34
I STARED AT MY RINGING MY PHONE, TEMPTED TO SMASH IT INTO A WALL.
“Are you gonna answer that?” Jared asked. He was stretched out on my couch with his arms behind his head. Mable snoozed pleasantly on his chest.
“It’s my mom,” I growled.
“She’s called like five times in a row. Maybe it’s an emergency,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
Spring Break had started two days ago, Easter happened to be this weekend. I knew exactly what my mom wanted, and it had nothing to do with an emergency, and everything to do with her selfish ways.
“I know what she wants,” I mumbled under my breath.
“I still think you should answer it,” he said, as it started ringing again.
“Fine,” I snapped. I picked up the phone and answered.
“Katyrina, I don’t see why you weren’t picking up,” my mother snapped into the phone. No, hello, or hey, how are you doing.
“I was in the shower,” I lied.
She plowed on, like I hadn’t said anything at all, her tone clipped. “My annual Easter Charity Brunch is this Sunday and I need you to attend. It makes me seem more personable if people see that I have a daughter.”
I rolled my eyes. I was like a doll to her. She could pick me up and play with me when she wanted to, and discard me when she was done.
“I have things to do,” I said, pacing down the hallway.
“Katyrina, this isn’t open for discussion,” she shrieked. “You will be there.”
“You do realize that I’m practically twenty, not ten, right?” I asked.
“And you do realize that I pay all your bills and for school, right? I don’t ask you for much Katyrina, but this is important to me. You’ll be there,” her tone was sharp enough to cut.
I couldn’t help chuckling at her words though. She didn’t care about the charity. All she cared about was what people thought of her. Her charity brunch made her look like she cared, which she didn’t.
I ran my fingers, angrily through my hair, hard enough the rip out a few strands.
“Fine, I’ll be there,” I ground out between my teeth. I was fearful of what she may do if I said no, again. “Same place?”
“Yes, Katyrina,” she said in a tone that implied I was stupid. “I let you off the hook last year, but I can’t do that again, this year. It was embarrassing trying to explain your absence.”
I snorted. “I was busy,” I lied.
“Regardless, it was an embarrassment. You should have been there. I have to go,” she said.
It didn’t escape my attention, that she’d not even mentioned my birthday, less than a week away.
“Make sure you put, plus one, next to my name.” I said and hung up before she could reply.
I ventured back into the living room and glared at Jared. If I was going to have to survive a whole afternoon with my mother, so was he.
“I hope you have a suit,” I pointed at him.
~***~
“Why do I have a very bad feeling about today?” Jared asked looking in his bathroom mirror as he tied his tie.
“Because,” I said, inspecting his suit for any wrinkles my mother might nitpick, “my mother is a psycho.”
His light gray suit appeared to be perfect and I stepped back, taking in the gorgeous man before me.
He’d recently gotten his hair trimmed; giving him a cleaner look instead of the wildly unkempt one he’d been sporting. A light dusting of stubble dotted his chin and cheek bones. The light blue shirt he wore made him look even tanner than he already was. His dark blue tie was slightly crooked and I reached up, straightening it.
“I shouldn’t have told you to answer the phone,” he wrinkled his nose as I went back to inspecting him.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” I sighed. “It doesn’t matter though; she would have kept calling until I finally answered. At least, this way, I can pretend it’s your fault,” I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
He chuckled. “That’s not fair.”
I stepped back and made sure my dark blue dress hung the right way. “Ready to meet the she-devil?”
Jared made a face. “No.”
“Too late,” I said, striding past him out of the bathroom and down the stairs.
I pulled on my black heels and coral cardigan.
“You look nice,” Karlie smiled.
“Thanks,” I said, grabbing my purse and glancing at my watch. “Hurry up, Jared!” I called up the steps. “We’re going to be late and that’ll be a strike against us!”
“I’m coming,” he groaned.
His dress shoes clacked against the hardwood floors. He had left his suit jacket hanging open.
“Let’s get this over with,” he opened the door.
“Have fun,” Karlie called.
“We won’t,” I laughed, closing the door behind us.
I looked at Jared’s Toyota and then my Cadillac. “We’ll take my car,” I said.
