“Um,” he stammered .
“I know it’s not a date,” I added quickly before hanging up. It was going to be a long weekend .
Chapter Eleven
Tabitha
I climbed into the backseat of the car where Earl was waiting for me. It felt awkward and forced to be so close to him. I scooted in and tugged my dress down over my thigh, trying to hide the exposed skin. It was the nicest but also the shortest dress that I had. The black silk wouldn’t stay in place though, no matter how hard I tried. Finally, I gave up and looked out the window .
“You look very nice,” Earl said softly .
“Thanks,” I muttered. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation. I felt like I was in the back of a hearse going to my own funeral. Earl had such misconceptions about my mother that it was almost painful. I knew what was going to happen though. She hated me for just being alive. Tonight was not going to be the warm reunion that Earl had hoped for .
“Does she know I’m coming?” I asked him coldly .
He cleared his throat. “I thought it would be more fun if it was a surprise. I know how much she likes gifts from the way my dad talks about her .”
“She likes money and men with money. This isn’t a gift she’ll enjoy .”
“Not with that attitude she won’t,” he shot back .
“Boy,” I spat. “You sure do think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” I laughed and shook my head. “It must be nice to always think you’re right .”
“I am most of the time. My track record has proven itself, what about you ?”
I glared at him. “You think just because I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth that I don’t have a good character .”
“That’s not what I meant,” he murmured. “It just seems strange to me that you want to get your breasts done to get a job. There are other ways to improve your chances .”
“Wow, you really do think you have all the answers, don’t you?” I said quickly. “It’s no wonder you’re still single .”
His eyes grew wide. “Excuse me? I don’t have a girlfriend because I don’t want one. I could get one with the snap of a finger .”
“You would think that too,” I shot back. “You could probably find one just like my mother actually. That would be perfect for you. Another trophy to show off to the world .”
“Just because I have money and you don’t does not make you some kind of martyr. It means that I’m willing to work for what I want .”
“And I’m willing to go under the knife for what I want, but that’s wrong to you?” I scoffed. “I can’t wait until tonight is over. A promise is a promise, or did you have your team of lawyers draw something up for out little arrangement .”
Earl rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a child .”
Silence fell between us and I welcomed it. My nerves were totally shot and we hadn’t even dealt with my mother yet. I let out a deep breath, trying to control myself so that things didn’t implode the second I walked through her door. We would be there soon. Good. The quicker we got there, the faster the night would end and I could go home .
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly .
I jerked my head around. “What ?”
“I said that I was sorry,” he repeated. “I never should have taken advantage of you like I did the other day. It was really unethical .”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I wanted it just as much as you did.” I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “You know I didn’t do it to get breasts. I would never do something like that for money or trade. I really had a good time .”
“I know,” he whispered. “The thought honestly never crossed my mind. Can you come into the office on Monday? We can finalize everything then .”
“Does this mean I still have to go to this dinner with my mother?” I asked hopefully .
He laughed and nodded. “Yes, you still have to go have dinner with your mother. I think you’ll be surprised with how much she has changed .”
“You must not know her very well then,” I muttered .
“I don’t,” he admitted. “But my father loves her, so I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. I know it’s been a long time since the two of you talked, but hopefully after tonight we will be seeing a lot more of each other .”
“As brother and sister? Isn’t that a little messed up?” I asked him .
I didn’t want to admit to myself that the idea did turn me on a little bit. He was legally my step-brother, but I still craved the touch of his hand. He did things to me with his fingers that I never knew were possible. I shuddered and turned away from him, trying to hide the growing desire in my eyes. If I made it through tonight, I would be staying far away from Earl and my mother too. I couldn’t keep letting my emotions get the better of me .
“Everything okay?” he asked .
“Yeah,” I said with a hoarse voice. “Just thinking about the last time I talked with my mother face to face .”
“I guess it didn’t go too well ?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “That would be an understatement. The fact that police weren’t called was a miracle. I hope that you are right. I hope she’s morphed into a woman so different from the mother I knew that I don’t recognize her .”
“You just need to have a little bit of faith. My father did marry her after all, she must not be that bad of a person .”
“Either that or she’s gotten better at hiding who she really is,” I told him .
He slid a little closer to me and my body started to tremble. As he reached out and took my hand from my lap, I closed my eyes. How was I going to survive being so close to him and not make a move? I knew he wasn’t looking for a relationship because neither was I. That didn’t stop the burning attraction that lingered between us .
“I know that you don’t want to be here. Hopefully you’ll see in just a few minutes that everything happens for a reason. I know that we were meant to meet and come here together tonight .”
I shook my head. “No matter what I say, you aren’t going to listen to me until you’ve seen it with your own eyes so what’s the point in arguing about it right now? Let’s just get this over with .”
