Page 34 of Deceitful Promises

More food? As she busies herself in the kitchen, I realize I don’t want her to see that side of me. She hasn’t got the whole mind-reading thing going on like Aiden. She doesn’t notice how I cringe when she brings over a couple of sandwiches with thick slices of ham and all the trimmings.

“Tell me everything, Anna … Ania.”

“You can call me Anna,” I say, “if that’s the name you wanted to give me.”

She smiles. “So …everything.”

“So it was the grace of ballet that caught your interest, then?”

My head swims as Mom leans forward, all her attention locked on me. We’ve been talking for around twenty minutes. She’s just been quizzing me about what books I like to read, what type of ballet I enjoy, if I have any friends (not really), or if I’ve ever had a boyfriend (never). She also doesn’t seem to mind I’m only nibbling my sandwich.

“It’s the best combination of beauty and technique,” I tell her. “To be beautiful, you have to be precise. You have to work hard. You can’t justbebeautiful. I guess I liked that because, well, I don’t know.”

“You know you’re beautiful, don’t you, Anna?”

Mom touches my hand. A nasty part of me whispers that this is all a trick. Maybe she’s not even my mother, except shelookslike me, and I feel it, too—a warmth buried deep inside.

“Not really,” I murmur after a pause.

“You are,” she says, squeezing my hand with so much support that my head is swimming. “Ballet, technique, that just makes youmorebeautiful.”

I swallow, my belly warbling. There’s no way I can eat any more of that sandwich, but Mom doesn’t seem like she’s going to force me. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“I mean it.”

“What about you?” I ask. “What do you enjoy doing?”

“Oh, let me think,” she laughs with an endearing, guilty smile. “I like shopping. That’s my true passion: shopping and handbags. See, Anna? You’re the talented one in the family. I’m just here to cheer you on.”

This almost makes me cry. I take a long sip of my water so she can’t see the effect she’s having on me. I want to leap onto her lap, throw my arms around her, hug her tightly, and tell her that her words mean everything to me. But I have to be careful because what if …

She’s about to say something else when the doorbell sounds again. It’s annoying because we were just getting into the flow of the conversation. Mom seems to sense how bothered I am. “Don’t worry,” she says with a wink. “We’ll get rid of all these nasty men soon.”

I laugh. It’s hard not to, despite everything. A kidnapping, confusing need, a burned-down lodge, and I’mlaughing!

“Yes?” Mom calls.

“It’s me,” Aiden replies.

Mom looks at me. “Well, shall we let the big bad beastie in?”

“I guess we should,” I reply with another smile.

“Come in,” my mother calls over.

Aiden opens the door. I try not to let my mother see how badly I want to move my gaze over him, especially those enormous arms and his broad chest. I’d feel so safe if he held me, but there are too many reasons and obstacles against that. He walks over to the table.

“I’m meeting with your brothers tomorrow morning,” he tells me.

This should be good news, but what if they try to make me come home? Wait, isn’t that what I want?

“Okay,” I mutter.

“Do you want to be there?” he asks.

“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe. What are you meeting about?”

He tilts his head at me. “You, Ania. What else?”

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