Page 88 of Lunar Diamonds
“For what, Mum?”
“A takeaway tonight?”
“I’m good, but thanks.”
“Are you sure?
“More than sure.”
“Well, I’ll really go this time. I love you.”
The temptation to tell her where I was and what I’d discovered sat on the tip of my tongue. “Love you, too.”
We said goodbye, a bullet dodged for now.
So many emotions bubbled in a saucepan, ready to spill over the sides. I should call her back and hash it out, demand…what? The truth? I already knew the truth, I just needed some of the finer details from her perspective.
Honestly, though, I was afraid of what it might do to our relationship. Despite her fluctuating moods and acid tongue, we’d always been close. Admittedly, we’d drifted apart slightly after my attack, but that wasn’t on her.
My stomach grumbled with perfect timing.
I went in search of breakfast.
April whippedup some pancakes with cream and strawberries. Totally rich, totally fabulous.
I sat back in the dining chair nursing a cup of tea, satisfied. “Thanks for that.”
We were alone, everyone else occupied with something. Isaac with yoga, Drake meeting with Erin at an appropriate distance in the living room. Alice worked on the vehicles in the garage, Ollie fixed some broken light switches, and Aaron continued with his search for Preston.
Where are you?I thought into the universe.
The cookies sat close by, ready to be handed to Erin the moment I saw her face.
“I really hope he’s okay,” I said about Preston. “It’s weird he can’t be found.”
April wiped the worktops down. “Erin’s asking Drake to help find him. He’s certainly a gift, eh?”
Oh, yes.“Yeah.”
“The sooner we get The Star here, the better. And before Marcus Kingwood gets his grubby mitts on him.” She growled. “I’d love to smash his fucking face into this countertop. But poor countertop.” She gave it a little pat.
Erin entered the kitchen, Drake behind her.
I got to my feet, picking up the cookies. “Morning.” I took a few steps forward, but tripped on my own damn feet, lumbering like an excitable zombie.
The cookies flew out of my grip, the lid coming off. A dozen disks of chocolate chip goodness rained down on Erin’s head.
Damn. It. Hard. Horror turned my blood to ice. My breath caught, a flurry of apologies on the cusp of being unleashed.
For a moment, Erin’s expression gave nothing away. But it soon changed, her lips spreading, a guttural laugh erupting from her throat.
Oh. Unexpected reaction.
“This isn’t how I wanted to give you cookies,” I said, face nuclear crimson.
That made her laugh so hard she needed a sit down.
“Oh my!” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “This has made my morning.” She caught her breath. “Thank you so much for the cookies.” And the howling began again.
