Cherry Creek - Dani Matthews Page 0,5
eyes lock on mine. “Morning, Livvy.”
Why is he here so early? Did he stay the night? I would think not, because by the looks of him, he can easily afford a hotel room. Or a suite. Hell, probably a penthouse suite. Or had he literally stayed with my mom? If he’s not her brother than they could have… I so do not want to go there. No one wants to think of or even imagine their parent or parents having sex. Gross. But if he’s not her brother, why lie? What would be the reason for it?
My mom clears her throat deliberately, and I realize I’ve been lost in thought, completely ignoring Khristos’s greeting. “Morning,” I murmur before I turn and go to the kitchen. I search the cupboards for some cereal and find that my mom hadn’t had the chance to get groceries yesterday. I spy a box of granola bars and pull it out, only to find that it’s empty.
“Why don’t I take you both out to eat,” Khristos suggests smoothly.
I can’t resist glancing at him with annoyance. My mom might take handouts, but I don’t.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” my mom immediately announces. She smiles hugely as she rises to her feet. “We’ll be ready in five,” she assures him as she walks towards me.
Is she serious? I give her a look as she nears me. “I don’t want to go anywhere,” I protest.
“It’s just for a little bit,” she says, nudging me out of the kitchen.
I allow her to pull me into the hall, and then she hustles me into my bedroom. “Mom! He’s not your brother, is he? What’s the point of lying?” I ask as I turn to her, crossing my arms over my chest.
“He’s my brother,” she says simply. Then, she gives me a parental look of authority that she rarely ever uses with me. “Now, get dressed. He has some things to discuss with us.”
“Like what?” I ask suspiciously.
“You’ll find out over breakfast.”
“I haven’t even taken a shower.”
“Two minutes,” she warns.
I give her a look and hurry towards the bathroom. I take a quick shower and braid my wet hair so it looks halfway decent. I slip on a pair of fresh jeans along with a cute teal blue shirt before sliding my feet into sandals.
Before I know it, Khristos is escorting us to an expensive looking SUV parked outside our apartment complex. I get goose bumps as I climb into the back seat so my mom can sit up front with him. I’ve never been in a vehicle this expensive before. It feels weird, and I don’t like feeling out of my element. I’m not a control freak by any means, but rich people are way outside of my comfort zone.
As Khristos expertly maneuvers the vehicle through the morning traffic, my mom tries to draw him into a conversation. I watch them intently as they interact. She’s interested in him, it’s in her body language and the way she looks at him. He, on the other hand, is much more reserved. He doesn’t seem like much of a conversationalist, so he only speaks when she asks a question. I’m glad to see that the interest doesn’t seem to be mutual. It’s kind of unsettling that my mom finds her own brother attractive. The fact that she does is what has me suspicious of this entire ‘half-brother’ thing. I just get this feeling that there’s more going on than they’re admitting.
I’m relieved when Khristos pulls into your regular run of the mill restaurant that serves breakfast. I’m thankful he chose a normal place versus a classier one. Of course, neither I nor my mom could pass as classy, so I’m guessing he’s wanting to save himself the embarrassment.
We’re seated promptly, and I feel chilled, because the restaurant has their air-conditioning up high today. It’s supposed to be a scorcher, but as of right now, it’s only in the mid-seventies. As I gaze at my menu, I can’t help but think that this summer royally sucks. It’s just barely began, and my ex-boyfriend has already tried to kill me. Maybe I should be grateful that I have the entire summer ahead of me. School’s going to be a nightmare in the fall. It’s bad enough my only two friends I’ve made at school in the past year are ignoring my phone calls. I don’t have any close friends. All my friends are basically Brad’s friends. They’ve all known him their entire life while I