Page 29 of Heartless
“Hi,” he stood up to shake my hand. “I’m George. I’m so glad to meet you, Madison. Sylvia had told me so much about you.”
Strike one. He was a liar.
My mother mainly talked about herself and whenever talking about any of her children, she always spun it around back to her.
“Hi, George,” I said, my voice flat, not at all interested in trying to impress him. The look my mother gave me was both triumphant and smug. And why wouldn’t she be pleased with herself? She arranged a date for me and George despite my efforts to prevent it.
The waiter approached us and gave us menus. While I pretended to read mine, my mother announced she won’t be ordering anything. I knew what that meant. She was about to leave me here with George. Alone.
Technically, I could leave once she did, but I wouldn’t do it. I continued to follow her lead, even though I had been an adult for a long time now. She refused to let the control slip through her fingers while I still couldn’t get rid of the desire to please her.
“Have I mentioned that George is a realtor, honey?” She asked when the waiter left our table.
“Mhm,” I nodded, still focused on the menu.
“He could help you find your dream home,” she said with a sigh.
“I’m here temporarily, Mom,” I reminded her. “And I like my living arrangements at The Gemstone.”
The Pink Diamond would be better than the room I currently had, but I slept in a comfortable bed. I used room service for free and ate delicious meals. Even though my contract forbade me from going to the restaurant, I liked it that way. I had snuck into the pool area of the Pink Diamond a few times now, and Parker had only caught me once.And I had been working less than I ever had back in New York with Dorothy.
“Well, life has a way of surprising us, right?” George said with a charming smile. His eyes flicked from my mother to me. “You never know what might come your way. You might love your new job here, or meet someone special and decide to stay and settle down.”
“That’s all I’m saying.” My mother added to the conversation. A second later, she released a theatrical gasp. “Oh, dear.”
“What, Mom? You left the stove on?” I tilted my head to the side. “No, wait. The last time you used it, I was still in high school. I think we’re safe.”
She kept her eyes on something, and when I heard a familiar low grumble behind me, I knew what that something was. My new boss.
“Hello, ladies.”
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Why? Why did he have to be here to witness my blind date? A blind date arranged by mymother? Was there anything more pathetic than that?
Not that there was a sign stating that this was a blind date, but with my luck, whenever he was involved, I was sure he would somehow find out by the end of the evening.
I turned and found him standing right behind me. His eyes found mine, a strange look on his face. Then I noticed a woman he was with. She was a lot older than him. Probably around my mother’s age. She looked familiar. Had I met her before?
“Hello, Mr. Wilson,” I greeted him.
“That’s Madison’s boss,” I heard my mother explain to George.
“Oh. You’re the one I should thank for keeping this beauty in California then, ha?” George said, and I got the picture on why he was still single. The guy was a weirdo. We met like five minutes ago andhe was already calling me beauty and claiming some sort of ownership over me.
Parker glanced at me and smirked. “Don’t thank me just yet. Give it some time.”
Prick.
“I didn’t catch your name,” he addressed George.
“George Thompson,” my date stood and shook Parker’s hand.
“Parker Wilson. And this is Jessica Montgomery.”
Montgomery? As Ryan Montgomery? That’s why she looked familiar. She was related to Ryan. His mother maybe?
Had I accidentally found out what Parker’s kink was? I assumed he had been sleeping with the receptionist, while it might just turn out that he was into older women.