“A little optimism would be nice .”
I plastered the most insincere smile I could muster onto my face and Earl winced .
“Or—” he said before quickly looking away. “Look! Here we are .”
I glanced out the window as the car came to a stop in front of a Victorian era mansion. It was surrounded by acres of pristine landscaping. My mother had really landed herself a big fish. Earl held out his arm for me as I climbed out and we made our way up the grand staircase to the front door. From the corner of my eye I saw my mother through a window. Our eyes locked as the smile fell from her face. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. The look of pure hatred lasted just a brief second before she was out of my view, but it was enough to send a chill through my spine. I leaned against Earl without thinking about it and he looked down at me with a smile .
“Nervous?” he whispered to me .
“Sure,” I mumbled. “Let’s call it that .”
We stopped at the front door and Earl rang the bell. My heart was beating so loud that I was sure Earl could hear it. I felt like I was going to pass out. All of the memories from my teen years that I’d fought so hard to repress came flooding back. I had to fight to keep my knees from buckling underneath me as the door was slowly opened. This was it. Earl’s arm fell away from me and I knew that I was on my own. One of us was going to be proven right tonight and I had the sneaking suspicion that was going to be me .
My stomach lurched as I looked up and saw my mother for the first time in a long while. She had the polite smile of a hostess on her face, but a subtle twitch above her left eye told me that it was all a lie. There was nothing different about her, she just found a better mask to hide behind .
Chapter Twelve
Earl
“Well, this is a surprise,” said Opal breathlessly. She smiled at us. “Please come in! I’m so happy to see the both of you !”
She reached across and wrapped me into a cold embrace. Tabitha made no effort to hug Opal back when she did the same to her. As Opal pulled away, I looked at Tabitha expectantly. She rolled her eyes at me then cleared her throat .
“It’s good to see you too, Mother,” she huffed out .
“I was just telling Selina what a shame it was we missed you at the wedding here. You really should have come. It’s not every day your mother gets married,” she scolded .
“It’s not all that infrequent either,” Tabitha shot back. “I’ll be sure to catch the next one .”
Opal glared at her and took a tall glass of champagne from a waiting server. She had it gone in one drink to my surprise. Hopefully she did this sort of thing all the time and I hadn’t made a terrible mistake .
“Don’t be silly, Tabitha. You always did have a flare for the dramatics. Gary and I are in love. There will never be another man for me .”
She smiled at my father as he walked in and stood next to her. He shook my hand then extended one for Tabitha. She took it, though I could see her guard was up .
“You must be Tabitha. I must say that we missed you at the wedding. It’s no matter though. You are here now and that’s what we will focus on! A celebration! What luck that you and Earl met each other recently .”
“Yes dear,” interjected Opal. “It surely must have been luck. Darling, did Earl not make it clear tonight was a formal dinner ?”
I winced at Opal’s blatant attack on Tabitha, though it seemed to go right over my father’s head. I had to say something or there was going to be bloodshed before we even made it to the appetizers. If any part of me thought that this was going to be an easy reunion before, I knew that I was wrong now. I had my work cut out for me .
Quickly, I cleared my throat. “Tabitha was telling me how you quit college to take care of her father when he was sick. That was a very generous thing for you to do. What were you studying ?”
For the first time I saw a similarity between the two women as they both glared at me. Clearly, they didn’t want my input into the battle I had just created by bringing them around each other. To her credit, Tabitha closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again she was smiling at her mother like nothing in the world could touch her. Whatever she’d seen in me, it was making her at least try to get along which was more than I could ask for .
“I’m sorry, Mother, that I’m under dressed. Maybe next time I can try something else. You have a beautiful home here .”
“Yes,” Opal said, obviously caught off guard. “Well, I’m sure next time you’ll have something a little less, tattered.” She turned to look at me, taking note of how close I was standing to her daughter .
She didn’t miss a beat before prying a little deeper as we made our way into the formal dining room. “So how did you two just happen to meet again ?”
“I went to him for a consultation after a friend recommended him,” Tabitha said .
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “Oh ?”
I didn’t like the way she got excited about Tabitha changing herself. Before I could stop myself I once again butted into the conversation. “Something that I am still adamantly trying to talk her out of.” My eyes caught Tabitha’s and she blushed. “She is perfect the way she is .”
“Well,” Opal mumbled. “Everyone’s entitled to a slum period I suppose .”
The servant brought her a third glass of wine, which she had gone before he left again. My mouth dropped open in shock. She was so degrading to Tabitha that I had to fight the urge to lunge across the table and kick her out of my father’s home. How had he fallen for such a hateful woman? It was then that I noticed him sitting at the head of the table, two empty chairs away from the snake he called a wife. He was busy on his phone. Suddenly it made sense and I had to test my theory .
