Page 13 of Crying Shame
Elon perked up like he’d won a prize. “I’ll have my secretary start the paperwork.”
I sat back with my coffee and said, “Perfect.”
He winked at me. “Glad to finally get a compliment from you.”
I sipped my coffee and relaxed. “I only give those out when you do something right, Elon.”
He finished the food on his plate. “Sounds like something to strive for, but please eat more. We can’t have you wasting away.”
Heat rose to my face. Hunter had always criticized my eating habits, making me feel self-conscious about my body. I shook my head. “I don’t want to get fat.”
Elon tilted his head. “Maman would probably say you’ve gotten too thin. Eat.”
His mother was nice. She’d always offered me food when she saw me. Sam stared at me. I picked up my fork and said, “Okay.”
I hoped he hadn’t figured out that my ex had tried to control my eating habits. I gazed at my plate and ate.
I tensed with embarrassment from the attention both Elon and Sam paid my every bite, but I finished as much as I could. It was nice, though, that Elon expected me to eat in front of him and didn't insult me.
Once I wiped my lips and we were ready to enjoy the park, we stood. I put my hand on my son's shoulder. “Sam, just remember always that I love you.”
“Of course he knows that,” Elon said.
I glared up at him. “Don’t patronize me, Elon.”
He nodded.
We walked outside the restaurant, and Sam directed us to a roller coaster. The line seemed long. “This is going to take hours. Let’s do something else and come back.”
Elon held up his hand then said he'd be right back. He left us, and I took a deep breath. It was easier to think without him standing next to me.
Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to trust him, but it was a miracle that he'd shown up when he had. There was no way Hunter would look for me at a theme park or knock on the door of a room in the nicest hotel in town. He wouldn't figure out wherever we went on Elon’s jet, either.
Sam was safe. I sighed with relief.
Elon returned, holding fast passes that would enable us to skip the regular line for one that moved much faster.
“You shouldn't have wasted your money, Elon,” I said.
“I’m a stockholder, so there was a deal anyhow.”
Of course he was a stockholder. I rolled my eyes and glanced down at my son. After his big breakfast, I hoped Sam’s stomach had settled enough to take a roller coaster ride. Elon walked beside us to the fast-pass line.
Elon addressed Sam. “Since I told my brothers in a group chat that I found your mom, they all want to know how she’s been. Everyone is excited to meet you… when you’re ready.”
The Norouzi family was large and loving. I remembered all of them fondly.
Sam bounced on the soles of his new shoes. “Sounds nice. What was my mom like when you knew her?”
My entire body tensed. Normally, I avoided Sam's questions about my childhood.
We'd reached the front of the line. Elon let Sam get into the roller coaster first. “Your mom was shy, sweet, kind, and way more mature than me.”
I started to get into the seat behind them. “That makes me sound old.”
Elon leaned over and pressed his hand on my back, helping me settle in my seat. “I’m older than you. You were the responsible one. When you didn’t come back to college, I blamed myself.”
Elon got into the seat next to Sam.
