He looks odd sitting on our ratty couch in his nice clothing. Today it’s a casual long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. It might look casual, mind you, but even from here I can tell the material is costly. My mom is sitting on the opposite side of the couch, drinking coffee. Her eyes are trained on him with absolute fascination.
I’m telling you, he can’t be her brother. Like I said before, she wouldn’t neglect to tell me something this important. She’s also got that gleam in her eye that says she thinks he’s hot. Sisters do not flirt with brothers. Even half-brothers, at that.
Khristos notices me first, and his