Page 48 of Deja Who
“Point,” he muttered.
“Plus as I said, Tom has had over a decade to kill me. And he’s entirely my mother’s creature, and was even when I was outearning her five to one.”
A look of understanding crossed Archer’s face. “Oh, she must havelovedthat.”
Leah managed a sour smirk. “You can guess how much. It was petty revenge, but it wasmine.The irony, of course, is that if I’d had no success, she wouldn’t have been so driven to keep me working long after I loathed everything about it. And, in fairness to her, I could be quite smug about it. I would read the trades praising whatever nonsense I’d been up to that week, then ‘accidentally’ leave them for her to read and eat her heart out over.”
“Oh, boo-hoo, your mom deserved it.”
“Well, yes. But regardless, you can scratch Tom. He’s harmless, which is what I always disliked about him.”
“That’s what they all say. But it’s always the quiet ones.”
She couldn’t restrain the fond smile. “It’s sometimes the quiet ones,” she corrected. “History proves it.”
“Okay, so he’s off the list. Also, our list sucks, because we don’t actually have any names on it now. I feel like we should put at least one name down—”
“For the false illusion of progress?” she asked sweetly.
“Yep.” Archer remained admirably unmoved by her sarcasm. “So here comes the toughie: your mom.”
Leah barked a laugh. “Toughie?”
Undaunted (adorable!), he plowed ahead. “I can’t imagine how hard even talking about this must be—”
She laughed again; she couldn’t help it. He was just soearnest, as though he feared hurting her. Nothing had hurt her in forever. Crying in her mother’s driveway those few days ago was the first time she’d cried in years. “As in it will be emotionally difficult for me to discuss the possibility that she will indulge in filicide? Ah... no.”
“This is the part where I pretend I know what filicide means.”
“Killing your son or daughter, also known as prolicide.There’s also nepoticide, when you kill your nephew; maricitide, which is killing your husband; parricide, killing a close relative; fratricide, killing your brother; sororocide, killing your sister; uxoricide, when you kill your wife; avunculicide, killing your uncle; and of course my personal favorite, matricide.”
“It’s awful that you know all that.”
“Itisawful that I know all that.”
“Getting away from fucked-up uncles killing nephews, the thing about your mom is, she’s kinda killed you in the past.”
“You’re so cute when you’re striving for tactful.”
“Thanks,” he said modestly. “But you know I’m right.”
“Oh, yes. She has most definitely kinda killed me in the past. And because you’re not confused enough, I feel compelled to point out she kinda hasn’t, too.”
