Page 88 of The Laughing Game

I pulled them out of my bag.

“How is it you can remember that I’m bringing you cookies, but you have trouble with what I said a few minutes ago?” I asked, putting my satchel down and taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

She shrugged. “Priorities. Also, if I didn’t get you to repeat everything three times, you’d be out of here after ten minutes.”

“That is not true.”

I watched as she opened the package and took out a cookie. Before she bit into it, she gazed at me with sudden curiosity.

“How are those two men you told me about? I forget their names.”

Honestly, I was impressed she remembered them at all.

“Gideon and Vihaal. Yeah, they’re good.”

“Hmm. Is it just hot sex, or do you actually like them?”

I choked on my own saliva. “What? Oh my God. Mom.”

“It’s a legitimate question.”

“It’s a little personal.”

“I’m your mother.”

“Exactly!”

She chewed a piece of her cookie thoughtfully. “I just want to know if they’re your boyfriends or if you’re all just getting down and dirty with each other.”

“You know that’s really none of your business, right? You’ve never been interested in my sex life before.”

“It was never this exciting.”

“Fine. They’re more than hookups. Satisfied?”

“I don’t know what a hookup is.”

“It’s when you— Never mind. I guess you could call us all boyfriends. Man, that is the weirdest thing I’ve ever said.”

She snorted a laugh that blew cookie crumbs onto her lap. “Oh no it’s not. You’ve said some very strange things over your lifetime, Angel Barnett. Like when you told your father he’d have to drug you and kidnap you if he wanted you to join the neighborhood soccer team.” She grinned.

“Did I really tell him that?”

“You hated soccer.”

“I still hate soccer.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve found someone. Two someones, in fact. Who would have thought.”

“Yeah, well, it was a complete surprise to me. It’s still a surprise. Every single day.”

“Would you like a cookie?”

“Oh, no thanks. I just had lunch.” I decided that two could play at this game. “So…any romantic prospects for you?”

She froze with the cookie halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not too late for you to have some fun, you know.”

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