Page 57 of Sweet Ruin

“Hello, Isobel.” Matthew appeared in the hallway, a shy smile on his lips.

“Hey, Matthew.” My voice was still brimming with joy from the surprise of seeing my mom. “You managed to convince my mom to join us?”

He nodded. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, it is. I’m excited to spend the weekend with you both.”

He released a breath and his smile grew. “I’m glad. Have you had dinner yet?”

“No, but Cress and I ate our body weight in snacks on the way here. I thought it would be too late for dinner by the time we got in.”

“Yes, we’ve eaten as well,” Matthew replied. “But we could always go for dessert, if you both like? I was thinking ice cream.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. I was already overloaded on sugar, but I was in such a good mood and I couldn’t say no to ice cream.

“Definitely.” Mom agreed, which was no surprise with her sweet tooth.

Matthew chuckled. “Okay, let me grab my coat.”

Mom went to get hers too, before the three of us set out into the New York streets. Matthew took us to a small ice cream store just down the road from his place. It was surprisingly fancy for such a tiny place, and it had such a wide array of unusual flavors I had no idea what to pick.

I was a little surprised when Matthew went for two scoops of peanut butter brownie chip. He seemed to me like more of a vanilla ice cream kind of guy. They even had an Earl Grey tea flavor, which I could have easily pictured him choosing. Mom got honeycomb while I went for the Christmas special, which had chocolate swirls and was laced with chopped pieces of candy cane. It tasted amazing.

As we sat around one of the small tables on the sidewalk outside the store, I kept being struck by how natural it felt to hang out with Matthew and my mom. When I’d first met my father, I never imagined the three of us doing anything together—let alone something as casual as going for ice cream.

I’d always struggled to picture how my parents had gotten together in the first place. Matthew was so refined and his life was so regimented and filled with luxury. My mom was more of a free spirit, fighting every day to make her way in the world. They seemed so different. And yet, somehow, they were so comfortable as they sat next to each other, smiling, and stealing tastes of each other’s ice cream.

We didn’t stay out too late because I was tired from school and traveling. My mom wasn’t faring much better. She looked as exhausted as I felt. She’d probably been up since the crack of dawn and worked up until the moment she’d been whisked here on Matthew’s plane.

As we got ready for bed, my mom came into my room to say good night.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said, cuddling up under the sheets as she leaned on the doorframe, watching me. Last time I’d visited Matthew’s apartment, I’d thought the incredible view of the New York skyline was its best feature, but hopping in this bed had changed my mind. I’d now decided that this bed alone was the best thing Matthew had spent his vast wealth on. It was like lying on a cloud.

“Me too,” she said. “Good night, Iz.”

She went to leave, but I called out to stop her. “Why did you accept Matthew’s invitation? I know how busy you are, and I never would have thought you’d agree to let him fly you here…”

“I’m surprised I agreed too,” she said, looking thoughtful. “But I realized that if I said no, I’d be missing time I could have spent with you. I guess I’ve come to realize recently that the moments we spend together as a family are worth far more than my pride.”

“That makes sense,” I said.

She shared a smile with me before she left the room. Her response made me question my feelings toward Matthew’s wealth. When I’d first met him, I had never wanted to accept a cent from him. But, slowly, I was starting to realize all the things he offered me were because he cared for me. And each day that passed, he felt more like family.

I’d been putting off my college applications partly because I’d been unwilling to accept his generosity. But, maybe, like my mom, it was time I put my pride aside and let him help me.

When I wokethe next day, I didn’t need to look at the time to know it was already late morning. I felt like I’d slept for days, which was certainly possible in a bed this comfortable. I could have easily stayed under the covers for a few more hours, but I was sure my mom and Matthew would already be awake.

Although I was grateful for the extra sleep, I wanted to make the most of my time in New York, so I climbed out of bed and walked into the en suite bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

I knew Matthew was taking us to an event that evening, but his plans for the rest of the day were still a mystery, and I wasn’t sure what to wear. I settled on a casual pair of jeans and a hoodie. Whatever we were doing, it was freezing outside, so I was probably going to have to add a jacket, scarf, and gloves on top of that.

Matthew was in the dining room when I went down for breakfast.

“Good morning, Isobel.”

“Morning.”

“Did you sleep well?”

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