Page 123 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

Of course, he knew what I was booking the flight for. And if he didn’t have my address before, I’d just handed it to him on a silver platter. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Where is she?” I demanded.

Ted held up his hands in mock surrender. “I can assure you, she’s safe and sound. I’m only here to drive you, Miss Valentine. So if you’ll please get in the car…”

I crossed my arms and glared. “How do I know I can trust you to take me to her?”

Poor Ted didn’t stand a chance against my hormones or my emotions today.

“I guess you don’t know for certain,” he admitted. “But I give you my word if that makes any difference.”

He looked so distraught that I’d lashed out at him that I felt a little bad. So reluctantly, I climbed into the car.

“Okay, but I swear to you Ted, if I see Ryland, I have the police on speed dial.”

“I don’t doubt that, Miss.” He bowed his head and shut the door.

Like the handful of other times he’d driven me, he put on some soothing classical music. It did nothing to calm me as I bounced my knee up and down on the leather seat impatiently. We drove through the city and started to wind our way into a more suburban area where the houses became fewer and farther apart. It was making me nervous, and I clutched my phone as I called out to Ted.

“This isn’t the way to the airport.”

“No, Miss Valentine, it isn’t,” he replied calmly. “Your mother is here in California. Please, just be patient.”

Being patient was the last thing I wanted to do. And Norma in California? I was going to have to see it to believe it. But I held on for a little longer, at least until we pulled up to a gated area of some sort of mansion in the hills.

“What is this place?” I asked.

Ted didn’t hear me as he spoke into the intercom. Whatever he said caused the gate to swing open, and he drove right on through. The car stopped in a circular drive surrounded by greenery and an ornate water fountain out the front. Whatever this place was, it was too big to be a house, but it didn’t look like a hotel either. Ted got out to open my door and gestured me towards the large glass doors at the top of the staircase.

“I’ll be waiting here for you Miss.”

“But… I don’t even know what this place is,” I protested.

A strange woman walked by and gave me a little wave, followed by a few other people I didn’t recognize. They were all dressed in nice clothing, but there was a weird vibe about the whole place that made me hesitate.

“I’m under instruction to deliver you here,” Ted explained. “And to wait as long as you need.”

Clearly, he didn’t know what was going on either. So I wrapped my cardigan around myself with a huff and walked up the large stone stairs, pushing open the glass door. It resembled a luxury hotel inside, with a large reception desk right at the front. I walked up nervously, and a woman with blonde hair and a friendly smile greeted me.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, I’m not really sure,” I said. “I’m here to see Norma-Jean Richmond.”

“Ah, of course.” She tapped away at the computer. “I’ll call her down for you.”

I stood awkwardly off to the side, not really sure what to expect while I waited. As I looked around, I saw more faces I didn’t recognize, but eventually, there was one I did. It was an actual celebrity from a reality TV show.

I tried to keep my mouth from dropping open when he winked at me and sauntered by.

“He’s a looker, huh?” Norma’s voice interrupted from behind me. “A real nice guy too.”

I spun around in shock and thought the floor was about to give out on me. Because there in front of me was my mother, but I hardly recognized her.

In place of her sunken eyes, two vibrant green orbs stared back at me. Her skin had a strange glow to it, and I could almost swear even some of her wrinkles had disappeared. Her hair was shiny, and instead of being styled into its usual rat’s nest, it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. But it was the extra fifteen pounds added to her frame that really had me doing a double take.

Not to mention the clothes she was wearing. Gone were the cheap white heels and too large jeans. There wasn’t a frill in site on her beige sweatshirt or khaki pants. She looked like a… well, like a mom.

“What happened to you?” I blurted.

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