Page 16 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal
After all, I always got what I wanted. And I wanted Tessa Wynn more than I'd wanted anything in years.
5
TESSA
The holiday decorations remained around my dinky apartment, but the magic had dulled into routine.
I regularly left up the pre-lit five-foot tree and the lights on every doorway, but this year, I decided to leave up the tinsel and holly too. Call it laziness or a stylistic choice, but I didn't want to put it all away. I enjoyed the festivity of it.
I sat cross-legged on my secondhand couch, watching Mochi bat at a feather toy around on the floor while flicking his tail.
The radiator clanged its familiar tune, and I pulled my oversized sweater tighter around my shoulders. It was just a dreary mid-January Saturday with snowfall that made foot travel out of my apartment miserable, so I chose to watch a movie instead of doing the grocery shopping.
My phone buzzed from its perch on the coffee table in front of me and Mom's name appeared on the screen. I stared at it for a long moment before answering.
I loved my mother, but sometimes I lacked the emotional energy for her constant pressuring. She wanted grandchildren and she wanted to see me settle down. Like that had worked so well for her the first time…
"Tessa, honey, I've been thinking about you all week." Her tone was the same overly doting, motherly melody I'd grown used to when I answered calls like these.
"Hi, Mom. How's Florida treating you?" I, however, faked happiness, because if she knew how bored and conflicted I was lately, she'd offer her version of unsolicited advice. And I hated when she did that.
"Oh, you know, Frank and I went to the beach yesterday. Seventy-eight degrees and not a cloud in the sky." She paused for effect. "I keep thinking about how you couldn't make it down for Christmas. Work kept you so busy… It really was beautiful."
I reached for Mochi, who had abandoned his toy in favor of my lap. His purr vibrated against my chest as I scratched behind his ears, and his paws made biscuits on my collarbone. "I told you, the gala was a disaster and we had so much cleanup afterward. I couldn't leave. Plus, any flights would've been grounded. We got a foot of snow."
"Sweetheart, I worry about you up there all alone." Here came the concern that would morph into a guilt trip. "When was the last time you took a vacation? When was the last time you went on a date?"
The familiar knot formed in my stomach. I'd rehearsed these deflections countless times. "I'm fine, Mom, really. Work is going well. I've been getting more responsibilities lately, and my boss has been recognizing my contributions more openly."
"That's wonderful, but what about your personal life? You're twenty-six, Tessa. I had you when I was your age."
The irony wasn't lost on me. I'd spent months researching fertility clinics while my mother worried I wasn't settling down fast enough.
I wasn't going about it the traditional way, but I hoped that my implacable mother would be happy when I told her I waspregnant—if my plan worked out. Or at the very least, that she would stop nagging me like this.
"I'm focused on my career right now. There's plenty of time for everything else." Weaving my hand around Mochi's tail, I rested my head against the back of the couch and sighed.
"Is there, though? Time has a way of slipping by faster than you think." Her voice softened. "I just want you to be happy, honey."
"I am happy." For the most part, it wasn't a lie, but I did have my days. "Listen, Mom, I need to get going. I have some work to catch up on."
"On a Sunday evening?"
"The finance world never sleeps." Another practiced deflection. "I'll call you later this week, okay?"
"Promise me you'll think about visiting soon. The weather here would do you good. You need some Vitamin D."
"I promise. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart."
I ended the call and set the phone aside, guilt settling over me the way it did every time I promised I'd visit because I knew I never would.
The research folder lay on the coffee table where I had left it earlier, filled with printed articles about IVF success rates, clinic reviews, and financial planning worksheets.
The wine I had poured sat untouched, the burgundy liquid catching the light from my small table lamp.
Mochi stretched and relocated to the arm of the couch. His golden eyes watched me in a judgmental way. Typical cat.
