Page 49 of Loup Garou

“Lindsay?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Look, he’s all grown up now. When we received a call from him last week, we couldn’t believe it. Can you believe it?”

“No. I certainly can’t believe it.”

Exavier slid into the chair next to me and reached for my hand. I glared at him. His lips twitched and his eyes twinkled with amusement. As he lifted my hand, I pulled it back and struck him across the face.

My mother gasped and my father shot up fast. “Lindsay Marie Willows!”

Exavier kissed my palm gently, chasing the sting out of it. His blue eyes settled on me. He no longer had the amused look on his face. “I deserved it, Mr. Willows.”

“You have not seen one another for twenty years. Tell me how it is you warranted such a response.” My father exhaled deeply. “And it is Tiennot and Olivia to you, Exavier.”

“Thank you.” Exavier stared at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was me. It was nice to get to know you without that being between us, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy to see me or not. I’d been told you requested I stop calling or trying to contact you in any way when I was younger. And every time I got up the nerve to do it anyways, someone who I plan on having a serious talk with assured me you didn’t want to see me.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he’d just said. I’d never requested he stop calling me.

My mom laughed. “That’s ridiculous, Exavier. I sat, stroking her hair and pretending not to notice she was crying for years. Lindsay would never ask you to stop calling her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Well I did, Lindsay. So did your father.”

“It does not matter. What matters is that he is here now. Tell me again what brings you to the area.” My father was always one to elegantly smooth things over. I seemed to have missed getting that trait from him.

“I came to ask Lindsay to take the position of artistic advisor for my tour and videos for our new album.” He looked at me and I could tell that he was more than worried I’d say no again.

“Oh, Lindsay, tell me you said yes. I hate knowing you’re wasting your talents away at that center of yours.” After a very elaborate sigh, my mother laughed softly. “You’re almost twenty-eight, darling. You’re throwing away the best years of your life there.”

My father took hold of her shoulders and gave me an apologetic look. “Olivia, she will come out and face the world when she is ready to. Do not push.”

“Please, Tiennot, she has no intention of leaving the security of that place. Myra and Gina even gave up everything, allowing her to continue staying tucked away. They feed into her need to hide. I wish they would push her to move on. Heaven knows I have. Exavier was my last hope. See how she greets him? She slaps him! I’m out of things to try. That worthless thing she shacked up with dies and she cuts herself off from the world.”

“Olivia, enough.”

“No, Tiennot. It’s not enough. Someone needs to tell her. Someone needs to stop letting her hide away. She needs to get over it and move on. It’s clear it was meant to be.”

Meant to be?

My father gasped and threw his napkin down on the table. “Olivia, you know not what you speak of. To say such things to your own flesh and blood is unacceptable.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, and you do know about it? She keeps secrets from us, Tiennot. You have to hire people to spy on our own daughter just to know what she’s doing with her life.”

I locked gazes with my father. “Daddy, say it. Tell her what I’m sure you know by now.”

“Non, Exavier is here now.” He glanced around the restaurant. “It is not the time nor the place, Lindsay.”

I glared at Exavier. “I don’t really give arat’sass what he thinks of me, Father.”

“Ladies do not speak like that, Lindsay,” my mother said. “This is ridiculous. Really, had I known losing that vagabond would leave you this way I would have—”

My father put his hand up and let his power ride out and over the table. “Silence! You will not speak of this matter any further, Olivia. The man you speak of gave his life in an attempt to save my granddaughter’s. I believe you misjudge their relationship as well.”

He knew I’d been pregnant at the time of the attack? Myra, Gina and Eion were the only ones who knew, or so I thought.

It felt as if someone had kicked me in the gut. I gasped and did my best to draw in air. My mother shook her head. “Tiennot, watch the slip of the tongue. You mean your daughter, right? It will be a cold day in hell before we get any grandchildren out of Lindsay.”

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