“I’m a mechanic, ma’am. I work with my hands for a living and write music in my spare time. I occasionally tend bar too. I find my work to be verysatisfying.”
My mother’s back stiffens, and I fight a laugh at Tucker’s blatant dare for her to speak ill of either ofthem.
“Isn’t that lovely,” she says in her usual condescendingtone.
“Very,” Tucker replies with over-the-top enthusiasm to drive the point home that no matter what she says, it’s not going to botherhim.
Her gaze narrows in his direction. “Maura, aword.”
I gaze up at Tucker with wide eyes. He dips his head in an almost imperceptible movement to tell me he’ll wait here with a watchfuleye.
My mother leads me to a quiet corner. As soon as we have a small semblance of privacy, all gloves come off and the bitch I know comesout.
“What exactly is it that you think you’re doing, young lady? You come in not only not dressed in the designer gown I picked out for you but instead in this…frock, but you also come withhim?”
The revulsion is so apparent in her voice. I start to retreat further into myself, letting the familiar shame wash over me, when I feel Tucker’s eyes on me. Just knowing that he’s there and watching helps me gaincourage.
“Mother, you don’t—” Ibegin.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she interrupts. “You donotget to try to explain your way out of this mess. Do you have any idea how that makes us appear? Like we’re sliding way down the social ladder and letting ourwhoredaughter bang everyone on the way down! You’re a disgrace to this family, and I’m utterly ashamed to call you my daughter. You’re not welcome to our next charity dinner until you can learn to behave with manners and respect me. Now, go out there, smile, and donotembarrass me anyfurther.”
I stand there stunned, my jaw hanging wide open as she straightens her back, spins on a too-expensive heel, and marches away into the crowd. Tears begin to form in my eyes and threaten to fall when Tucker strides over to my side, instantly wrapping me up into hisarms.
“That hurt to watch,” he says as he cradles my head to hischest.
“It hurt to hear,” I tell him on a strangled whisper. “She called me a whore and said she was ashamed to call me herdaughter.”
He squeezes me tighter, telling me sorry without saying it. Slowly pulling away, he cups my face between his hands and tilts my chin up so that we’re gazing at oneanother.
“Maura, you’re so strong and beautiful and brilliant. Don’t you dare listen to a word she says. You gotit?”
“Gotit.”
“You wanna godance?”
Before I can answer, he’s pulling me onto the dance floor because the house is enormous enough to have a small ballroom. Tucker makes a show of it, bowing to me as if I were Cinderella or some shit. I laugh a little too loudly at his display because I know he’s doing it to piss off my mother, who he knows is watching me like ahawk.
Tucker catches me off guard, drawing me up close to him mid laugh and causing my breath to catch in my throat. I look up into his gaze, seeing that any hint of playfulness is gone and replaced by unfiltereddesire.
“I love it when you do that. Your laugh is so hypnotizing,” he says in a gravellyvoice.
We continue our formal, friendly dance around the small, hardly occupied dance floor. We’re lost in our own world, escaping in the comfort we find together and hiding from everythingelse.
“Where do you bartend at?” I ask to distract myself and because I’m insanelycurious.
“Mic’s, but I don’t do it that often. Only when Gary needsme.”
“I had noidea.”
He shrugs. “It’s not a huge deal. He lets me play there whenever I want and helps fend off the suits for me, so I do what I can to give back tohim.”
“Gary’s a good guy,huh?”
“Thebest.”
I can tell by his tone that he respects the owner of Mic’s and truly appreciates everything he does for him. Knowing that he takes none of it for granted, like I know most people would do, makes me like him that muchmore.
With our eyes locked on each other, I say, “Thank you for tonight, Tucker. Thanks for coming and letting me lean onyou.