Page 40 of Empty Net

I’ll gladly provide it. I squeeze her hand three times, silently repeating my words from earlier, hoping she catches it.

I’m right here.

She squeezes mine back twice.

Thank you.

Or at least that’s what I take it as.

“Where’s Dad?” Lilah asks.

Her mother waves her hand. “Your father is around here somewhere.” Her eyes swing my way, and I hold her sharp stare, refusing to back down. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to yourboyfriend, dear?”

Another squeeze from Lilah.

“Mother,” she says, dropping my hand, “this is Arthur Fox. Fox, this is my mother, Selene Maddison.”

“Fox?” Selene asks. “You go by your last name?” Her nose turns up at this.

“Hockey thing,” Lilah explains.

I take Selene’s hand in mine, pressing a kiss to the back of it. I hold eye contact with her the entire time, just as I was taught.

“It’s so lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Maddison, and may I say, you look even more gorgeous in person.”

Just like that, the ice is broken, and her mother’s nose comes back down, her shoulders relaxing. She grins, and it’s a far different smile than she gave her daughter. It’s warm. Genuine.Loving.

“I thought we talked about this. You can call me Selene.”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

Selene laughs, tittering. “Oh, my. I like you, Arthur.” She rejects using my preferred name, and I like it far less than when Lilah says it. “Come. I’d love for you to meet my husband.”

Selene all but pushes her daughter out of the way, twisting her arm around mine and pulling me through the party.

“Sure. I’ll just follow along,” Lilah says quietly behind us, and I barely contain my laugh.

Selene leads us to Lilah’s father, who is gathered with a group of men with potbellies, barely there hair on their heads, and beady eyes. Somehow, they all look different and completely the same at once.

“Deacon, my love,” Selene calls just as the group falls into fits of boisterous laughter.

Her face contorts into frustration before snapping back into an amiable smile, as if she’s remembered she’s in public. Her inside feelings show on the outside, interrupting her façade of perfection.

“Deacon!” she says, more sharply this time, her smile still creepily in place, hand still hanging on to my arm. Her grip is growing tighter by the second, thanks to escalating irritation.

A man—who I assume is Deacon based on his reaction—snaps his attention to Selene and breaks into a smile.

“My beautiful wife!” he bellows, and if I had to guess from the ruddiness of his cheeks, Deacon here has had quite a few drinks. His eyes drift to me, and there’s not a shadow of displeasure in them. I’m unsure if I should be unarmed by that or not. “Who is this?”

“This, my love, is Arthur Fox. Lilah’sboyfriend.”

It’s the second time she’s said it like that, and I can’t tell if it’s because she thinks lowly of me or of the term boyfriend, like it’s not good enough. That would track, considering everything Lilah has told me about her parents.

“Ah. Right. Theboyfriend.” He says it in the same way his wife does, and it has me grinding my molars together, especially when he looks at his friends and rolls his eyes.

What is wrong with these people?

He steps toward me, hand outstretched. “Nice to meet you, boy. What do you do for a living?”

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