The Negotiator (Harbor City 1)

Her mom’s sigh was as weary as it was familiar. “I just worry about you, that’s all.”

And BAM! the mom-guilt cannon landed a direct shot.

Deep inhale. Deep exhale. She mentally closed the door on her annoyance. “I know, and I’m sorry I make you worry.”

“So help me stop worrying about this engagement that came out of nowhere.”

The truth hovered on the tip of Clover’s tongue, but she’d promised no one would know. And if her mom knew, so would all of Sparksville—plus the truth wouldn’t do any good but make her mom worry even more. They weren’t alike in any way and tended to argue more than agree, but they were family and that meant a lot to both of them.

“It happened kind of fast.” Not a lie. And not exactly the truth, either, Khway p???ax`xn. Moronic water buffalo, indeed. But Clover drew the line at outright lying to her mother.

“I’d say so,” her mom said. “How long have you been seeing him?”

“It was kind of a whirlwind thing, you know how much I travel, and we wanted to keep everything hush-hush until we knew for sure it was the real deal.” Her palms were sweaty and her mouth dry. God, she really did suck at this. Good thing she’d never listed life of crime as a dream goal.

“And you’re ready to get married already?”

There it was, her mom’s Jane-why-can’t-you-just-do-things-like-a-normal-person sigh. It brought out the reflexive snarl in Clover.

“When you know, you know,” she said, her voice as sweet as high fructose corn syrup. “Isn’t that what you always said about Dad?”

Her mom let out a surprised chuckle before the natural staidness settled back into her tone. “May you live long enough for your own words to be thrown back at you.”

“I know it seems crazy.”

“Love often does—especially when it comes at you out of the blue.”

That unexpected understanding from a woman whose thinking Clover rarely, if ever, clearly comprehended left her momentarily speechless.

“You still there, Jane?”

“Mom…” The urge to spill it all tightened her throat. She hated lying. Even if she’d been any good at it, she’d have hated it.

“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t worry you were rushing, but I’ll table it until I can set my own eyes on him and see for myself,” her mom said, covering Clover’s silence with her own chattiness. “When are you bringing him up for Sunday dinner? We’re only two hours away. You could come next Saturday, spend the night, and head back to the city after lunch. Can I mark the calendar for next weekend?”

That was not going to happen. “I’ll have to talk it over with Sawyer. I know his schedule is packed.” Or it would be until she got on the plane for Australia in six weeks.

“See that you do, otherwise I’ll be forced to show up on your doorstep.” It came out like a joke, but only a fool would believe it was one. “Love you, Jane.”

“Love you, too, Mom,” she said before hanging up.

The truth of it was that she did. For all of their differences—and her bone-deep commitment to never grow up to be her mother—there was a lot of love between them. It was just the prickly kind most days.

A shriek sounded outside her door a half second before it flew open, and Daphne rushed into her room.

“You’re getting married?!” she cried out in one very loud voice.

Since hiding under the covers wasn’t an option, Clover nodded and steeled herself for Lying To The People You Love Sucks: Part Two.

…

The fact that Sawyer needed to get to his brother Hudson before their mom did was only one reason why he was in his personal gym on his phone at seven in the morning on a Friday—the one day he blocked out the world and worked from home every week. The more important reason was that Hudson was not a morning person and some things didn’t stop being fun the older Sawyer got. Busting his brother’s chops by calling before Hudson’s surprisingly agile brain had awakened was definitely one of them.

Settling into plank position with the phone turned to

speaker mode and placed near his fisted hands, he listened to it ring. And ring. And ring.

It went to voicemail three times before Hudson finally picked up. “Are you outside the cabin with a spoon?”