Page 66 of Falling for You Again

“Your father had it.” Kaye puts down the bowl of chicken and inspects the tabletop. She snaps her fingers. “I forgot the salad. Start serving yourselves. I’ll be right back.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask Aaron after she leaves.

“Nothing.” A tic pops in his cheek from gritting his teeth. We sit beside each other on a bench. He glances at me with a forced smile and rubs my back. Something about this table bothers him.

Kaye returns with a tossed green salad and sits across from us. Aaron pours the wine and we fill our plates. After a quick toast, I bite into a chicken leg. The meat is succulent and the skin crispy with just the right mix of spice.

“This is really good,” I tell Kaye.

She’s pleased and actually smiles. It completely changes her face. Now I see Aaron in there. Kaye is a beautiful woman when she isn’t trying to appear so frightening.

“It’s an old family recipe. It’s been way too long since I’ve made it, but tonight felt like the right occasion. Don’t you agree, Aaron? You’re here; you brought your lovely wife.”

Aaron smiles stiffly at his mother. He doesn’t touch the chicken.

“Thank you for cooking this for me,” I say. Though in reality, I’m shocked. I can’t quite figure her out. Does she like me or not? Is she upset I didn’t sign the postnup, or is all forgiven? Maybe she does want us to start over.

Then she goes and says, “I didn’t do this for you.”

I flinch and glance at Aaron. Did I hear her right?

“Mom.” His tone is a warning as they stare at each other across the table. Kaye glances away first.

“Well.” She leans back and rubs her hands on the napkin over her lap. “I’m just pleased you both could make it out here on such short notice.”

“Of course,” I say after a beat, feeling like I need to acknowledge her when Aaron doesn’t. He still hasn’t taken a bite. Rather he’s using his fork to nudge salad around his plate.

For the rest of the meal, our conversation remains relatively pleasant. Kaye talks about meeting a friend of hers for lunch, giving Aaron updates about the people who run in their social circle, adding footnotes for me as to who they are and how they know them, why they’re important to her. At one point it becomes clear to me she’s talking about Fallon’s mom. Kaye asks Aaron if he’s seen Fallon lately.

“I haven’t.” He splits a bread roll in half.

“Well, if you do talk to her, tell her to call me. She’s been rude, not returning any of my messages.”

“How’s Dad?” Aaron changes the subject. “Did he tell you what time is his and Oriana’s flight to Florida tomorrow?”

Kaye sets down her fork. “Why did you have to go and bring them up? You know I don’t like talking about that twat.”

I gape at Kaye, then I look at Aaron to see his reaction. He has a staunch smile plastered on his face, but his foot is tapping under the table as her words hang in the air and an incongruous silence falls over us. I find her name-calling of her ex-husband’s wife as off-putting as I found her lack of faith in Aaron yesterday morning. Do I even want to know what she says about me when I’m not around?

Absolutely not.

I no longer feel hungry, and I really don’t want to be sitting here. In fact, I’d be happy to leave anytime. Now would be great, I think, looking at Aaron.

“Oriana has a name and she is his wife.” Aaron coming to his stepmother’s defense fills me with admiration and respect.

“She’s as old as your brother would have been.”

Aaron sits, unmoving. He then slowly, purposefully, puts down the two halves of his roll. Rage simmers under a surface of forced calm.

“Your father is more than twice her age,” Kaye goes on. “Best thing he did was to have her sign the prenup. Can you imagine her on the board of directors when he goes belly-up?”

I have a hard time swallowing my corn as I stare wide-eyed at Kaye. Nope. She’s still fuming over my lack of cooperation.

“If you must know, he canceled his cruise. With his retirement and Charlie stepping in as president now that the board has voted me in as CEO, I need his help with the transition. She wasn’t trained as thoroughly as you. You’re fortunate you still have a sister, Aaron.”

I turn to Aaron. “I thought you were going to be president.”

“I should have known there was a reason you invited us tonight,” he says to his mom, his gaze fixed on her. “You always favored the dramatic.”

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