His eyes became alarmed. “Mom?”
She linked her elbows with his and beamed at the group. “I’m having lunch with my son and his friends. Isn’t that darling? Sam, you’re attending as well?”
“Uh…” My limbs were still frozen.
Then Malinda snapped to attention. Her eyes shifted over my shoulders. “And Garrett, you as well? That would be glorious. I could call David and we could have a mini-family luncheon? That sounds delicious, doesn’t it?” She patted Mark on the cheek. “What do you think, honey?”
He reddened in the face. “Mom. You’re embarrassing me.”
Then she withdrew her arm and her laughter raised a notch. “I’m just kidding. You know I’d never embarrass you like that.” Her sharp eyes swept to Adam. “I’m here to meet your mother, Adam. I told you that this morning, didn’t I?”
He had frozen as well and choked out, “Uh…no…”
Malinda winked at him and leaned forward to whisper behind her hand, “She wants to talk about you returning home. Don’t worry, honey. I have your back. Always.” Then she leaned forward and smacked a kiss to his cheek before she did the same to Mark. Both had their mouths open, but Mark groaned and hurried away.
Malinda laughed as she watched his retreating back. “He acts all aghast of me, but that boy is his mother’s pride and joy. We’re a good unit, the two of us.” Her eyes lingered on Carmine for a moment. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And Mrs. Carmella shook her head. She jerked herself out of her surprise. “Uh, yes, of course, Malinda. We should have lunch sometime.”
“Tomorrow. At eleven.”
“Oh.” She blinked a few times.
Malinda’s voice could’ve melted sugar. “Unless you’re busy….again.”
“No, no.” Mrs. Carmella forced out a smile. “I’m not, never for you. Tomorrow at eleven it is.”
“I’ll see you here then!” Malinda whisked from the group but not before kissing my cheek and patting my hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Samantha. I’ve missed you this week.”
When she had left, the group was silent for a moment. Then Mrs. Carmella forced out an awkward laugh. Her smile was tense as she scanned the group. “That was Malinda Decraw, Bella. She’s one of the founding families for this club.”
The woman pulled her hand from Garrett, who had yet to meet my gaze, and nodded. She folded her hands together in front of her and spoke in a timid voice, “So I should be very nice to her?”
Carmine’s laugh had a harsh, high-pitch to it. “You could say that. Now, if you all will excuse me. Adam, I’ll be in to welcome your friends to the club, though I think all of their families are members.”
He nodded. “Always good to be gracious.”
“Yes, of course, dear.” She looked away, distracted. “Excuse me again.”
When she left, Adam wasn’t far behind. He gave me a curious look before he disappeared in a back room and I was left alone with Garrett and Bella. I took a deep breath.
Then Garrett gutted out, “All we need is James and Analise to make an appearance. I should assume they’re guests as well?”
I looked down. I hadn’t expected the hostility that spewed from him. “Uh, yeah. I don’t think they come, though.”
“Of course.” A bitter laugh ripped from him. “This place is probably beneath them.”
“I…”
But it didn’t matter. He strode away and out the door. His shoulders were stiff and his jaw was clenched. Then Bella held a hand to me. She gave me a soft smile. “You’re his daughter, aren’t you?”
I looked at it. For some reason, the moment was surreal to me.
She drew it back to her side. “I’m his wife.”
My eyes lifted and caught hers. “I know.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lunch was awkward. That was the best word to describe it. The food was good. The service was attentive, but when Adam’s boss came around to give the gracious welcome, she gave me a wide berth. It was a different experience, compared to what I’ve received since Logan announced I was his stepsister. On one hand I enjoyed her avoidance, but I was also unsettled by it. She looked at me with fear in her eyes. What had I done to receive that? And then I stopped wondering. It was out of my control.
Adam noticed the chilly reception from Mrs. Carmella and gave me small smile. Maybe it was his way of saying he was sorry the job wouldn’t work out. I sighed when I left. I didn’t want to work there, anyway. I had my back up person to ask. Logan.
After school, I texted him if we could talk, but he replied that he had a mandatory team meeting. I never heard back from him the rest of the night and I hadn’t heard from Mason since the morning. He always sent me a good morning text, and even the usual ones he’d send in the afternoon were absent. My stomach’s knots started twisting again. It didn’t sit well with me, especially on the days when we wouldn’t see each other. He usually sent me more on those days than on one when we knew we’d see each other later. Since I hadn’t heard anything different from Mason, I figured it was another night where we’d go our separate ways. However, after not hearing back from Logan, especially after a message where I asked to talk to him, I made up my mind.
I was going to their basketball game.
I knew they weren’t playing, but they would still be there. I was going, even if I sat alone. Then again, maybe I would sit in the opponent’s side. I longed for that anonymity again.
