Page 78 of The Young & the Sinner

The woman said something to Max, then she planted a kiss on his cheek that lingered a few seconds too long before pulling away.

She laughed at something Max said, and my gut clenched at the very feminine laughter that I would never be able to mimic. When I laughed, I laughed with gusto. I couldn’t be coy or flirtatious to save my life. The thought made me stumble in my steps. Was that the kind of woman Mason was attracted to?

I shook my head. That wasn’t important right now.

We passed each other on the driveway, and even with the low lighting, I could tell she was probably the most polished, sophisticated woman I had ever seen in my life.

Is this what an adult was supposed to look like?

I grimaced.

I didn’t think I looked like a kid in my jeans and sweater. My hair was tied up because by the end of the day, I needed to tie it up, and I had no makeup on.

But this woman? She was dress in a fitted button-up white shirt, tight black dress pants that only went to her ankles, and she had heels on, making her already long legs look longer. She was taller than me be at least a head. Her auburn hair was down, curled at the ends, and reached only midway down her back. Her face was made up, emphasizing her large blue eyes, pert nose, and full lips, painted a deep wine color that was as bold as it was elegant.

She was perfect in every way possible.

“Hi,” I said. “I’m Olivia.”

She shot a barely there smile. “Hello. I’m Lauren. I’m sorry to rush out, but I have a meeting I need to get to.”

She patted my shoulder like I was a lost little kid looking for reassurance, before walking past me and straight into the waiting Uber I didn’t even notice when I first arrived home.

I frowned after her, before turning to Max.

Max was still in his work clothes, minus the suit jacket. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing tan forearms, and his hair was a tad messy, as if someone had run their fingers through it…

Yeah, I wasn’t going to go there.

My heart pinched in my chest, and I brought my hand up to ease the uncomfortable feeling away. Max had loved my mom for as long as I could remember, I never really questioned it. But seeing him with this woman, who complemented him well, I wondered why it never occurred to me until now that he and my mom never really fit together.

Max looked up and caught my eyes then. His eyes brightened and he smiled just a little wider. I was glad he seemed happy to see me. It meant he didn’t see me as nothing more than an intrusion on his date.

“Hi, sweetheart. How as school?”

“It’s good, Max.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Come on inside. There’s a bit of a cold wind picking up.”

I nodded and followed him in.

Max acted like nothing was amiss. He didn’t explain who Lauren was, and since it seemed he didn’t think she was important enough for an explanation, I didn’t push.

I sat on the barstool by the kitchen and watched as Max grabbed some ingredients to make a quick dinner. We talked about our days, and things almost seemed normal, but there was this awkwardness between us that I was sure Max noticed. He didn’t bring it up, so I pretended it didn’t exist.

After I helped him clean up, I excused myself. I ignored the fact that Max seemed pretty relieved I was going to bed early.

Walking over to him, I kissed Max’s cheek. “Goodnight.”

“’Night, kiddo.”

I walked up the stairs and straight to the shower. This was going to be a long night.

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