Lexi and I exchange a hopeful glance. “Yes, Mom. He’s my friend. We’ve come to visit you.”
She ignores me, suddenly enthralled with the handsome young man beside her. Who can blame her? She pats his hand. “I have so many questions for you, young man.”
Gabriel tilts his chin, offering me a grin. “Why don’t you and Lexi go into the kitchen and catch up. Your mom and I would like to get to know one another better.”
Is this man perfect? An angel sent from heaven? How does he know exactly what I need? I want to believe he’s for real, but it seems too good to be true. And if something seems too good to be true... it usually is.
I kiss him, a long kiss of gratitude, which makes my mom let out a wolf whistle that has my face burning.
“Behave, Mom.” Lexi takes my hand, tugging me into the kitchen.
I slump down into a chair at the breakfast table. Lexi busies herself filling the teapot with water. I look around as she prepares us each an herbal tea. My sister brings me a steaming mug, sliding into the seat next to me.
“Lexi. Be honest with me. How bad is it?”
She won’t meet my eye, taking a sip of her tea.
I put my hand on hers, forcing her to look at me. “Lexi.”
Her gaze rises to meet mine. Unshed tears shine in her eyes. “It’s… bad.”
“How bad? I look around the room again. It’s not only tidy, it's sparkling. Like my sister keeps her own house. “How much time have you been spending here?”
“A lot. The past few weeks, the second Tom leaves for work, I come over. I spend all day here. I feed her an early dinner and then put her to bed early so I know she’s safe. Then, I hurry home and cook for Tom, making sure I’m there when he gets off of work.”
“Shit.”
“It was working… for a while. But then, she was forgetting more and more. There was that call from the neighbor when she was wandering the streets looking for the cat. I took away her car. It’s at my apartment, I didn’t want her driving.”
This is bad. This is really bad.
She continues, the words now flowing like a confession. “It’s been so hard, but I could handle it. But... then the thing with dad. It just broke my heart. I think that was the moment I realized how in over my head I was. How bad she’s gotten, and so quickly. I just don’t think she can live alone anymore.”
My heart aches for her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You know why. I have my days free. I was happy to do this for her, for us. With you working so hard and helping pay for the wedding, the very last thing I wanted to do was put one more thing on your plate.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I just thought I could handle it. That I could do it on my own. But I can’t. I know that now.”
“I’m here, now.” My conscience pricks me. For now. Until I have to go back home, back to work. I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “You can take a break. You’ve earned it.”
She rests her head against me. “I’m so glad you’re here, Miranda. Everything just feels so much more possible when you’re around.”
“Even I need a little help sometimes.” I think of Gabriel’s support over the past few hours. “I wish you would have told me.”
She sits up. “Speaking of not telling you something—when the heck were you going to tell me that you were dating none other than Gabriel Lord?”
How does she know his name? “You know about his business?” I think back to the blinding lights of the photographers. “Sheesh, what is it with everyone going so crazy over a gym owner?”
Her brow furrows. “He owns a gym? I didn’t even know that.”
“Yeah. He owns a franchise. But if you didn’t know that, then how do you even know him?”
She stares at me as if I’ve grown a unicorn horn out of the center of my forehead.
I playfully slap her arm. “Lexi! Spill it.”
“He’s the Gabriel Lord. Honest to God, sis, I knew you lived under a rock, but are you for real?” She stands from her seat, rushing over to the bookcase in the corner. Grabs something. Returns, slapping a glossy magazine down on the table in front of me. “Turn a few pages of this bad boy.”
She sits down, picking up her mug, watching me with glee in her eyes. She’s enjoying this moment, way too much.
“Fine. I’ll play along.” I roll my eyes, flipping through the first few pages of The Spread, the celebrity gossip magazine she loves so much. I absolutely despise this kind of thing. I don’t have time for reading, and certainly not something like this trash—