Page 98 of Don't Bet On It
“What are you getting?” I asked. With Tallulah, I found that I wanted to know everything that was going through her head. It didn’t matter how mundane it was. If I didn’t agree, I didn’t care. Knowing what made her tick made me happy.
“Good question.” She clucked her tongue. “Orange is the New Mac seems right up my alley.”
I glanced at the menu option. Macaroni and cheese with Hot Cheetos dust. “That’s weird,” I said without thinking.
“It’s not weird. I love mac and cheese. When I was a kid, during one of Sharon’s sojourns, I ate it for two weeks straight. I had one box a day to get through the whole period. Dinnertime was my favorite time that week.”
I didn’t want her to feel bad, but I glared all the same. “You know, I would like to sit down with your mother and have a discussion about … what a piece of crap she is.” Briefly, I wondered if I’d taken it a step too far. It was one thing for Tallulah to criticize her mother. It was quite another for me to do it. I was relieved when she laughed.
“It wouldn’t matter. Trust me. She has no shame. Once, Robin tried to sit her down and have me explain how her actions affected me.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that outcome. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
“Sharon threatened to punch Robin in the face and told her to mind her own business. She said she was raising an independent child and Robin didn’t have a say in the matter.”
“And what did Robin say?”
“That if she had her druthers—that was the first time I’d ever heard that word and loved it—that I would be removed from Sharon’s care and never see her again.”
It didn’t surprise me that Sharon had threatened to punch the woman. Tallulah had gotten her panic responses from somewhere. Her only role model growing up was Sharon. No matter how much distance Tallulah wanted to put between herself and her mother, she still had some of Sharon’s DNA. Tallulah let things build up and snapped, which was something she still needed to work on. As long as people didn’t back her into a corner, however, she seemed okay.
I thought about suggesting Tallulah schedule regular sessions with Robin. I would even go with her. Not only would I like to meet the only positive adult influence Tallulah had in her life growing up, but I believed Robin was the key to Tallulah putting Sharon’s devastation behind her.
That was a problem for down the road, however.
“What are you going to get if you’re too highbrow for mac and cheese?” Tallulah asked, drawing me out of my reverie.
“I’m in the mood for a burger. I’m thinking WWE Smashburger.”
“That’s probably going to be messy.”
“I’m not wearing my work outfit. It will be fine.”
We made idle chatter. By the time our food came, I was more interested in watching Tallulah dig into her entree than I was in eating my own. If macaroni and cheese was her favorite, then I would make it my mission to find the best macaroni and cheese in Vegas. Something told me I was going to have a lot of options … and that I would enjoy experimenting with her when it came time to sample.
I was about to suggest we have a mac and cheese hunt the next time we both had a day off together, which only happened about once a week, when I realized she’d gone rigid. She was looking at something behind me.
I turned, expecting to see a celebrity. Instead, I saw Ryder Stone.
“Of course,” I muttered under my breath, forcing myself not to grit my teeth. “Why does that guy show up everywhere we go?”
Tallulah didn’t respond. She’d gone white.
Confused, I looked over my shoulder again. I was relieved that my father wasn’t with him this time—I still hadn’t confronted him about hanging around with Ryder—so I didn’t really focus on the woman sitting across from the Stone patriarch. Until I did a double take. My stomach bottomed out when I realized who the chirpy woman with the electric-pink lipstick was.
“Is that…”
“Sharon,” Tallulah confirmed, finally finding her voice. “It’s Sharon.”
I had no idea how to respond. I sat silent for several long beats, organizing my thoughts. “Does she know him?”
“I didn’t think she did.” Tallulah looked well and truly baffled. “How would she know him?”
“Maybe they’re recent acquaintances.”
“Maybe.” Tallulah didn’t look convinced.
“She’s been hanging around the Stone, right?”
