"Hey, mom." He turns to me, "What's up?"

"You need to leave now. We don't need the crowd. Please."

Richard rolls his eyes, chuckling, and a smile tugs at my lips.

He turns to me.

"Are you going to let her bully me like this, Fiona?"

"Sheesh, I wish I could help you."

He grins and walks out. At a distance, an individual stands observing us, arms folded and a scowl etched onto his countenance.

Who the hell wakes up frowning?

I feign ignorance of his presence and take the dry mixture to Bertha.

"Thanks," she says, pouring the mix into her egg mix. She raises her head to find Jason scowling.

"Uhhh, good morning to you too, grumpy." He approaches us and leans on the counter.

"Hi, Mom."

"Good morning." That's all I muster, but he doesn't look my way. I bite my lips. Did I do something wrong? I've never met someone as closed-off and cold as he is. I once had an ex who tended toward moods like that. It was exhausting having to deal with that all the time. Unfortunately, I can't ‘break up’ with Jason. I can't just up and leave. It's good that we're not close; I won't have to suffer from his obstinate moods. There has to be a reason why he acts like this though. Do I want to dig deeper? I walk past him to the living room and sit beside Richard.

He punches my shoulder playfully.

"Hey, Tex's new favorite."

I giggle.

"What are you doing today?"

"To be honest, I don't know. We could hang out if you're down. A swim later would do you some good."

"I'd love that! What do you do for work?"

"I play basketball professionally."

Not bad. He leans forward and whispers.

"Compared to Jason, I'm a pathetic pauper."

It catches me off guard, and I burst out laughing. From the side of my eye, I watch Jason charge upstairs. I should speak with him, so El can come to visit. I stand and follow behind, but he's moving with speed.

"Hey!" I call just before he pushes his suite door open. He pauses, avoiding my gaze.

"Is there a problem?"

He stays silent.

"Are you usually this cold?"

He shoots me a stink stare, and I take a step back.

"I came to ask if I'm allowed to have one visitor, my best —-"

"No." He cuts me off before I get a chance to finish. I punch my fists at the wall.