Better than Sexy (The Sexy 3)

At least not right now.

Chapter Nine

On a rainy day in a New Jersey cemetery, Vivi and her mother buried Vic beside her father. Rain dripped down her face, and sadness consumed her for the life he’d lived and the one he’d lost and for all the pain and havoc he’d caused during his time on earth. She ignored the snap snap of the cameras and the flashes taking gratuitous shots even here, at a burial.

She’d taken time off from the club and had Owen tell Landon and his partners she’d be back next weekend, which happened to be her second-to-last one at Club TEN29. Needing time to herself, she’d packed a bag and gone to stay at her mother’s for a little while.

At her mom’s, she’d woken up after a night spent tossing and turning and joined her mother in the kitchen. Sunlight shone through the window over the sink and sliding glass doors behind the table. Her mother lived in a small house in Queens, an easy enough trip to Manhattan and the law office where her mom worked.

Anne Marie handed her a coffee mug with cream and sugar, and Vivi gratefully took a long sip. “Mmm. I needed that.”

“I hear you. Can I get you something to eat?” Tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, her mom waited for her to answer.

Vivi shook her head. “I’ll pour myself some cereal.”

She’d also taken this week to eat and do whatever she wanted, no exercise, no practice, no dieting to fit into her stage outfits. She walked to the pantry and pulled out a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and grabbed the almond milk from the fridge. Okay, maybe she’d be a little healthy.

“Have you heard from him?” her mother asked.

Vivi brought everything to the table and settled into the seat across from her mom. “Have I heard from who?” she asked, playing dumb. She didn’t really think she’d be putting her mother off, but she sure could give not talking about Landon her best shot.

Her mother’s disappointed frown had Vivi squirming in her seat like a badly behaving teenager.

“Fine. No, I haven’t heard from him.”

Ever since she’d gotten the call about Vic’s death, Landon had disappeared. She hadn’t gotten in touch with him, either, but regardless of the situation, she was the one grieving. He could reach out to check on her if he cared enough. In the wake of his silence, she drew her own conclusions and they weren’t good ones.

She poured the cereal into the bowl, followed by the milk, picked up a spoon, and dug in.

“Maybe he doesn’t know what to say.” Ever the devil’s advocate, her mother offered up an excuse.

Vivi wasn’t buying it, and she felt the weight of her mother’s stare until Vivi met her gaze. “Even if that’s true, he hurt me,” she admitted.

There’d been a reason she wasn’t sleeping well, and Landon’s sudden absence from her life explained it.

“This is between Landon and me, not Landon and Vic.” And if they were going to have a relationship of any kind, her feelings, no matter what they stemmed from, had to matter. “It’s over anyway. I’m meeting with Owen this week to discuss my future, and it can’t be in New York.”

“Whoa.” Anne Marie held up a hand. “Let’s break this down, shall we?” her mother the lawyer said, in her educational tone, causing Vivi to frown. “Let’s start with you and Landon. What do you want from him, Vivienne? Your brother killed his twin. I think you need to meet him halfway.”

She shook her head. “I need to know he can handle who I am, Mom. Especially now that Vic is gone. There is no longer a chance that he can get out of jail or torment Landon and his friends, or try to insinuate himself in my life somehow. In a strange way, I’m free and clear. If Landon wanted me, he’d find a way to show me that.”

Her mother took a long sip of her coffee. “I can’t argue with your logic,” she said at last.

“Which makes the fact that I’ll be leaving town irrelevant. Things are already over.” Her stomach twisted at the thought of never being in Landon’s arms again. Still, they’d been a shaky couple from the start, and she’d warned him of that very fact. He just hadn’t wanted to listen.

“I just want you to be happy.” Her mother held out her arms. “Come give me a hug.”

With a small smile, Vivi rose and wrapped her arms around her mother, who needed the emotional embrace as much as Vivi did, and then they each pulled back. Vivi sat back down with her cereal and dove in.

The doorbell rang and her mom looked surprised. “I wonder who that could be.” Rising, she went to answer it, and Vivi heard low voices from the other room.