Rumor Has It: A Bad Boy Romantic Comedy

by Lila Moore

  Who was she? And why was she hanging out with Val? She had an intense look, like the kind of girl who’d rather be in a museum or a café in Paris.

  Val’s fun, but she’s not exactly the most sophisticated girl in the world. And to be honest, that’s what I like about her. When we’re together, I can turn off the noise and stress of the workday and just watch shitty, reality TV with her or go for drinks. We never talk about anything serious.

  My day is filled with spreadsheets, negotiations and anxiety. It’s nice to just be with someone without having to argue, or have serious discussions. Of course, a relationship like that has an expiration date. I thought Val understood that. We were just having a good time. It wasn’t serious. Hell, I knew she was seeing other men and I didn’t even care.

  My cell phone buzzed again. It was another text from Val.

  Don’t forget about 2nite. 8 o’clock XOXO

  At the end there was a kissy-face emoji. I rolled my eyes and put down the phone. I didn’t have time for this.

  “I’ve got a video conference in ten minutes,” I said. “Are you coming?”

  “Do I have to?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who was that?” he said, motioning to my phone.

  “Val. We’re supposed to have dinner tonight.”

  “Is it an engagement party? Can I come?”

  “No, and if you don’t shut up I’m going to throw you out the window.”

  Trent laughed and slapped my shoulder. “Seeya in the meeting.”

  Genevieve

  “Can you put your cell phone away for one minute, Gigi? It’s rude. We’re having dinner.”

  I looked up from my screen and stared at my mother with contempt. She never gave a shit about dinner time, or what was rude at the dinner table. I couldn’t figure out why all of the sudden she was trying to act like a mother, but it was too little too late. All it did was piss me off. It was bad enough she forced me to wear one of her dresses.

  The outfit I had on barely qualified as clothing. It was a short, low-cut black dress with sheer fabric around the neckline. It almost completely exposed my tits. I kept constantly looking down to make sure one of them hadn’t fallen out of my dress. It was humiliating.

  People had gawked at us as when we walked into the restaurant. One man’s jaw literally fell open. My mother had winked at him and waved. The man’s wife slapped his arm and whispered to him angrily.

  When we sat down at the table, the first thing I did was pull out my phone. I needed something to distract me. I felt like the whole restaurant was staring at us. I didn’t want to see their judgmental looks.

  I found the perfect distraction: Michael’s Facebook page. He’d updated his status from ‘single’ to ‘It’s complicated.’

  I scoffed at what I saw. He had his arm around a busty blonde with bleached hair wearing a ton of bronzer. She looked orange, like an Oompa Loompa. She wore a tube top and a miniskirt. She reminded me of my mother.

  “What’s wrong?” my mother asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “What? Let me see.”

  Before I could put my phone away, she snatched it from my hand.

  “Is that the boy you were fooling around with?”

  I didn’t respond.

  “He moved on fast.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Don’t be bitter, sweetheart. It causes wrinkles.”

  “I just don’t understand-” I stopped myself from saying anymore. I didn’t want to discuss my love life with my mother, but it was too late.

  “You don’t understand what he’s doing with a girl like that?” She smiled as if amused. “Men are all the same. Let me guess, you thought Carlton-”

  “Michael.”

  “Michael-was a sensitive boy looking for a thoughtful, smart girl to lie around and talk poetry with, right?”

  I didn’t say anything. I hated it when my mother read a situation accurately. It happened rarely, but when it did, it made me angry.

  “Michael’s a college boy. He’s interested in the same thing other college boys are interested in.”

  “Graduating?”

  “Getting his dick wet.”

  “Oh my God, mother. Would you keep your voice down? We’re in public.”

  “You’ve got to lighten up, honey.”

  She stuck my cell phone into her purse and pulled out hers.

  “I want that back,” I protested.

  “After dinner.”

  She started to text someone on her phone.

  “He isn’t coming,” I said.

  “Yes, he is. He’s just late.”

  She spoke confidently, but she looked worried. After sending the text, she finished her martini and ordered a second. She normally didn’t drink this much because of the calories, but tonight she was throwing back drinks quickly.

  She drummed her long nails on the table and twisted her engagement ring around her finger. The diamond was huge. Luke must have been serious about making her his wife.

  Good luck, I thought. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.

  Suddenly my mother jumped out of her seat.

  “Luke, baby!” she squealed.

  She threw her arms around the neck of a tall man who looked startled. He had broad muscular shoulders and dark hair. His eyes were grey and intense. He looked stressed out and more than a little confused.

  I was surprised to see that he was younger than my mother. I guessed he was in his late twenties. Awkwardly, he returned my mother’s hug. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard, pressing her body against his in the process.

  “Oh my God…” I muttered under my breath.

  I looked away. The people at the table next to us were watching. This was an expensive restaurant. I doubt the patrons were used to this kind of scene.

  “Honey, this is Luke,” my mother said, after finally breaking her kiss. “Luke this is Gigi.”

