Page 52 of Mr. Aster
“Good morning, beautiful,” I said, offering her a wink.
She wore a simple V-neck t-shirt and khaki shorts, and I found her quite attractive with her hair pulled up in a messy bun.
“Good morning, handsome,” she said, her mood still pleasant as the night before.
“You two have stolen my heart,” Tina said wistfully.
“Don’t get too carried away, Mom,” Darcy said, obviously containing the responses from her mother, who I knew would be extremely let down once she learned we weren’t a couple anymore. “We’re just dating. We’re not even sharing the same room as you and Dad think.”
“Well, you are free to do whatever you want. No judgment here.”
“I was hoping you’d offer me that permission,” I smiled at Tina, “because I have plans to steal my little Hope Diamond away for the coming week.”
“Hope Diamond?” Darcy said, more irritated with a new pet name than the fact I just announced she and I would be leaving together.
“It’s what you are to me,” I sipped my freshly brewed cappuccino. “Something so rare and priceless that it belongs in a museum.”
“Right,” she said, her voice almost at a whisper.
“And while we’re on the subject, I must beg you to pack your bags and prepare to leave with me for the week. The helicopter arrives at the landing pad in three hours, and our surprise trip awaits.”
“What are you talking about?” Darcy finally gave me the response I was expecting.
“I’m still waiting to hear back from my brother and his wife, but Jim and some other friends are excited to go on a fun little trip.”
“Why are we leaving? Your parents will be here on Monday.”
“And today is Saturday. So, if we are gone for a solid week, they won’t be here when we return,” I smiled at her. “Trust me, after my phone conversation with my father this morning, I’m sure you’ll find numerous creative ways to thank me for this later.”
She arched a sexy eyebrow at me, knowing I was being a dipshit, but I assumed she knew it was best not to be subjected to my horribly rude parents.
“Won’t they miss you both?” Tina questioned.
I suddenly felt terrible that I wasn’t taking her with us, “Unless you have ways of working your charms on stiff, ultra-wealthy people who cannot stand the presence of anyone beneath them, I recommend that you and Mr. Burke plan a fun weeklong getaway with us. You both are invited.”
I couldn’t help it. Tina and Billy, though highly insane with their free-loving way of looking at life, didn’t need to be atthe mercy of Margot and Sebastian Aster. Maybe if my parents arrived and only the chef were here to greet them, they’d leave.
Was I avoiding and escaping my parents? Absolutely. But I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as being smart and removing myself from toxicity that I had no desire to be around. I’d lived the last year of my life in darkness, and I wasn’t in the mood to welcome back the slightest sight of it into my life. I’d gotten a sliver of sunlight and felt desperate to hang onto it.
“Well, if we can handleyourmoodiness,” Tina finally dared to come clean with how I’d been making her feel, “then we can handle theirs.”
“I am sincerely sorry about my rudeness toward all of you,” I said as I looked directly at Darcy. “I hope you accept my deepest apologies.”
Darcy didn’t shy away from our locked gaze. Instead, her eyes narrowed as if wondering who possessed me this morning.
“Mom,” she looked at Tina, “maybe Sebastian’s right. Maybe you and Dad should come with us.”
“Not this time, honey. We won’t interfere with your trip while you both are enjoying the company of good friends. Your father and I welcome any opportunity to share good and wholesome love with others. When people are nasty, it’s usually because they’re covering up the pain inside. I’ll invite Margot to attend a couple of my wellness yoga sessions, and I know your father is excited to take Mr. Aster on tours of everything his son has been accomplishing.”
“I shouldloveto be a fly on the wall as you attempt to convince my mother to do yoga,” I said with a laugh.
“Oh, honey, I’m sure she’ll try to bat the idea away like an annoying fly, but once she sees how joyous I am in my womanhood and sexuality, I’m sure she’ll want to know what the secret is.”
Darcy choked on her orange juice but recovered in a way that made me find her adorable, as I had been doing a lot lately.
“Mom, have you readanyof the articles I write about the wealthy, or are you just lying about it to make me feel good?”
“Of course, I have, and the one thing I noticed about every one of them is that those people love to find their spiritual side.”
