Page 88 of Why Cheese?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Bocconcini Backslide
“WHAT IS THIS?” The second the door opens my mother sweeps in like a hurricane. Her violent path tears through the mess of trash left from the day until it catches in her churning wake. Fires burn in her eyes, sparks casting from her fingertips as she stops before me. A beam of utter disappointment slices through me and I clasp a hand to my heart.
“Violette Aria Reely.” Every syllable of my full name strikes faster and harder than a blast of machine gun fire. Her ire tears through me, my mother crossing her arms to drive the final nail in.
“Ma-ma-mom,” I stutter up at her, my body shrinking until I’m two feet tall. “How are you here?” It’s my worst nightmare. Spiders tap-dancing in pudding would be a more welcomed sight than my mother here while my four half-naked lovers stand behind me.
My mom flutters a Kleenex from her purse. She dots her eyes to clear away tears. “I haven’t heard from you in forever. You never answer your phone. I thought you were dead!”
“We talked last night,” I whisper.
She blows her nose loudly, then gives a soft cough. “I was beside myself not knowing if you were bleeding to death in the gutter. The police were no help. They dared to tell me they couldn’t get you to call me. Why do I even pay taxes?” She scoffs at the idea of law enforcement not being able to force adult children to contact their parents. “I had to hop on a plane to get to you ASAP. Even if the pressure was torture on me.” She lays a hand on her forehead and tosses her head back in a faint.
“Here.” I grab one of the display crates, shove off the cheese, and hold it out for her. “You can sit on this.”
My mom cracks an eye and peers at me. “It’s filthy. Don’t you have a chair?”
“Um…” I spin around until I’m dizzy hunting for a chair I know isn’t here.
“There’s the toilet.”
Oh, no.My mother’s face retracts from a pained swoon to snarling rage at Cam’s offhand and clearly sarcastic remark. I wave my hand to get him to stop, but he can’t see me.
“It’s the best throne in the place,” Cam says with a laugh.
She must have been so focused on me that she missed the four men standing behind the counter. My mother gives a little sneer to Cam. “Who, pray tell, are these men, Violette?”
Pray tell? Oh shit, she’smad.
“They’re, um…”
Four men who can turn into cheese. They’re older than this country. I’m sleeping with three of them and often at the same time.
My mom pivots, her eyebrow peak so sharp I expect a crack to tear her skin up to her hairline.
“Janitors!” I cry out. “They’re janitors who clean up the shop at night. That’s why they’re shirtless. So they don’t sweat on their clothes.”That makes no damn sense.I slam my hand under my chin to stop my mouth from moving.
My mother takes them in with an even more dismissive eye. Roq crosses his arms, Brie drops his head, Cam leans against the pillar, and Cheddy waves at her. “You have four janitors?” Her tone screams that I’m a lying snake about to put her in an early grave.
“Only two are janitors,” I spit out fast. “The others are making a delivery. Thank you for the milk. It’ll make a lot of good cheese.” I nod to Roq and Cam hoping they’ll get the hint.
Roq’s face pickles at the thought but at least he keeps silent. It’s Cam who oozes closer. “Yes, I’ve been making extensive deliveries to your daughter. She needs them, craves them every night. So many long, hard packages brimming with thick cream.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Out of nowhere, Roq slams his clipboard against Cam’s chest, shoving him back. Then he drops it in front of me. “Sign here,” he says and passes me a pen.
I don’t even look down at it, my eyes locked on his pleading for help while I jerk the tip of the pen up and down the paper.I’m sorry. I know this is sudden. I wish there was any other way.
My signature sweeps off of the clipboard and I try to write on thin air before I drop my hand. Roq turns the clipboard around and pretends to read it. “Everything seems to be in order. Thank you, Miss. We shall be going now.” He stares back at Cam who’s settled in for the night. “Let’s go…” Roq grabs his arm and tugs him off his feet. “Reggie.”
“Reggie?” Cam whines as Roq shoves him to the door. “If anyone’s a Reggie it’s—”
Roq manages to hurl Cam out the door. He starts to follow but turns to call to me, “We shall see you tomorrow, ma’am.”
The door slams shut with a loud woosh. I catch Roq half dragging a complaining Cam around the side of the building from the corner of my eye. Maybe they’ll head up to the apartment, or wait this out for an hour at the park.I can fix this. Explain that…