“I figured,” Jared put his hands on his hips. “Want me to drive?”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “I better do it. They won’t recognize you.”
“Of course,” Jared threw his hands in the air before getting in the car.
~***~
The hour long drive to my childhood home was quiet. Jared and I had never spent this much time together not talking. Thankfully, it wasn’t awkward.
The gates surrounding the mansion were open but security checked everyone coming in.
I rolled down the window, waiting for our turn.
A burly man that I was familiar with approached the car.
“Hey Bernie,” I grinned at the man.
“Ms. Katyrina, is that you?” he smiled, his mustache twitching with the sudden movement.
“It is,” I smiled.
“We’ve missed you, it’s been too long,” his voice was gruff from too many cigarettes.
“Aww, I’ve missed you guys too,” I said, referring to the staff.
“Is this your fella?” he leaned into the open window to get a better look at Jared.
“Yes, it is,” I smiled.
Bernie eyed Jared. “You take care of this girl, ya hear me?”
“I hear you, sir,” Jared nodded.
“You know where to park,” Bernie stepped back and motioned me through.
Not many had arrived yet. I’d purposely gotten here early, in the hopes that in turn, I could leave early.
I pulled into the circular driveway, making sure to park where I wouldn’t get blocked in. I knew how crowded these charity brunches could get, and how late they could go. I wanted to avoid both.
Jared got out of the car and looked at the brick mansion. Steps led up to the large wooden door and rose bushes covered the area in front of the house.
“This is where you grew up?” he asked, incredulously.
“Yeah,” I looked at the house I had hoped to never see again, once I left. It was a reminder of every painful aspect of my childhood and what had happened with Preston. “I grew up here.”
“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. “Did you ever get lost?”
I sighed, squinting my eyes to better see the house over the glare of the sun. “I wish I could’ve gotten lost.”
Jared picked up on the tone of my voice, and said, “Kitten, we can leave. Just get in the car and we’ll go.”
“I can’t do that,” I shook my head and turned around to face him. “That would be the cowardly way out. I’m done being that way.”
“Okay, then,” he smacked his palm against the hood of the car. “It’s time you introduced me to mommy dearest.”
I laughed and took his outstretched hand. “Thanks for doing this,” I looked up at him and warm brown eyes met mine.
“I would do anything for you, Katy. You don’t need to thank me,” he brought my hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I love you and when you love someone, you’re there for them no matter what. Even if it means if you have to do something unpleasant.”
“And this will be very unpleasant,” I said, leading him around to the side of the house.
A woman stood with a clipboard and a headset in her ear, checking off names.
I strode past her and she called out to us. I turned around, glaring at her.
“What’s your name?” she asked, pen poised above the piece of paper clipped to her board.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Katyrina Spencer, Cynthia Spencer’s daughter.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, looking ashamed. “And you are?” she asked Jared.
“He’s my plus one,” I snapped, grabbing his hand. “Any more questions?”
“No, sorry,” she backed away, preparing for the group behind us.
Jared and I entered under the trellis. No matter what the time of the year, the flowers always flourished at the Spencer Estate. It was one of the only things I missed about this place… that and my nanny. Marisol had practically raised me. She’d told me bedtime stories, helped me with my homework, played games and watched movies with me. Just the thought of her brought tears to my eyes.
She was still working here when I moved out and I wondered if she’d be here today. Sadly, I figured she wouldn’t be.
The trees in the backyard had pastel netting in different colors wrapped around their trunks. Pastel eggs floated on the clear surface of the pool.
Round tables dotted the yard, all of them covered in white cloth. The chairs all had different colored bows tied to their backs.
Whoever had done the set up and decorating had done a good job. It really was beautiful.
“Swanky,” Jared said, letting out a low whistle.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, because there was nothing else I could say.
People milled around, drinking fancy drinks, but the party clearly hadn’t started yet. There was a small stage set up and I knew there would be live music, and then the charity auction would begin.
The doors at the back of the house slid open and I turned my head.
It was the first time I’d seen my mother in almost two years. She still looked the same… just a little more plastic. She had clearly gotten a facelift and it even looked like she’d had something pumped into her lips. Gross.
