Page 108 of The Wrong Date Deal

“Don’t scowl, August,” her mom said. “Your face will get stuck like that.”

Piper laughed, jumping off the counter to tend to the pancakes.

“Sorry, dear,” her mom said, faux sweet voice making August’s insides bristle. She’d never liked that voice, but it was particularly irritating when she directed it towards Piper. “Could you give us a moment to talk to our daughter in private?”

“She’s fine,” August said, one hand finding Piper’s hip in a weird bid to physically protect her from the spiky speech being directed her way. “We’re in the middle of trying to have breakfast.”

Her mom sighed. “It’ll only be a minute, and we don’t need everyone knowing family business.”

That was it, wasn’t it?Family business, as August’s family meant it, was something private and shameful, something youhad to keep under wraps from other people. It was control. But, just yesterday, August had seen it didn’t have to be like that. The version of a family she’d always wished could be hers existed, and she’d been welcomed into it. Piper’s family business was love and care and opening your hearts to all the people you could. Piper’s parents had welcomed August from the second she’d stepped in the door. Her parents were trying to force Piper out of a room she’d gotten to before them.

“Piper’s not going to go spilling whatever it is you want to talk about,” August said coolly.

She understood the need for boundaries, for privacy, but she also knew her parents were doing this for control, and she didn’t want to keep giving that up to them.

She really couldn’t remember the last time they’d been here—had they ever actually been to this apartment before? She wasn’t sure. She’d long since given up thinking about her parents visiting her, or remembering their visits.

Either way, this wasn’t their space, Ford was safe, and something had finally switched inside of August. Maybe she still wanted a relationship with them, but she was experiencing better, seeing it was possible, finally opening up, and realizing that shutting everyone out was not the sign of success her parents acted like it was. So, if they were doing this, if they were having a relationship, she wanted some say in how.

Her parents both sighed. A weird, passive-aggressive control method they’d been using since she and Ford were kids. The manipulative disapproval that made them rush to save the situation, to please their parents, to get back in their good books.

Piper stayed standing at the stove, making pancakes like she was entirely unbothered by the tension in the room, but she took August’s free hand behind her back, August’s body shielding the touch from her parents, and she squeezed gently, reassuringly.

“Your brother has moved,” her dad said eventually, his eyes flicking over and over again to the coffee machine.

“Right,” August said.

“Does this mean he’s finally come to his senses?”

“What?”

Her mom scowled despite her earlier warning and looked pointedly at August. “If he’s moving out of that god-awful place, he must have a reason. The most likely being that he’s drop—that he’s realized histalentslie elsewhere.”

“He really is a very talented boy,” her dad said. “Could have gone to an Ivy League school, you know? Instead, he’s off at some culinary school.”

August wasn’t sure who he was asking. Ford had no interest in the Ivy League and he never had. But, there he was, at one of the most prestigious culinary institutes in the country and his parents were… embarrassed?

“Ford’s happy where he is,” she said plainly. “And he’s still there. Didn’t you ask him about that?”

Her mom rolled her eyes. “Your brother is having a little… moment.”

August wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but she did know that was why they were here. Ford wasn’t giving them the information they wanted. Maybe she wasn’t the only one going through some changes lately.

“We’re just worried about him,” her dad said. “He’s our son and we should know the changes in his life.”

Ford wouldn’t give them his new address. Putting the pieces together wasn’t difficult. August was practiced in conversing with them.

She couldn’t blame Ford. He was finally getting some peace, some safety. He deserved to keep that from people who knew he’d been struggling and were glad of it if he was doing something they didn’t approve of.

“You can ask him for the details,” August said, poking the bear.

Her mother looked at her as she took a breath. “How’s work? How’s that promotion?”

There was no promotion. There had been a couple of years ago, and August was happy where she was now. But, since she wasn’t the chief of the company her parents thought she should be pushing higher. In truth, she’d likely have to change companies to go higher, but she didn’t want to do that until she’d gotten everything she could out of her current role, until she was ready to go higher.

“Work is great, Mom,” she said, concentrating on Piper’s hand in hers.

“I hope you’ve been working hard. Though, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Bad sleep ruins productivity. If people think you can’t handle things on your own, you’ll never get anything better.” She glanced at Piper again. “And I trust you don’t have pancakes every day. They aren’t the healthiest breakfast you could be eating.”

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