Since Mark played for Fallen Crest Academy’s basketball team and they had their own game that night, I knew I wouldn’t be successful in rallying anyone to go as my guest. Though I considered Becky, she informed me after class that she had to wear her uniform for the entire weekend. Someone snickered as they walked past us, but she placed her hands on her hips and stood tall. She stood proud. “It’s a hazing practice, but I’m happy to wear this uniform. I will even sleep in it.”
Becky was out.
Parking was packed around Mason’s school. It was a large building with a large parking lot, and I didn’t find a spot until I was six blocks away. As I walked by myself, the cold air swept past me and I shivered. I was glad for the bulky sweatshirt Mason had given me and dug my hands into the pocket. My teeth were clattering against each other by the time I arrived at the front door. A group of students dressed in their school’s colors, red and black, dashed in front of me. They threw the door open and a burst of warm air blasted me.
I gasped with relief, though I hadn’t realized how cold I really was until then.
The line inside was long and took twenty minutes before I was able to pay for my ticket. I was handed a program and then skimmed the concessions lines. The ticket wait was nothing compared to those. It would’ve been forty minutes before I got the only thing I wanted, a soda, so I ducked inside the first set of doors and stopped in amazement.
Both sides of the gym were packed. It didn’t look like there was any open seating on their stands and then a roar went over the crowd. It wasn’t difficult to find where Fallen Crest Public’s cheering section was located. They were across from me, on the other side of the gym, which meant I was beside the opponents. I didn’t care, but another cheer went over the crowd.
Ethan Fischer had entered the gym. The cheering section hooted, hollered, and laughed. Some of the girls called out his name and the guys started a chant that wasn’t audible. Ethan grinned and ran a hand through his messily rumpled hair. He had baggy jeans on and a tight black tee shirt, but he loped towards his friends with his hands shoved down in his pockets. He went slow and smirked when more people called out to him as he passed. As he drew near, his friends separated and he got a seat smack in the middle.
I let out a breath I’d been holding. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding it, but goodness. If that was his welcome and he wasn’t on their team, I couldn’t imagine about Mason and Logan’s arrival.
“Hi, Samantha.”
I jumped backwards and landed into the person who spoke to me.
r />
“Oh, Helen.” I gave her a shaky smile as I scooted backwards. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
She waved it off with a gracious smile. “That’s okay. You weren’t expecting me. I wasn’t expecting you as well. Do the boys know you were coming tonight?”
I blinked at her. The niceness that came from her made me pause, and I didn’t realize I was staring until she chuckled in a soft manner. Her golden hair was down. It framed her face and with the pink cashmere sweater she wore, giving her an angelic image. She glanced down and I did as well. She wore jeans that I already knew were custom-fitted over a pair of pointy shoes. They were black, but I knew they were from a designer I had never heard of.
“Sam?” She gave me another soft grin. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” My head ducked down. I must’ve looked like a fool. “I didn’t…anyway…”
She chuckled again and gestured to the bleachers behind us. “Should we sit?”
I looked where she pointed. “There are no seats.”
She pointed higher. “I paid for that box when Mason was a freshman. It’s reserved for any of their family members, but no one knows that. I don’t think Mason and Logan even know that I did that. Would you sit with me? I came alone.”
“Me too.”
“I know.”
I felt another blush coming and rolled my eyes. Why was this happening?
Then she touched my arm. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Sam. Mason told me you’re a loner, of sorts.”
“Oh.” Then why did I feel stupid because of it? “Yeah.”
“Come on. Let’s go up.”
A security guy took her elbow and led the way. We were taken behind the bleachers and into another a narrow hallway. The walls touched each side of my shoulders as we trudged down it to a small door that led to a small stairway. As we went up, I could hear the roars and chants from the gym beside us. The wall was thin and it shook from whoever was on the other side, in the bleachers beside it. The security guy opened another small door at the top, and we stepped into a small box set above the gym. We were encased in hard plastic all around us with a desktop that stretched from one end of the box to the other. There were folding chairs at one end with some upholstered chairs at the other end. When Helen sat in one of them, I took the other.
The security guy took one of the folding chairs.
We were above the rest of the chaos in the gym and no one glanced at us. Not once.
Helen touched my arm again. “Would you like something from the concessions? I was thinking of getting some popcorn.”
“Oh.” She was going to the concessions? I jerked my head in a nod. “I’ll take a diet soda.”
Her smile blinded me, and she extended a twenty dollar bill to the security guy. “Edward, would you get me one as well?”
He nodded, took the money, and left.
I sat back. Of course. I should’ve seen that from a mile away.
And then the door opened again and two more men climbed inside. They gave us both cheerful grins and one took a seat in the farthest seat. A microphone was placed on the tabletop in front of him and the other took out a mechanical device. Each of them also wore a microphone in their ears with a mouthpiece in front. As they started to converse about the game, I realized these were the guys heard on the radio.
The rival team made its entrance.
