Page 62 of Spooked

“Leon? How lovely to hear from you.”

I’d hoped it would be Meera. Our long-distance chats had been a lifeline over the past two weeks, but she hadn’t called yesterday. I hoped she was just busy moving into her new place.

“How are you, darling?”

Until we visited, I hadn’t realised Mr. Vale’s mom was English, although he’d told me his father was an American citizen but half-French by birth. Mr Vale’s parents had met in Paris while they were both working there.

“I’m okay.”

“Only okay? Is that son of mine giving you the runaround?”

“Oh, he’s keeping me busy with work.”

“I’m not talking about work.”

“I…I don’t understand.”

“If he hasn’t made his feelings clear already, I’m sure he will in time.”

Hell, what had he told his mom?

“Things are a little difficult right now.”

“Because of Carissa? I never did like that girl.”

“Me neither.” The words just popped out. “Sorry. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t speak badly of people.”

“We’ll make an exception for her, my love. You have to trust that Braxton will resolve the issue. But enough of those problems—I’m calling to invite both of you to my birthday celebration.”

“B-both of us?”

“It’s only a small get-together at Cardinal, but we can play bridge again.”

What was I meant to say? “Could you tell me the date?”

“Friday, June thirtieth, and if I don’t put the details in Braxton’s diary, he forgets and starts scheduling other things.”

“I’ll make sure the day gets blocked out.”

And travel time on either side of it. Mr. Vale would definitely want to attend his mother’s party. I’d need to book flights—business class, not economy—but first, I’d have to check his whereabouts before and after. There would be no point in booking a ticket from LA if he was in New York that week. A sigh escaped. If things kept going the way they were, I wouldn’t be going with him. Hell, I might not be in the picture at all. At the moment, he mostly seemed to be drinking too much and ignoring me. His office door stayed firmly closed. If he was still mainlining whisky next week, I’d be forced to intervene, but so far, I’d just been monitoring his daily alcohol intake and making sure he drank plenty of water.

And it was good to hear Leon sounding cheerful. From the snippets Mr. Vale had let slip, I’d pieced together fragments of her history, and I feared my own mother would end up in a similar situation down the line. And worse, I couldn’t do anything to help her. Not physically and not financially.

“No need to worry about a gift,” Leon said. “Just your company will be enough.”

“I’ll make sure to tell Mr. Vale.”

“Mr. Vale? There’s no need for such formalities.”

“That’s what he prefers me to call him.”

“Tell him not to be so silly. Everyone calls him Braxton. Or Brax, although he’ll always be Braxton to me.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” I promised, but I knew I wouldn’t say a word. Life was difficult enough at the current time without rocking the boat. If it listed any farther, we’d all fall out.

* * *

Where was she? Four days had passed since I last heard from Meera. I’d expected the usual silly memes, an update on the swales, photos of her new place. But instead, there’d been radio silence.

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