“Katyrina,” she said. My full name alone was like nails on a chalkboard. Hearing it come from my mother was like having open heart surgery while awake.
“Mother,” I gritted between my teeth.
She descended the steps and stopped in front of me.
She patted my cheek but it was hard enough to be a slap. I flinched at her touch but she went on like nothing had happened. I could feel Jared tensing beside me.
She looked me up and down. “Still homely I see,” she sneered.
Somebody, shoot me now.
“Still a bitch, I see.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I instantly bit down on my tongue, tasting blood.
Her eyes widened and then she pointed a long, red, manicured finger at me. “Watch your mouth, Katyrina. Keep in mind who pays your bills.”
My face colored at her words.
Jared released my hand, cupping my waist instead.
This time, my mother looked him up and down. “And who are you? I don’t recognize you.”
“Jared Reed, ma’am,” he held out a hand for her to shake. “Katy’s boyfriend.”
“Cynthia,” she replied. She turned to glare at me, acting as if Jared wasn’t standing right there. “He calls you Katy. You know how much I hate it when people don’t call you by your given name.”
“And you know how much I hate it when people do,” I replied in a cool, clipped tone.
She took a step back, a huff escaping her red lips. “How I ended up with you as my daughter is beyond me,” she crossed her arms over her fake chest. Everything about her was fake.
I could feel Jared’s hand flex against my waist. I knew that if I looked, his jaw would be clenched, the muscle ticking.
“Enough of the pleasantries,” I glared at my egg donor. “What is it you need me to do?”
“Just mingle and talk about the charity. It would help if you would talk about what a good mother I’ve been,” she picked at an invisible piece of lint on her white dress.
I snorted. “Nice try. I’ll do two of the three.”
“That should be enough,” she waved her hand in dismissal.
As she walked away, Jared whispered in my ear, “That’s your mother?”
“That’s her.”
“She’s nothing like you,” he said, in disbelief. “I mean, I figured as much but… damn, I didn’t think she would be that bad.”
“That’s her being pleasant… at least pleasant to me,” I shrugged.
“I don’t know how she managed to raise a child,” Jared muttered under his breath as we walked around the large yard.
“She didn’t. My nanny raised me. I was nothing but a showpiece… a prize to her. That’ll never change.”
Jared ran his fingers through his hair. “Most people would look at this house,” he motioned to the expansive building, “at all this fancy stuff and think you were a spoiled brat, that nothing bad would ever happen to you. They would never begin to fathom what you’ve been put through.”
“This is all just a façade, Jared,” I said, staring at the too green grass.
“People look at the guy standing on the corner, covered in dirt and wearing old clothes, and assume he’s scum. They’d never look at your mother and see her for the scum that she is,” he spat. “How can someone talk to their child that way?”
“Why did your dad do what he did to you?” I waited for him to answer and when he didn’t, I continued. “Some of the questions we ask ourselves have no answers, because they’re not meant to be answered. There are always going to be monsters out there, some are just more noticeable than others.”
Jared stopped in his tracks, forcing me to stop too. “It just makes me so angry that she thinks it’s okay to talk to you like that. It’s wrong.”
“Please, Jared,” I begged, “can we please stop talking about it?”
“Fine,” he ground his teeth together. “I won’t talk about it.”
“Thank you,” I said. I looked around, noticing that more people had arrived and a band was now playing a slow, quiet song. “Time to mingle,” I groaned.
~***~
I saw a few familiar faces but most of the people attending the brunch were strangers to me. I spoke highly of the charity the donations would go to, encouraging them to bid.
Even though my mother only had the Charity Brunch to keep up appearances, she had chosen a good place for the money to go to. Everything would be donated to a local children’s hospital, for cancer research.
After about an hour of speaking to different people, it was time to eat.
Everything was delicious, just like I knew it would be. My mom always had her events catered by the best people in town.
The plates were cleared away and the band left the stage.
Bidding was about to begin. Everyone stood, crowding towards the stage.
I took this as my cue to leave. “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered under my breath to Jared.
“Thank God,” he said, standing.
“Leaving so soon, Katyrina?” a voice spoke from behind me. All the blood drained from my body, leaving me feeling lifeless.
“Preston,” I gasped.