Boos and chants were loud. They were abrasive, even through the box, as they took their side of the court and started their warm-up routine.
Then, it was the Fallen Crest Public High’s turn.
The mascot came first and the cheers were deafening. The walls of our box shook and I grabbed onto the table. I didn’t want the box to fall. I didn’t want to die. Helen covered my hand as she chuckled and looked back over. The team came next and the cheers tripled.
I felt like I should’ve been at a preteen concert. The screams made me cringe and cover my ears, but then I saw Mason and Logan. They were the last on the court and were slower than the rest. The bruises hadn’t faded since I saw them last, two days ago, but they warmed up with the rest of the team. When Mason caught a basketball and jumped back for an easy three-pointer, I let out a deep breath.
He looked good. His warm-up jersey clung to his muscular build and he jumped for his shot with a grace that took my breath. There was an animal sense to his athleticism. I cursed at myself because I hadn’t fully appreciated it when he was on the football team, but now that he wasn’t covered in pads or his restricting football uniform, his muscles bulged and shifted under his jersey with ease.
More girls screamed at the sight and I understood.
Then I glanced over and saw the small smirk on Helen’s face. She was proud of her sons, as she should be, but there was something else. There was a sinister look to her and I sat back, now cold.
The enjoyment of the game was gone. I was reminded who sat beside me, Helen Malbourne. Mason told me that she had taken her maiden name back recently. Her wealth surpassed James’ and she earned her respect from her sons. That spoke the most to me and I took in a small breath.
I felt like I sat with the enemy. But did I? She loved them as well, so…I glanced up. There was a hard cynicism in her depths. I sighed. This wasn’t someone I would ever confide in or let my guard down around. She hated my mother. My loyalty was spelled out with that statement. I loved my mother, though I didn’t support her all the time.
With her eyes still trained on the court in front of us, she asked from the corner of her mouth, “I take from your sudden tension that you’ve been reminded who I am?”
She turned then and her eyes caught and held mine. She studied me how Mason always did, but I slammed a wall down and raised my chin. “Your Mason’s mother. You hate my mother. You’re dating my biological father.”
Talk about confusion.
Her smile turned ugly as she preened. “All is true, what you say.” Then her gaze dipped down and her smile grew. The look of pride was an understatement. “Those two are my most precious gems in this world. They are my pride and joy. They are a force to be reckoned with. They are already men, and I am proud to call myself their mother. You want to take that away from me?”
I didn’t blink, but I spoke with a hallow ache in me. “I never said that.”
“You don’t approve of me.”
“You’re scary.” I threw away caution and went in balls-out. My gaze was strong. “You don’t like my mother. You think she’s beneath you. You’re dating my biological father, but you don’t approve of me. You think Mason could do better than me.”
“He could.”
She shifted in her seat and the two men in the box grew silent. I knew they paid attention to our conversation.
“Why?” I was honest in my question. “Because I don’t have money?”
“Because your pedigree is lacking.”
She had a predator’s smile.
I glanced back at the gym and saw the game had started. Mason and Logan were in the front, beside their coach. Kate, Natalie, Jasmine, and Parker were in the row of seats behind them. As I watched, Natalie snaked a hand through Logan’s hair and pulled his head backwards. She bent to whisper in his ear and he enjoyed it. His grin could’ve melted off someone’s panties. Kate tried the same with Mason, but he shoved her hand away. When she grew determined and grasped his hair, he reached back. His hand found her face and he shoved her backwards.
My eye never twitched. I grew stronger.
I turned back to his mother. “My pedigree is lacking?”
She crossed her legs and leaned forward. All her attention was focused on the game, but she spoke to me. “Your mother is a gold digger and an alcoholic. She is a social climber while the father that raised you is a high school football coach. What pedigree is there for my son?” She turned now and never blinked as she met my gaze. She meant every word she spoke. “There is no pedigree. Mason deserves better than you. Yes, I will be nice to you for him. He’s asked this of me.
I invited you to join me in this box, but I won’t insult you by answering with a bold-faced lie. I give you respect when I say that you are not the girl Mason will end up with. He will find someone who will fit with our life and his future. He is in high school. He has yet to enter the adult world, but when he does, you should prepare yourself. You will fall to the wayside.” She blinked now. Kindness seeped inside and she gave me a sympathetic look. “And you know it. You already know he’s more than you. It’s why I imagine you’re holding onto that other young man. Was his name Adam Quinn? I believe Mason mentioned something about him to me.”
I gave her my fuck-off smile and sat up straight. “It’s moments like this where I’m happy to tell you—” I paused. Her eyes narrowed. I spat out with a Cheshire grin, “Bella came back to town.”
Helen’s small grin vanished. She sucked in her own breath.
I leaned forward and whispered, “He wants to get back together with his wife and since she’s back, it looks like those two will reconcile.”
Her jaw clamped tight and I knew she blinked back tears.