Page 26 of The Rebel (Looking to Score 1)
I realize she’s still waiting for me to answer her question. The one about why I’m still single.
“No time, I guess. I probably work too much.”
She shifts, still watching me from across the table. “I see. That makes sense. You’ve grown your company, your reputation. It’s impressive what you’ve done.”
I nod but dodge the compliment. “What about you? Has there been anyone since Braun?”
The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them. It’s none of my damn business, but Eden doesn’t seem offended or bothered by my question.
“No,” she says softly. “Before he got sick, my grandfather tried to introduce me to his golfing partner’s godson.”
“Did you meet with him?”
She nods. “Yes, but it didn’t work out.”
“Why not?” I’m curious, and since she’s entertaining my questions without so much as a pause, I’m rolling with it.
“There was no chemistry. At all,” she says sternly. “He was about as exciting as a baked potato.”
An easy chuckle tumbles from my lips. “Gotcha. So, we’re both single.”
A smile lifts her full mouth. “It would appear so.”
Les comes back in, pocketing his phone. “How’s it coming along, kids?”
“I think we’re about done here,” Eden says.
Les nods toward me. “You want me to show you around? I can give you a tour of the control room.”
I stand. “Thanks, that sounds good.”
I need to learn the facility where Eden works if I’m going to be here to support her, though my primary role will be shadowing her when she’s away from this place—on the road, moving from city to city, hotel to hotel. But I have two hours to kill before I told my mom I’d visit, so I might as well make good use of it.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I say to Eden. “Otherwise, I’ll see you on game day.”
She nods, waving her fingers at us. “Have fun, boys.”
We leave Eden behind, hunched over her laptop with that damn coffee mug.
Les and I use every bit of that two hours to get me acquainted with the building and the security systems currently in place. It’s a state-of-the-art setup, and I’m feeling much more optimistic than I have any right to.
Because if life’s taught me anything, it’s that whatever can go wrong, will.
• • •
“You want something to eat?” Mom asks, opening her fridge and peering inside.
I don’t know what she could be looking for, because she hasn’t been here in six weeks. Surely whatever was in her fridge before she left for rehab is rotten by now.
Then again, maybe it’s just a mom thing—asking your kid if he’s eaten. And the truth is, I am hungry. I came right here from my meeting with Eden and Les and haven’t had lunch yet, but it’s not her responsibility to feed me. She can barely remember to feed herself, and the last thing I want to do is put pressure on her. My mom’s always been a little bit . . . fragile. Unstable.
“I’m good. Thanks.”
She nods and lets the fridge close. Stepping away from the kitchen, she runs her hand along the clean countertop, humming to herself. I sent a cleaning crew by a few days ago when I heard she was getting out, so she didn’t have to come back to a dusty apartment.
“Everything go okay? You feeling good?” I ask, settling into the armchair in the corner of the living room.
“I feel just fine.” She waves me off. “Between you and your brother, I swear, you’re like two mother hens.”
She chuckles to herself, but her humor is lost on me because, yeah, of course my brother and I worry about her. She’s been addicted to pain pills for almost two decades. And I really hope getting clean this time will stick for her, but who the hell knows. I’ve learned to roll with the punches. One week she’s doing great, and the next, I’ll come by and find her as high as a kite.
“I just came by to make sure you were doing okay. Getting settled in again.” I say, carefully hedging.
She looks at me with irritation. “I said I’m fine.”
“I know. And I wanted to tell you that I’m going to be gone for a couple of days, and more often coming up. I got a new job.”
Turning in my direction, she smiles. “Yeah? Good for you, baby. Security for some big CEO or celebrity this time?”
I nod. “Something like that. You remember Eden Wynn?”
Her eyes flash with recognition. I made the mistake of mentioning once I had a history with the former governor’s daughter.
Mom’s expression hardens. “I thought you learned your lesson a long time ago. You’ll never be enough for a girl like that.”
With an annoyed breath, I rise to my feet. “It’s just a job, Mom.”
“Good. Because it won’t do you any good to start thinking pretty thoughts about girls like her. I saw what happened last time.”