He looked up and I caught his gaze, a look of expectancy on my face. He quickly set his phone down and moved to the chair next to his wife. The doting smile he gave her almost made me sick to my stomach. Opal changed before my eyes, the drunkenness still evident, but her hand disappeared below the table to my father’s leg. She turned her attention to me, completely ignoring Tabitha as she sat there in silence. I felt like such a fool for making her come with me now .
“So, besides the charity work, how is the practice going?” she asked me .
I clenched my fist, but before I could speak, Tabitha gently shoved me in the ribs, out of her mother’s sight. Once again, I was dumbfounded by Tabitha’s actions. She wasn’t going to make a scene or start a fight even thought I saw now she had every right too. I’d told her that we had to make it through the dinner for her to get the operation. Something I was regretting more with each passing minute .
“Fine,” I hissed .
“Good,” Opal muttered .
My father was taking in the scene for the first time, his attention focused on Tabitha. “So tell me, what kind of industry are you in? Your mother never seems to know .”
Tabitha cleared her throat. “I’m looking for a job right now, just playing the field sort of. I work part time at night, but that’s about it .”
“Well, everyone deserves an age where they don’t have a care in the world. Take your time looking around for that perfect fit and let us know if you need help with anything .”
“Thank you,” she said politely .
“So working nights?” Opal slurred. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. I guess that explains why you missed the wedding. You couldn’t show up for it, but you’re here for a free meal and who knows what else .”
“That’s it,” I hissed .
“Earl,” Tabitha said sharply. “I came here tonight because Earl wanted us to mend our relationship. He thought that we could actually be a mother and daughter again. Thank you, though, for proving me right, it never gets old .”
Opal leaned forward. “You are nothing to me and you never will be .”
I gasped and looked at my father. He had his head tilted back, nearly asleep. He didn’t know what was going on. Before I could even stand up, Opal was digging her claws further into Tabitha .
“You are weak and pathetic,” Opal seethed. “Just like your deadbeat father. The best thing that ever happened to me was him dying and you disappearing .”
I turned to Tabitha, ready to have her back if she lunged across the table and stabbed her mother. She didn’t make a move against her, but slowly stood up and set her napkin down on the table. After adjusting her dress, she turned away and walked down the hall. The front door slammed behind her and my father woke up .
“Huh?” he stammered. “What did I miss ?”
I didn’t have the time to fill him in, but I made a point of glaring at Opal. She wouldn’t get away with treating her daughter like that. Tabitha didn’t deserve any of it. I jogged to the front door and ran outside to where she was standing. Even from a distance I could hear the sound of her crying. It broke my heart to know that I had caused her so much pain and suffering. All of this was my fault. She spun around when she heard me and wiped away her tears .
“I don’t want to talk about it okay? Please just take me home,” she said quickly as she shoved past me and walked to the waiting car .
“Tabitha,” I called after her. I caught up to her and grabbed her arm gently. “Please just talk to me for a minute. I’m so sorry that happened to you. S
he is a real bitch .”
She jerked her arm away from me, the tears streaming down her face again. “I told you that was going to happen! I told you not to bring me here, but you didn’t listen! You thought that because I’m just a poor girl, desperate for a chance in life that I would lie !”
“No,” I told her softly .
Spinning away from me, she climbed into the car and locked the door. It was obvious that she was done with the conversation and I couldn’t blame her. I climbed into the car and silently nodded to the driver to go. I couldn’t believe what an idiot I had been in trying to fix things. She was right, I hadn’t listened to her when I should have. Everything that she’d said to me so far had been the truth, yet I still pushed her and thought that Opal was a different person .
“Tabitha,” I whispered to her after a few minutes .
She just shook her head. Leaning forward, I pressed the button to put up the divider between us and the driver. I had to get her to talk to me or at least hear me out. I could never live with myself if Tabitha wouldn’t forgive me. Who knew how much she was hurting inside? I’d never dealt with the kind of rejection her mother was able to give out so casually to her own daughter .
“If you don’t want to talk to me then that’s fine, just listen,” I said to her. She turned away from me but I pressed on. “I should have listened to you. You told me not to trust her, but I still pushed you. I am so sorry that she said all those things to you. She is a monster .”
“Can you please just leave me alone?” she asked softly .
“No,” I told her. “I would love to be able to walk away from this, but I can’t. I never expected to care for you, but I do and I don’t like seeing you so hurt. I wish we could go back there and I would give her a piece of my mind .”
She chuckled, “It wouldn’t do you any good. She blocks out anything negative she doesn’t want to hear. I’ve tried several times to get through to her. That bitch isn’t the same woman that loved my father. After he died, she became what she is now .”
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