Page 38 of Crossing the Line
“I’m putting her on.”
“No! Don’t put her on the—Hi, Mom.” He rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and felt a headache begin to brew.
He glanced over at Waverly who was eating and watching him like she was enjoying a matinee at the movie theater. She looked thoroughly entertained.
His mother held a PhD in history and taught at a local college but was somehow technically deficient when it came to personal computers.
“Xavier!” she sounded thrilled to hear his voice, and he instantly felt guilty for not thinking to call recently. “What are you doing calling your sister?”
Well, at least he’d get the points.
“I, uh, have an issue with my email, and I wanted to ask a computer expert,” he fibbed. “What’s going on with you and Dad?”
His mother launched into a description of their garden, the neighborhood’s new playground, before finally circling back to her laptop. Xavier inserted “uh-huhs” where appropriate and snagged a nacho from Waverly.
“I don’t know, Mom. I think you should listen to Chels. You know she’s a genius when it comes to this stuff. That’s why I go to her with all my IT stuff.” Waverly nudged him with her foot, and he captured it, warming it in his hand. She purred when he pressed his thumb into the arch.
“Well, okay. I just don’t want the FBI thinking I’m downloading porn or trying to buy missiles or something if it’s a virus.”
“Mom!”
“Just kidding, sweetheart. What are you doing tonight?”
“Right now?” he asked. He shot Waverly a sideways glance and squeezed her foot. “I’m enjoying a beach picnic.”
“With a beautiful woman I hope.” He could hear the smile in her voice.
“As a matter of fact, she is, and before you ask, no I’m not sending you a picture.”
“Well, don’t let me interrupt. Call us this weekend, and we can talk about your visit home, which is…?”
“Soon. I promise,” Xavier said, smiling.
They hung up, and Xavier tucked his phone back into his pants pocket.
“You lied to your mother, X! I’m shocked,” Waverly teased.
“You think you’re the only one who does that? My motives are pure.”
“It’s nice to know that you’re a little bit human,” she smiled softly.
His hand tightened on her foot, thumb in the in-sole. “A little too human sometimes,” he said quietly.
“Well, I admire the way you handled the problem while turning all future responsibility back on your sister.”
“It takes a great mastermind to recognize one,” he said dryly.
Waverly smirked and stared out at the sea. “They sound blissfully normal, you know? My family dynamics are closer to a hostile takeover,” she said wryly.
“They care about you,” Xavier told her.
She arched an eyebrow.
“In their own way,” he amended.
Still, she stared at him, looking like she was trying to work something out. Finally, she spoke. “What do you think of them? Of me?” she wondered out loud.
He shook his head. “Waverly, my opinion isn’t important. What matters is my ability to protect you.”
