Page 115 of Sweet Temptation

“And how do you feel about leaving the café with Norma?”

Mom blew out a breath. “I’m not good at handing over control, but it’s worth it to spend some time with you.”

It meant so much to me she’d made the effort to come visit me. She always went above and beyond for me, even when her work consumed so much of her time. It was no wonder I hadn’t grown up wondering where my father was. Mom had been better than two parents ever could be.

“But, let’s not talk about Rapid Bay,” Mom said as we arrived at her car. It looked completely out of place in the school parking lot, which was filled with high-end, expensive vehicles, but I didn’t care one bit. Mom smiled. “This weekend is all about enjoying ourselves and spending time together. I want to get a small peek into your life here.”

“Yeah, of course,” I said.

“Now, I must admit, I’m starving. Maybe we should grab some lunch before we go to your father’s place? Do you know anywhere good?

“You ask that like I haven’t been raving about the burgers here ever since I arrived.” I laughed. “Come on, I’ll direct you where to go.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY

Just one lunch at Toddy’s Burgers was enough to turn my mom into a fan. She normally didn’t like burgers that much, but apparently, we’d found the exception to the rule, and the two of us stuffed our faces with so much food that we pretty much rolled our way back to her car.

She also loved the town of Weybridge. She kept gushing over how quaint it was and would let out an “ooh” or an “ahh” whenever we passed one of the cute little shops that lined the main street. It was probably a good thing she needed a shower, or I doubt I could have pulled her away.

When we arrived at Matthew’s home, her gushing came to a stop, and she went suspiciously quiet. Her eyes had slowly been growing wider as we’d driven up the long driveway that led to the house, and her lower lip dropped slightly as she parked in front of the mansion. I could tell she was truly surprised by the size of it. It was one thing to know Matthew had money but another thing to see the evidence of it in the flesh.

“I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” Mom said as she turned the car engine off.

“What do you mean?”

“I know Matthew insisted I stay here, but it feels weird,” she said. “Maybe I’d be better off in a motel tonight.”

I glanced up at the huge house towering over us. It was such a world away from our place back home. It felt like stepping into a whole different universe. From the way my mom was staring at the place, she felt exactly like I did when I first came here—like she didn’t belong and like she wasn’t good enough.

“Do you think I should text him and tell him I’ll stay somewhere else?” Mom asked. “He’s not here, so it’s not like he’s expecting us…”

My chest tightened as I glanced at the house once more. “Uh, I wouldn’t speak too soon,” I said, nodding toward the front door.

Mom looked over and gasped as she saw Matthew emerge from the building.

“He’s here?” she squeaked as she finally found her voice. “What is he doing here? He said he wasn’t going to be in town.”

“I don’t know.” He hadn’t said anything to me either. “He told me he couldn’t make it and we’d have the place to ourselves.”

Mom grabbed hold of my arm, jerking my attention back to her. “How do I look?”

I let out a soft laugh at the worry in her voice. “Mom, you look beautiful, just like always.”

“I haven’t showered this morning,” she said. “I haven’t even brushed my teeth! I knew I should have done it at the gas station on the way here.”

She was officially freaking out, and I lightly grasped her hand. “Mom, it’s okay. Like I said, you look beautiful. It’s just Matthew, there’s no need to freak out.”

She slowly nodded, but I could see my words weren’t exactly helping.

“Why are you so nervous?” I asked.

“Because I haven’t seen him in seventeen years…” She glanced out the car window again. “He’s still incredibly handsome, isn’t he?”

“Ew, Mom.”

She laughed, and the sound seemed to shake the fog of anxiety that had been covering her. “I guess we better go say hello.”

“Yeah, he’s going think something’s wrong if we stay in the car much longer.”

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