“Great. I’ll pick you up in a few hours.”
Conway extended his hand. “Give me the phone.”
“Why?” I whispered.
“Just give it to me.” He snatched it out of my hand and pressed it to his ear. “Mom, what’s going on?”
I could hear her voice through the phone. “Just wanted to ask Sapphire if she wanted to get lunch. Is that okay?”
“Of course, it’s fine. I just didn’t realize you were in town.”
“Your father is meeting with a client in Verona. A bit of a last-minute thing. He’s going to be busy talking about wine and money, so I thought I would find something more fun to do.”
“How about I pick you up?” he asked. “We can meet you in Verona.”
“Son,” she said with a chuckle. “You know I love you, but I was hoping to spend the day with Sapphire. Our conversations about clothes and jewelry and our shopping spree will bore you anyway.”
Conway didn’t protest, but his face darkened in annoyance. “Will Vanessa be joining you?”
“No,” she answered. “She has to finish a piece she’s working on.”
“Well, I’ll drop Sapphire off to you,” he said.
“I can pick her up,” his mother countered. “I know you’re busy, so just resume your day. Now give me back to Sapphire.”
He expressed his annoyance again before handing back the phone.
“It’s me again,” I said once the phone was pressed to my ear.
“He doesn’t like to be left out, does he?” she asked with a chuckle. “He’s so much like his father that I worry he didn’t inherit any of my traits.”
“He’s got your smile.” I’d noticed that the second I met her.
“True,” she said. “But too bad he’s an overbearing, overprotective, and over-controlling weirdo.”
I tried to cover up my laugh since Conway could hear everything we were saying.
“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Pearl said. “And lunch is on me.”
We hung up, and I set the phone on the table.
Conway looked livid.
“What?” I asked. “I didn’t call her.”
With a hard jaw, he picked up his paper again.
“You’re that annoyed I’ll be spending time with your mother?”
“No.” This time, he folded up the paper and set it down. “I just don’t feel comfortable letting the two of you run around by yourselves.”
When it came to me doing anything alone, he could never stand it. When Vanessa went on a date, he had her followed like something terrible could happen at any moment. Now he felt the same way about his mother. “Conway, it’ll be fine.”
“You should never assume. I’m disappointed my father is letting this happen.”
“Letting it happen?” I asked incredulously. “Your mother doesn’t strike me as a woman who lets her husband boss her around. I wouldn’t like her very much if she did. You need to let this go, Conway. And if I find out you’re having us followed, I’ll make you regret it.”
Whenever I stood up to him, he usually respected me for it. But now, he was simply livid. He didn’t say another word, but his dark eyes focused on me with sinister intensity. His gaze spoke of restrained violence and all the things he wanted to say. His hands formed fists, and his jaw was so tight it seemed like it might snap.
He rose to his feet and pushed the chair away with the back of his knees. With his breakfast untouched and his mood sour like a rotten apple, he stormed off, leaving me sitting there alone.
I didn’t go after him because I was far too proud. But the second he was gone, I felt the coldness that lingered behind. The warmth of the summer sun and the humid air couldn’t chase away the frigidness.
Now it felt like winter.
I got into the passenger seat of the black Lamborghini, and Pearl drove onto the country road.
Conway didn’t say goodbye to me. He didn’t even come outside to say hello to his mother. He went into his studio and didn’t reemerge.
That told me he really was pissed.
Pearl drove the expensive sports car like she’d been doing it for years. She pushed past the speed limit and drove us toward the historic city of Verona. The beige buildings extended slightly above the ground, and the center of the city glowed under the sun. “It’s a beautiful day.”
“It’s always a beautiful day here.” It hadn’t rained once since I’d arrived, but now that summer was over, I knew the fall would bring the chill. In winter, it would snow. It would make my job at the stables a lot more difficult.
She smiled as she drove with one hand. “You love it here, huh?”
It wasn’t anything like home, but that wasn’t a bad thing. “I do. I thought I wouldn’t be able to live anywhere besides the city, but now I prefer the quiet countryside.”
She approached Verona then slowed down as we entered the narrow streets. “I’m from New York too. Born and raised.”