Page 26 of Under Ground

Lana bites her bottom lip. “So would I.” She holds up her palms. “But we might have to include Casey because I don’t want to impose on Maria too often.”

“That’s fine. She goes to bed early.”

Lana’s lips curl into a smile. “She does.”

“What do you usually do in the evenings once she’s asleep?” The thought of her being at home alone saddens me. My mom usually had friends who she spent time with, and they’d take turns at babysitting me. She found her village—I’m not sure Lana has one.

“Sometimes I watch TV. I also read a lot, and I draw.”

“Draw?”

She tilts her head. “I used to draw pictures of sheep and cows and landscapes on the farm. Now, it’s mostly pictures of Casey.”

“I’d love to see them.”

“Maybe.”

The way she drops her gaze is frustrating. This Gareth guy really did a number on her—and on top of that, she doesn’t seem to be confident in her own abilities. I know that feeling. When I first started acting, I had no real idea if I was any good. Encouragement from my mom helped give me the confidence in my ability.

“I haven’t seen any of your movies. I’ll have to fix that,” she says.

I shrug. “I’ve only made a handful of movies. They did okay at the box office, but nothing too crazy.”

“Anna knew who you were. And you were in the magazine Casey found you in.”

I chuckle. “My first role was on a daytime soap opera. That’s what tends to follow me around. Even though it was for six months three years ago. It got me noticed, though.”

Her eyes widen. “Really? Which show was it? We weren’t allowed to watch TV when I was a kid, but my mum sure did.”

“Once in a Lifetime.”

She grips my arm. “I’m pretty sure that’s what my mother watched. We saw glimpses of it, but we were never allowed to watch TV for ourselves.”

“Not at all?”

Lana shakes her head. “When I said my parents were strict … we lived on a farm and were home-schooled. The only thing I learned about the world was from books.”

“Wow.” I frown. “I mean, that’s a bit extreme.”

She leans her head back on the headrest. “All it meant was by the time I’d finished my schooling, and I was old enough to leave, that I wanted out. I’d learned about the world, but I’d never really gotten to see any of it. Except in books. I didn’t get that far in the end.”

“What do you mean?”

Lana turns her head and meets my gaze. “I told my parents I wanted to move. They weren’t happy, but they understood. And they helped me at first while I found a job and found my feet.”

“And that job was with Gareth.”

She nods. “I went home one weekend and told my mother everything. But my father …”

“Shit. I’m so sorry.”

Lana shrugs. “Mum sided with him. She always did. I was a bad influence on my younger sisters, and they didn’t want me to visit anymore. I was on my own.” She swallows hard. “You know the rest of the story.”

My head spins. I don’t understand it in the slightest. My mother was a lot of things, but she’d never have abandoned me like that.

“Have I scared you off yet?” she says softly.

I shake my head. “No, angel. If anything, it makes me feel even more protective of you and Casey. The two of you need me.”

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