Page 89 of Sapphire Spring

Pari leveled him in a penetrating gaze that offered no hintof sarcasm or amusement. “I know who he is, Naser.”

His hand froze halfway to his mouth. “Who?” he asked, eventhough he didn’t need to.

“MasonWorther. I know who he is.And what he did. To you.” Pari let that sink in and slouched back, her hair fannedout on all sides of her head like a lustrous, black halo. Her chest rose andfell with deep, labored breaths.

Goddammit, Connor.“Whotold you about Mason?”

“Maman.”

Naser slammed his Diet Coke can down on the counter. “Youtalked to Maman about your new investor? Are you crazy?”

“Hell, no. She told me about Mason when you guys were inhigh school.”

“What? How did she even know who he was?”

“Your journals.”

Before he could stop himself, Naser made a sound like he’dbeen whacked across the back of the head. “My journals? I hid them in theattic.”

“Soshe searched the attic for yourjournals,” Pari said, her hands out as if this were obvious. “Naser, don’t playdumb. A Persian son is allowed no privacy from his mother. You know this.”

“I thought she was different. She was always busy. Shedidn’t have the time to butt into my business.”

“She didn’t, so she saved time by reading your journals.”

As the enormity of this revelation swept over him, Naserbrought his hands to his face. The things he’d written in thosejournals—private thoughts, sexual fantasies. It was an epic invasion, but italso made a mockery of his lifelong strategy to only share edited versions ofhimself with the most important woman in his life. The whole time, she’d hadaccess to his private inner self.

During high school, anyway.

And she loved me anyway.

Or it’s why she was always busy. My truth repelled her.

Naser spotted a copy of the investment agreement sitting onthe counter, moved to it, and flipped to the signature page. She’d printed itout, but she hadn’t signed it.

“Did you think I wouldn’t care?” Pari asked. “Did you thinkI wouldn’t care the lifeline you threw me came from a man who tortured you inhigh school? Did you think I wouldn’t have any feelings about that? Is your opinionof me that low, Naser-joon?”

“No.”

“Liar,” she whispered.

“I didn’t know, Pari. I didn’t know Mom read my journals. Isure as hell didn’t know she told you about it. And I didn’t expect any of thisto be a thing when I hooked you up with Mason.”

“Now you do, and now you know why I fed my phone to acoyote.”

He also knew better than to talk back. Anything he said whenhis sister was this deeply in her feelings would be construed as an attack.Sohe stayed silent, stayed in the kitchen, and nursed his sodalike it contained a life-giving force. But nothing could lower the volume onthe cry that rung through his head every few seconds—Mom read my journals!Shit!

Finally, Naser found his voice. “MasonWorthercame to me. He wanted to make things right between us. I told him this was howto do it. Invest in your line, on these terms. I did this because you are mysister and I love you.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. Her chin quivered the way italways did when she was about to cry. “Well, maybe I don’t want hisdamnmoney because you are my brother and I love you. Didyou ever think about that?” Naser’s answer was in his silence. “And there itis. You both think I’m this weird monster of ambition and you hate me because Iwon’t lead a normal life like you two.”

“No,no, Pari. What I think is that your businessis hard and full of risk, and I can’t pretend to understand how it works. I alsoknow that you’re weird enough that no matter what life you attempt, it willnever be normalby virtue of the fact thatyou’re theone attempting it. And that’s as it should be. I don’t want you normal. I wantyou…you.”

Pari looked unconvinced.

“Also, Mason and I are sleeping together.”

Pari sat up as if a gun had gone off, eyes wide, mouthagape. This wasn’t the shock of anger—it was the shock of fascination anddelight. “Seriously? You’re dating MasonWorther?”

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