Page 85 of Landlord Wars
She made the last step down the stairs and stood beside my father, her expression showing the first signs of worry. “We’ve known Gwen since you two were children.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Gwen and I have been over for nearly a year. I’m not dating her. I’m in love with Sophia. Sophia was my guest at the ball, and your stunt sent her running.”
My mother looked at my father, who shrugged as though it was news to him.
And right then, the truth struck. This was my fault. I was partially to blame for how this evening had ended. I hadn’t bothered to tell my parents about Sophia. I’d planned to spring it on them at tonight’s public setting, where they wouldn’t dare make a scene. The setting would have served me, and no one else.
I was a selfish asshole.
“Sophia, the plant lady?” my mother said. She pouted. “She cleans up well enough, but underneath it all is a disaster waiting to happen. She’ll embarrass you, Maxwell.”
“Like you did tonight?” I snapped.
My mother blinked and pressed her lips together, darting her gaze away.
“Sophia is the woman I love. Get used to it.” I spun on my heel, prepared to leave, then stopped abruptly and turned back. “I don’t expect you to stop caring about what everyone thinks. You and Dad seem incapable of such emotional maturity. But for once, put your son’s needs ahead of your own, or don’t bother being in my life.”
My mother’s jaw dropped, and she looked truly scared for the first time. “Where are you going?”
“To find my girlfriend and hope she’ll take me back.”
ChapterThirty-Three
Sophia
Two days later,my mom was still in the hospital, though getting better every day, and I was about to head over and see her. The doctors had run extensive tests yesterday and expected a full recovery, as long as Mom took it easy. Max had reached out several times over the last couple days, but I refused to answer his calls or text messages. I wasn’t ready.
Jack said Max was the person who’d found the best neurosurgeon in town, waking the poor woman in the middle of the night, and I didn’t know how I felt about that.
“He pulled strings to get the doctor’s information,” Jack had said this morning. “Made his assistant drive over and knock on her door.”
On the one hand, anyone with enough money and power could get someone to show up in their pajamas. I was grateful on my mom’s behalf; the surgeon he’d found had taken excellent care of her. But I wasn’t comfortable accepting anything from Max right now.
Elise was at home, packing for her internship in Europe. She’d wanted to cancel the trip, given Mom’s health, but both Mom and I convinced her it was only three months and to not give it up. I also assured Elise I would take excellent care of Mom, and somehow my stubborn sister had agreed to go.
I didn’t want Elise to miss one moment of building a life for herself, and this internship in international healthcare was a wonderful opportunity. She’d been down for weeks, and I was worried. She seemed to know she needed the break too.
I’d swung by the shop this morning, but Victor shooed me out. “Go. Take care of your mom,” he’d said, supporting me and giving me time away.
The plan had never been for Victor to immediately drop the business in my lap, so it worked out for me to take a few days off until I got my mom settled.
I entered the hospital room wearing sneakers, a dark, flowy floral skirt, and a cream sweater. “Hey, Mom,” I said, carrying a small plant. “A gift from Victor. He sends his well wishes.”
They’d moved her from the intensive care unit to a normal room, and she was expected to be discharged tomorrow.
Her face brightened, and she was sitting upright. Her fair skin was paler than normal, but she seemed to have regained some of her energy. “That was kind. Please send Victor my thanks. Everything going okay at the shop? Shouldn’t you be there?”
I shook my head and set the plant in front of the window. “Nope. I’ve got a few days off.”
She frowned. “Please don’t take time off on my behalf.”
That was so like my mother. The woman was in the hospital after suffering a stroke, and she didn’t want anyone to fuss.
The day of her stroke, my mother’s speech had been slurred, and Elise and I freaked out. But Mom was lucky, and her speech went back to normal within hours. Everything else seemed okay, except for the exhaustion. She was moving slower than normal.
“Mom, I could use a few days off, and Victor agreed this was a good time.”
“Well, if Victor says it’s okay. They’re letting me out tomorrow, and I’ll be able to go home, so you won’t need to be around.” She worried her lip. “How are my houseguests?”
