Obviously, Allie's side of the conversation had been a lot more cheerful than my mom's. Still, I felt compelled to double-check. "Just the one time? Are you sure? I mean, you didn't talk to her again later?"
"How could I?" she demanded. "When I called back, you didn't even answer."
Right.Because I'd turned off my phone – at Allie's suggestion, no less.
And now, my mom was saying, "I waited at the penthouse, but you never came."
Again with the penthouse?
I was tempted to inform her that the place was just an apartment, but at the moment, I had bigger problems than annoying terminology. I pointed vaguely toward the taxi. "Well, obviously, you weren't waiting at your place thewholetime."
"No kidding," she said. "I finally remembered that you don't have a car – I still don't know whatthat'sabout – so I called a cab, and here I am."
Yes. Here she was.
Andshewas the reason I didn't have a car, but that was beside the point.
She was still complaining. "And just so you know, we've been waiting here for two hours."
I gave her a confused look. "We?"
"Yes. Me and the driver."
I winced. "Two whole hours? Are you sure?"
I'd only taken a taxi like five times in my whole life, but evenIknew, they didn't wait for free.
"Maybe even longer," she said. "And I'll need money for the fare."
Of course, she would.
She'd pulled a similar stunt when I'd moved down here. I'd barely unpacked the first box when she'd informed me that she needed money for last month's electric bill, the pool membership, and something called a parking allowance.
I didn't even know what that was. But like a dumb-ass, I'd actually given her the funds, which partly explained why my own finances were so pathetic.
She was still talking. "And I promised the driver a big tip to wait, so I hope you have cash."
I hadsomecash, but not a lot. I gave the taxi a nervous glance. Somewhere inside that thing, the meter was ticking. And the ticking sounded an awful lot like dollar bills going up in flames.
But that wasn't even my biggest problem. It was the fact I had to tell her something that shewouldn'twant to hear.
She couldn’t stay with me.
For starters, I didn't believe that whole robbery story. My mom loved drama and exaggerated like crazy. Plus, I knew firsthand that she lived in a pretty nice neighborhood.
I tried to think. Thishadto be a ploy. But for what?
And even if shewastruly scared, she still couldn’t stay with me. For one thing, Allie might murder her in her sleep.
Now,thatwas scary.
Crap.Ihateddrama.
I hated it with a white hot passion.
My mom knew this, which is probably why she was putting on such a show.Anything to get her way, right?
She said, "Well? Aren't you gonna say something?"
