Page 43 of Tame Me

My phone rang, and as I contemplated if my morning was about to get better or worse, I fished the iPhone from my bag.

My heart sank when I saw the number.

With a big sigh, I sat on the edge of my bed and pressed the green button. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Jane. Now, before you say anything, I have something I want to say.”

Here we go. “Okay then.”

“I want to say I’m sorry. We’re sorry, your father and I.”

Woah. I was not expecting that. I remained silent, hoping she’d elaborate on what exactly she was sorry for.

“Our decision to continue to see Xander after what he did to you was callous. We should never have done that. We especially shouldn’t have put you in a position where you had to confront him in public.”

Wow. “Thank you, Mom. This means so much to me.”

She sniffled, and my chin dimpled as I realized she was crying. “Mom?”

“I feel like it’s my fault you had that fight with Xander. Can you ever forgive me? Us?”

“Oh, Mom, it wasn’t your fault; it was his fault. But you’re right—he shouldn’t have been there. So, thank you. Your apology fixes everything.” A tear trickled down my cheek, and I wiped it away. “I want to say sorry too, Mom; I shouldn’t have caused a scene like that at Dad’s party.”

“Don’t worry about it. It is the talk of the town, though. Well, you are, actually. Everyone knows what you did to Chelsea-Lea and Xander. And they’re all saying how amazing you look. You do look amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

“Awww, thanks, Mom.”

“I mean it. Whatever you’re doing over there on the coast is working wonders on you.”

“I’m looking after myself—that’s all.” I strode to the bathroom to turn the taps off and caught it just before I needed to mop up a disaster.

“What’s that noise?”

“It was just the bath. I was about to have one before I went to sleep.” I returned to the bed and sat again.

“Are you getting enough sleep? You must be so tired all the time.”

“I’m fine. I get plenty of sleep.” She always worried about the simplest things.

There was a long pause, and she cleared her throat. “Okay, well, have a nice bath and a good sleep. I’m so glad we had this chat.”

“Me too, Mom. Thank you for calling. I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

I stared at the phone for a long time after she’d hung up, trying to recall another occasion when I’d heard Mom say she was sorry, but I couldn’t think of one.

In the bathroom, I stripped off and slipped into the hot water. As the warm water worked its magic on my tension-laced muscles, I mentally replayed the conversation with my mother.

Mom’s apology was as much a surprise as it was appeasing. I truly believed that she’d never intended to cause me grief. It was her fear of small-town gossip that made her do what she’d done.

The water was close to cold when I finally climbed out and dried myself. Naked, I walked from the bathroom and stopped still at a note that had been slipped under my door.

Covering my breasts for some stupid reason, I went to the sheet of folded paper and opened it.

I smiled as I read the handwritten note.

‘Hey, gorgeous. Fancy another lesson?

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