Page 36 of The Proposal Pact
And I’d believe it if I didn’t chance a glance at my best friend who mouths to me,What the fuck?
See? Even Griffin who was on shift at the fire station all day knows all about my meeting with the girl last night, yet my mother is ignoring it wholeheartedly.
Dad goes to get some food onto his plate, but Mom stops him. “Wait a moment, Dean, we’re expecting another guest for dinner.”
My spine shoots up. “Who?”
Mom smiles sweetly. “Just a friend.”
Griff and I exchange a look that says we don’t buy it for a second, and a moment later our suspicions are confirmed when there’s a knock on the front door and Mom rushes to open it.
“Olivia, honey, I’m so glad you could join us tonight.” She walks the newcomer into the kitchen who happens to be a very young, respectively beautiful girl with long brown hair and sweet, naïve eyes.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Lovinski.”
“No, no, please, call me Lily.” Mom smiles sweetly at Olivia and then whispers loud enough for everyone—specifically me—to hear. “But I’m hoping you can call me Mom one day soon.”
I run my tongue over my teeth. Ladies and gentlemen…I give you a fucking angle.
“I’m not in a fucking mood, Fanny,” I tell the waiting grandma in green track suit as I walk into the station the next morning, seeing Fanny already seated in her spot at my desk, cake pops waiting for me.
“I take it it’s a no for Oliva?” she asks, tsking.
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. “It’s afuckingno to Oliva or anyone else you send my way! Jesus Christ!” I lose my cool toward the end of it.
Last night was a shit show. A complete shit-fucking-show where mom played the most ridiculous matchmaker, listing all of Olivia’s attributes to me like she was reading off a list and then proceeded to do the same about me to her.
No wonder she couldn’t care any less about my weird meeting with Sophie when she already had her perfect match lined up for me and Oliva was all too eager to make this work.
“Okay, hakuna your tatas, Cake pop. What was wrong with Olivia?” She snatches a sticky note and a pen from my desk and looks at me expectantly, ready to take damn notes.
I snatch the note and the pen back, pursing my lips as Fanny rolls her eyes and digs out her own pen and paper from her bag.
“She’s a beautiful girl and seems perfectly nice but how many times do I have to repeat that I don’t want any girlfriends, wives, or even dates!”
“A boyfriend then?”
“No! Jesus…” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Why can’t you all just leave me alone?”
“Because you’re unhappy and we want you to be happy, so suck it up and enjoy the ride.”
“You do realize this will never work, right? I’m perfectly fine as I am.”
“Callum.” Fanny closes her notebook and levels me with a look I rarely see on her face. It’s serious and a little bit in pain, and I already know what she’s going to say next. “You haven’t been happy or even fine for over sixteen years now. Ever since—”
I cut her off. “Don’t,” I snap.
I don’t want to hear, talk about it, or even remember the worst day of my entire life. The day that changed me forever.
Fanny sighs, “Okay, I won’t bring it up.”
“Thank you.”
“If…”
“There we go.” I slump into my seat. “I knew it was too good to be true that you’d just drop it.”
Ignoring my comment, she prowls on. “If you look through these pictures…I picked a whole new set for you.”
