Page 20 of Sexting the Don

I can’t believe it. It’s by far the most money I’ve ever held in my life, more than enough to really turn things around for our family.

Still, I have no idea what to do. This much money in this neighborhood is asking for trouble. So, I decide to figure out the complicated stuff later. I peel off a small stack of hundreds, slipping them into my running shorts and grabbing my phone on the way out.

Just like I’d hoped, Mom’s still home. She glances over her shoulder at me as she puts up a pot of coffee.

“Good morning, sweetie,” she greets me, her voice warm with a mother’s affection. She eyes my outfit, a curious lift to her eyebrows. “Don’t you have a client this morning?”

I shuffle into the kitchen, feeling a bit out of sorts. “Nah, Natalie pushed our appointment to tomorrow,” I explain, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Want some coffee then?” Mom offers, pouring herself a cup.

“Yeah, thanks,” I reply, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table. As I sit, Mom sets a steaming mug in front of me, the rich aroma of the coffee filling the air between us.

She sits across from me, her eyes sharp and perceptive as she sips her coffee. It doesn’t take long for her to sense that something’s up. “You all right, honey? You seem a bit off today.”

I stir a spoonful of creamer into my steaming mug, watching the swirls blend and disappear. The truth is, I'm not sure where to start or how to even begin explaining the roller coaster that has been my life for the past twenty-four hours. I open my mouth, then close it, struggling to find the right words.

“Mom, there’s something I need to tell you,” I start, my voice hesitant. "It's kind of a big deal." I pause, taking a deep breath, feeling the weight of her attentive gaze. How do I even dive into this?

I'm at a loss for words, so instead of stumbling through an explanation, I reach into my shorts and pull out the money from the wad of cash Enzo gave me. I know it's more than enough for the mortgage, even if I'm not exactly sure by how much.

Without saying anything, I toss the stack of bills onto the table.

Mom looks from the cash to me, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She picks up the money, her fingers quickly flipping through the bills. "What is this?" she asks, clearly baffled.

"It's for the mortgage," I reply, trying to sound nonchalant as if dropping a fat stack of cash is my everyday norm. "And there's probably a bit extra in there, too."

She sets the money down, folding her arms as she fixes me with that mom look—half worried, half detective. "Where did this come from, Mandy?" she probes, her voice laced with caution and a dash of suspicion.

I open my mouth to explain, but honestly, what can I even say? The whole situation is like something out of a movie.

Mom's eyes are sharp and inquisitive as she asks straight out, "Where did you get this money?"

Trying to keep cool, I hedge. "Mom, really, don't worry about it." But she's got that mom radar on full blast and she knows I'm sidestepping.

Her eyes narrow, a flash of something fierce crossing her face. She leans in, voice dropping low, "Have you been roped into your father’s gambling?”

"No, Mom, I would never do anything like that."

"And you're not selling drugs or robbing banks, right?" she adds, half-joking but still dead serious.

"Of course not!"

Mom picks up the money again, her expression one of disbelief as she shakes her head slowly.

"This is more than I make in two weeks," she says, almost to herself. "It's enough to cover a couple of months' expenses, not just the mortgage." She stands and moves over to the window, her posture tense as if she's trying to piece together a puzzle that's way too complicated.

I watch her, seeing the conflict play across her face. She's worried; that much is clear. After a moment of silence, she turnsslightly, still looking out the window but clearly speaking to me. "Promise me, Mandy. Promise me you didn’t do anything illegal for this."

The question hangs in the air, thick and heavy. Technically,Ididn’t do anything illegal, but I can’t speak for Enzo. But that's not something I can dump on Mom right now. So, I stick to my part of the story.

"I promise, Mom. I didn’t do anything illegal."

She nods, taking in my answer but still seeming unsure about the whole scenario. The truth is, I'm just as tangled up in wondering about the whole thing as she is.

Mom's eyes suddenly flash with a new intensity. "Did you get yourself indebted to that gangster your father mentioned?" she asks sharply, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

I wince internally but keep a cool exterior. "Mom, please just take the money and pay the mortgage today, all right? Let’s sort this out before Jimmy finds out." I push the stack of cash a little closer to her, trying to end this line of questioning. The whole situation is way too complicated to lay out right now, and the last thing I want is to weave a web of lies I could trip over later.

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