“No.”
“Not that it matters. You’ve been here five minutes and she hasn’t stopped asking her questions. If I had to guess, she’s making her uncomfortable.”
I glanced over. Sure enough, Eva was shifting her weight between both feet. My mother was smiling, that kind smile of hers she used to trick patients into divulging things they’d normally only say to their priests.
“Why’d she join your cult anyway?”
“Cult?”
“We have a legitimate organization. What you have over there is creepy and weird.”
“Really? A legitimate organization? How many shell companies are linked to The Eight currently? I seem to remember it being at least four.”
Nolan scowled. I was right. Last year, The Eight had a major issue involving a member who’d been buried alive in hopes she wouldn’t be found. I would know. I’d been the one to find poor Mae deep in that hole. The memory of it still haunted me sometimes. The “what if” of it. I looked at Stella again and walked over. My father stepped into the kitchen wearing jeans and the same gray Ellis Athletics shirt Nolan had on as I closed the distance between me and Stella.
“Adam. I didn’t know you were coming.” Dad walked over and pulled me into a hug. “And you brought someone with you. Who is this pretty face?”
“Stella Thompson,” my mother said, smiling as she looked at me. It was different from her sympathetic smile. This one was a smile of approval. I wanted to tell her there was nothing to approve of.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Dad walked over and pulled her into a hug. This time, she laughed, even though her shoulders stiffened.
“You guys sure love hugs,” Stella said.
“She doesn’t like hugs, Avett.”
“So sorry.” Dad pulled away quickly. “It’s just, Adam and Nolan’s friends are our friends as well.” Dad winked at me. “When they bring them over. Which, they rarely do these days.”
“You see my friends all the time,” Nolan argued.
“I meant friends who are women.”
“Oh.” Nolan shook his head. “In that case, don’t hold your breath.”
I rolled my eyes. Freshman year, after Nolan’s high school girlfriend broke up with him, he decided he wouldn’t date seriously at all during college. It didn’t matter if he met the girl of his dreams, he said, he wouldn’t settle down. Not until after he had his diploma in his hands.
“Well, you’ll have that diploma in your hands next semester.” Mom winked at Nolan. “Can I speak to you for a second, Adam? I need you to be honest about your father’s birthday present and your brother seems to be in a joking mood today.” She turned to Stella. “I hope it’s okay that I steal him for a moment.”
“Totally fine.” She waved a hand.
“I’ll get you a drink.” That was my dad as he turned to the fridge. “Water? Soda? Juice?”
“Water is fine.” She smiled at me and only then did I feel like it was okay to walk away and follow my mother toward the master bedroom.
Nolan was busy texting someone. No doubt one of the members of The Eight to fill them in on what I hadn’t even filled The Swords in on yet. My mother closed the door behind us and turned to me.
“Is this serious or a fling?”
“We’re not together.” I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled. “We’re friends.”
“Friends.” Mom pursed her lips. “Adam. Please. You won’t quit looking at the girl.”
“We’re not together.”
“You don’t bring girls around unless you think there’s something more there.” She shot me a pointed look.
“Well, this is the exception. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“I wanted you to meet her. I need to . . . I need you to tell me what you think of her mental state.”
“You brought her here so I could provide you with my professional insight on the mental state of a potential girlfriend?” My mother crossed her arms and I got the feeling it was her way of scratching her head. “Is this the trend now?”
“I think she suffers from multiple personality disorder or something.”
“Really, Dr. Adam? When did you get a title?”
“This is serious. I think she thinks she’s two different people.”
“That’s definitely not something I could tell you from ten minutes of talking to her, but she seems fine to me. A little rigid, but there could be a multitude of reasons for that. She said she’s adopted and her adoptive mother was always a little distant, but she also said she knows she loved her.” Mom shrugged. “We all have a story. We all have our issues.”
“This is more than that, Mom.”
There was a knock on the door followed by Nolan walking in and shutting it behind him.
“We’re busy,” I said.
“This is important.” Nolan walked over, waving his cellphone. “I just got a text from Max. You know, Paper Boy.”
“I didn’t even know you were friends with him.”