Ophelia’s. She’s way too overdressed for a visit at Golden Oaks. She must be Troy’s mother.
My spine goes taut, and sudden nervousness takes hold of me. I’m usually not bad with parents—Blake’s folks adore me—but I sense it’s going to take more than a sincere smile to win this lady over.
“Good morning. I see you beat me here, son,” she deadpans.
“Yeah, Charlie got me out of bed early.”
Gee, thanks, Troy, for throwing me at the shark without a warning.
She turns to me, and even behind the sunglasses, I can sense her eyes assessing me. I try not to squirm in my chair. If I had known I’d be meeting her, I’d have picked something nicer to wear instead of my faded jeans, Chucks, and a vintage T-shirt. At least my hair isn’t in a messy bun, and I put makeup on to hide the dark circles.
“Oh, is that your new roommate?” she asks him as if I wasn’t sitting right there.
I jump from my seat and extend a hand to her. “Yes, I’m the roommate.”
“Actually, she’s no longer my roommate. She’s my girlfriend,” Troy pipes up.
I swear the woman’s handshake tightens when she learns that, and then she drops my hand as if touching me burned her. I wonder if anyone noticed that or if it was just my imagination.
“Is that so? Does that mean you moved out?”
“Uh, no,” I say, looking at Troy for help.
Finally, he notices I’m floundering and jumps off his chair to come stand next to me. “Why would she move out?”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to live with a girl you just started dating? Living together is a commitment, not a whim.” She turns to me. “No offense, darling.”
Yikes. Tell us how you really feel, why don’t you?
“Oh, sit down, Elaine, and stop raining on everyone’s parade,” Ophelia butts in. “Just because you couldn’t make your marriage work doesn’t mean your son can’t live with his girlfriend without causing the Rapture.”
She twists her face into a scowl. “I’m sorry. I felt it was my duty to point out the obvious. But you’re right; it’s not my place to comment. Kids are so independent nowadays.” She glances at Jane. “But don’t you get any ideas. You’re not going to move in with any boy while you’re still living on my dime.”
“Oh, honey, society is full of double standards. I’m merely protecting my daughter.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Did she just insinuate that my parents don’t care about me because they didn’t say I couldn’t live with Troy? To be fair, they don’t know I’m dating him, and I doubt they would bat an eye, considering their marriage is hanging by a thread.
Immediately, my anger dissipates, and it’s replaced by an overwhelming sadness.
If I knew how this day would toy with my emotions, I wouldn’t have left the bed.
37
TROY
Charlie is morose after we leave Golden Oaks. I don’t need to be a genius to guess meeting my mother put her in that state. Curse the woman and her evil ways. I wish Grandma had told me Mom would be paying a visit today. I’d have canceled ours.
The drive back home is quiet, and not even the radio manages to fill the void.
“Hey, don’t let my mother get to you,” I tell her once she parks in front of the house. “She’s a witch, and she will suck the joy out of you if you let her.”
Charlie gives me a pitiful smile. “I’m not upset about what she said exactly. She did remind me about my parents’ fight though.”
“Do you want to drive to Littleton today? I’ll come with you.”
She shakes her head, staring straight ahead. “No. Only if Ben needs me. I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with what’s coming.”
She means if her parents get a divorce. I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes. When my parents split up, I had already been in a dark place, so one more bad thing didn’t impact me as much.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we invite your friends for another board game party?”
She turns to me, and this time, the smile seems more genuine. She cups my cheek, and because I can’t help myself, I take her hand and place a kiss on her open palm.
“Thanks for suggesting it, but everyone is busy today. But I know what can make me feel better.”