Page 43 of Touch of Fondness

“You didn’t disinvite your father!”

“I don’t have to! He’d never come!” He swallowed then, the words harder to articulate than he’d thought.

“Oh, butthatcauses you pain?” She was shaking so hard, her limbs were trembling. “But me being nothing but supportive of you, fostering your art skills, giving upso much in my lifeto take care of you,meyou don’t want around?”

“I didn’t ask you to!” Archer found it difficult to stop the tears from welling in his own eyes then. “I didn’t ask to be a burden. I didn’t ask to be born this way.”

“I never said you were aburden.” She wiped the tears from her face with two of her fingers squeezed together.

“But I am. I get it.” He backed his wheelchair up to give her more space in his tiny kitchen. “Look. I think it’s healthier for the both of us if we see less of each other.”

She sniffled, crossing her arms and not bothering to wipe her dripping nose. “Youallowme to only see you once a week.”

“I think… That’s a good amount.” Archer winced. He didn’t like hurting his mother, but damn it, she drove him crazy.

She stepped past him, ignoring her mug of coffee. “I’m done paying for that maid you’re sleeping with.”

His jaw dropped. “I’mnot—”

She swiped her purse off the counter, not noticing or caring that a small slip of paper fell out from the open top as she did. “You’re so independent, you can clean your own place.”

“Mother, please.” Archer followed after her down the hallway to his front door. “Don’t be upset.”

She twirled around to face him. “So what’s gotten you more upset? Me telling you to clean your own stuff or me being upset?”

He felt as if she’d put him in a vice, asking him to choose two equally bad answers, not even recognizing half of the real issues at hand. “I don’t want you upset. I also don’t want you getting Brielle in trouble for something shedidn’t do.”

She threw her hands in the air. “What do you take me for? An idiot? Fine.” She opened the door quickly. “This annoyingidiotwill leave you alone, as you requested. But she’s not financing your intimacy, either.” She slammed the door shut.

Although he’d dreamed of telling her off for ages—of saying worse things, even—he felt nauseous. It didn’t quite feel real.

But a huge part of him didn’t care.

He locked the door, even putting the chain up, which meant that she wasn’t going to be able to let herself back in.

A thought struck him. The paper that fell out of his mother’s purse… Depending on what it was, he might just summon the courage to act on his impulses, screw the consequences.

Chapter Thirteen

Despite the terrible, terrible evening Brielle had wound up having the night before, she still felt like she’d had the best evening of any of her friends.

One week away from graduation and already life was in shambles for her closest friends. She didn’t even have it in her to talk about Archer or the weirdness of getting a ride from his mom—neither of which was terrible, really, it was mostly how things went down with Pembroke that worried her—with Lilac, who was in tears on Skype. Lilac wouldn’t talk much about it, other than to lament the fact that she’d ever done such a reckless thing, that she wished she’d taken the summer off and stuck to the teaching job in Minneapolis like she’d planned, that she’d been stupid to do this stupid thing. Brielle had hardly known what to say other than to tell her to take a deep breath and wait until some more time had passed before she made another rash decision.

Lilac had not taken kindly to the “another” rash decision and she’d cut the call earlier than planned, barely hearing anything about Brielle meeting up with Pembroke.

Gavin sighed after she said goodbye. He looked haggard, like he hadn’t slept in days, and Brielle was fairly certain he was in a closet.

“I’m sorry,” said Brielle, slumping forward on her desk in her room. She was fully aware the room looked like a mess behind her, complete with piles and piles of half-opened boxes (throughout the past week, she’d dig around for something and not bother to unload the rest). She just didn’t really care.

Gavin shrugged. “I’m worried about Li,” he said. “But I’m also worried about Pembroke. And you too. What do you mean, she was dating Daniel?”

Brielle tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Shewasdating Daniel. Despite him having a different fiancée last week. But I think that’s over now.”

“I wish she’d answer my messages,” said Gavin.

“Mine too.” Brielle’s lips soured. “I told her she didn’t have to cut me off because she made the same mistake I did—albeit just a little bit shittier since she had a friend to clarify what a dick he was—but that’s it. I’ve got too much else to worry about. If she doesn’t answer, I don’t… I don’t need that kind of drama in my life.”

Gavin smirked. “You did have a friend to tell you he was a dick.”

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