  “Hi,” I said with a wave.

  He held out his hand. I took it and shook. His grip was strong; his hands soft with the long fingers of an artist.

  “Gigi…?” he said.

  “Genevieve.”

  He looked bewildered. Instantly, I knew he had no idea who I was. It didn’t surprise me. My mother lied to her Daddies about everything. When I was little, she used to take me to the beach with her. When she saw a guy she wanted to talk to, she would tell me to lie and say we were sisters. She didn’t want any of her potential meal tickets to know she was a mother. She was scared it might scare them off. Now here she was engaged to a man who didn’t even know she had a kid.

  Poor bastard. He had no idea who he was marrying.

  He looked from me to my mother. I could see the wheels turning inside his head as he tried to figure out what was going on. Before my mother could lie, I blurted out: “I’m Val’s daughter.”

  My mother’s face doesn’t register emotions well. The constant Botox injections have given her a frozen plastic look, but she looked pissed now. I’d ruined whatever lie she was planning on selling.

  She forced out an awkward laugh then pressed her body against Luke again. He stiffened. It was clear he wasn’t going to be easily swayed by her tits.

  He pushed her away gently and sat down at the table. The server came over. Luke ordered a drink and looked at me hard.

  “Val never told me she had a daughter,” he said.

  My mother laughed. “Of course I did.”

  “No. You didn’t.”

  Luke was not amused. My mother’s engagement was blowing up in her face. A part of me felt bad for her. This was the only life she’d ever known. She was in too deep to ever reform. I have no doubt that she will continue to behave this way for the rest of her life.

  I had more sympathy for Luke though. He didn’t ask to be lied to or manipulated by a woman who was only interested in his money.

  “How old are you?” Luke asked.

  “Eighteen,” I replied.

  “How can you hav
e a teenage daughter? You told me you were twenty-seven,” Luke said to my mother.

  I nearly spit out my drink. I wasn’t surprised my mother lied about her age. I was surprised Luke believed her. My mother always says men are idiots when it comes to makeup and plastic surgery. They have no idea how much a little foundation, contouring, or Botox can change a woman’s appearance, making her look years younger.

  Luke looked genuinely surprised by this revelation. He clearly fell right in with the average male in that regard. I choked down a laugh.

  “I had Gigi when I was very young,” she said. “She’s about to leave to go to college. She starts in the fall. She won’t be living at home with us.”

  The message was clear: my daughter won’t get in the way of our life. Apparently, my mother was as eager to get rid of me as I was to leave. I won’t lie; her eagerness to get rid of me stung. Maybe a part of me still wanted a relationship with her in spite of everything.

  “Us?” Luke said.

  “Don’t be silly, Luke-y. We’ve talked about moving in together and agreed it was time.”

  “What? We never talked about this and I certainly didn’t agree-”

  Luke cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure as the server set down his drink. He threw back the whiskey and loosened his tie.

  “I think we should leave. We should talk about this in private,” he said.

  “No. We’re celebrating,” my mother insisted.

  “Mom-Val- he’s right. The two of you should discuss this in private.”

  I stood and started to leave. The scene had lost its entertainment value and turned sad. My mother grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down. Luke’s eyes fell on my chest. My face burned red. Had I fallen out of my dress? I looked down quickly. My tits were still covered. I readjust the straps and wished I had a coat to wrap around me.

  “We can’t be married and live in separate houses,” my mother said.

  Luke gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. He then turned confidentially to my mother and spoke in a low voice, but it was pointless. I could hear every word he said.

  “I never proposed to you. I don’t know where you got that ring from, but I’m not paying for it.”

  “You already paid for it. I charged it to your AMEX.”

  “You’re going to return it.”

  “Luke, what’s gotten in to you? I thought you loved me?”

  She pouted and scrunched up her face. She dabbed her eyes with a napkin, but they were dry. I’d seen her pull this fake-crying routine before. I’m not sure how effect it usually is, but Luke seemed to be buying it.

  He wrapped an arm around her and spoke gently. “Don’t do that. I don’t want you to be sad. It’s just…”

  He gave me a look. My presence made him uncomfortable. As it should. I had no business being here. I did not want to know the details of my mother’s marriage scam. That was between them.

  “Luke, if you’re scared of commitment, I understand. If you still want to see other girls, I’m cool with that. I don’t mind an open relationship. Remember when we first met? You couldn’t decide between me or that cocktail waitress and I said: ‘Why not take the both of us?’”

  “Stop!” I shouted.

  I couldn’t take anymore. I jumped up before my mother could grab me and force me to listen to any more of this. Normally, I’m not that bothered by my mother’s antics, but tonight felt different.

  I’m not a crier, but I had tears in my eyes. Every eye in the restaurant was on me as I ran out the front door and into the street.

  Luke

  “Aren’t you going to go after her?”

  “Who?” Val said dumbly.

  She stared up at me with big round blue eyes. They were completely free of tears. Silently, I cursed myself for falling for her fake tears.

  “You’re like a child sometimes, you know that?”

  She made an incredulous sound and pawed at me as I stood and left the table. I didn’t want Val to follow me. I managed to make it to the front of the restaurant and out a side exit.

  I watched as Val exited through the front. She grabbed a valet and shouted something in his face. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe the way she’d behaved. Stealing my credit card and buying an engagement ring; springing a daughter on me; bringing up a drunken threesome we’d had in earshot of her daughter.

  The woman was insane. I should have listened to Trent and stayed far away.

  I watched Val wander through the crowd of people gathered by the valet. She was clearly looking for me. I decided it was best to stay in the alley for a while before I made my escape. A grown man hiding from a crazy gold digger was pathetic, but I just couldn’t deal with her right now.

  The meeting at work had gone horribly. I couldn’t deal with any more drama today. I’d wait for Val to leave, then I’d sneak out. I wouldn’t return her texts or calls. I’d ghost her. Eventually, she’d get the message and stop calling me. As for the engagement ring, I’d have to figure out a way to get it back. Worst case scenario, I’d call the police. I didn’t want Val to be arrested, but maybe it would teach her a lesson.

  “You hiding out too?”

  I turned to find Val’s daughter standing behind me. Her mascara was smudged around her eyes as if she’d been crying. She sniffled and rubbed her face with the back of her hand. The gesture made her look younger than her years.

  Seeing her sad made me angry. I can’t imagine having Val as your mother. What was it like growing up in a house like that?

  My eyes drifted over the girl. She had high cheekbones and catlike eyes. Her hair was dark; she wore it pulled up in a messy knot on top of her head. Her looks were severe, sharp angles and pouty lips. To put it simply, she was stunning. She looked like she belonged in the lost works of a great artist.

  She shuffled her feet and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was wearing a low-cut, see-through dress. A light mist had started to fall. The thin fabric clung to her curves leaving nothing to the imagination. I could clearly make out the shape of her tits and hard nipples. She shivered.

  “You must be cold,” I said.

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  I took off my coat and took a step towards her. She stared at me with the same big blue eyes her mother had. It was the only thing they shared. It was hard to imagine this trembling girl was Val’s daughter, but the eyes don’t lie.

  I wrapped my coat around her and buttoned it. She smiled weakly.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  We stared at each other in awkward silence.

  “I want you to know-”

  “Do you-”

  We spoke at the same time.

  “Go ahead,” I said.

  “I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. My mother is…” She sighed and looked away. For a second, I thought she would start to cry again, but she seemed to recover. “She’s difficult. There’s no excusing what she did. I had no idea she’d made up the engagement. I never would have come if I’d known.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for her. You did nothing wrong.”

  She looked down at her feet. She was wearing six-inch stiletto heels; they looked like she borrowed them from a stripper. Her calves were round and firm; her legs shapely. She looked like she worked out.

  Val’s body was softer. She spent most of her life being cared for like a house pet. This girl was different.

  I looked around the corner of the restaurant. Val was gone.

  “Genevieve, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you need a ride home?”

  She looked around uncertainly. “No, I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ll take the subway.”

  I couldn’t believe Val would take off and leave her daughter behind. Did she just assume the girl would take the train? It was late and raining. Traveling alone was dangerous for a girl.

  “I’ll give you a ride. You shouldn’t ta
ke the subway alone this late at night. It’s not safe.”

  “It’s fine. I do it all the time.”

  “If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. No more arguments. I’ll drive you.”

  She shrugged shyly and followed me to the valet. We waited in silence as they brought my car around.

  My jacket was big on Genevieve. It swallowed her up. She was so tiny and vulnerable; easy prey for any creep on the subway. Fucking Val. How could she abandon her daughter to fend for herself?

  Genevieve

  After what felt like ages, the valet brought Luke’s car. He held the door open for me. Getting in was awkward. He drives a sports car and it’s low to the ground. My dress is short so I had to twist and turn to get into the car without exposing myself.

  Luke smiled at me and shut the door. I didn’t like this. Luke was way hotter than he had any right to be. What was he doing fooling around with my mother? Most of her Daddies were old, rich men with long hair coming out of their noses and jowly faces. Luke looked like he was carved out of marble. He had a strong jaw and striking green eyes. The way he looked at me made dangerous thoughts pop into my head, like: what would he look like naked?

  Luke slid into the driver’s-side seat, then turned up the heat and pointed the vent at me. I hugged his coat around me. I was freezing.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  He put the car into Drive and sped off. I gripped the seat. I wasn’t used to driving in cars; I usually take the subway.

  Luke drove fast, darting in and out of traffic. The sports car accelerated quickly as he shifted gears. I thought about what he said about the subway being dangerous.

  “You know, getting into cars with strangers isn’t exactly safe either,” I said.

  “What?”

  He looked confused.

  “You said it was a bad idea for me to take the subway alone.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, I don’t really know you. I mean, you’re the guy in a phony engagement with my mother. For all I know, you’re as crazy as she is.”