“This place is lovely,” I mutter, unsure what to even talk about.
“Indeed.” She smirks at me and sips her champagne.
She reminds me so much of Win in this moment, I bite back a smile.
“Something funny?” Her blue eyes are hard and probing. Yep, definitely just like Win.
“You just remind me of him is all.” My smile breaks free. “Your mannerisms are a lot alike.”
Her features soften almost imperceptibly. But, since I’m good at reading Winston, I notice the tiny change in her. Point one for me. She apparently loves talking about her children. Okay, so “loves” might be a stretch. I’m not sure the Constantines love anything but their last name.
“What are you doing with my son?” All warmth has evaporated as her chilly words send a shiver down my spine.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I blurt out and then cringe.
This time, she’s better about schooling her emotions. She doesn’t flinch or move. “Boyfriend?” A heavy sigh escapes her. “Oh, you silly girl.”
My skin heats at her patronizing tone.
“Here I thought you were out for your own personal agenda, but I can see it’s not that at all, is it?” She doesn’t wait for me to respond. “You really do like my son. You really do believe he’s your boyfriend.”
I straighten my spine, pinning her with a hard stare. “I don’t have an agenda—”
“Besides having Winston pay for your education?” Her sculpted brow arches up.
Shame burns through me, but I refuse to cower. “That was Winston’s idea, not mine.” Seriously, how does this lady know everything?
“Winston seems to have a lot of ‘ideas’ where you’re concerned.”
“What can I say, I’m inspiring,” I deadpan, my irritation bleeding through in my tone.
“Hmm.”
Geez, here we go with the hmms.
“He does that too, you know,” I mutter. “Perry says that when you decode the hmms, they actually mean you’re about to make someone suffer.”
Her eyes brighten at the mention of Perry, amusement briefly flashing in her expression. “Did he now?”
“I think he’s onto something. Even Keaton does the hmm when he’s mad.” I grin despite being in the dragon’s lair with her fire breathing down my neck. “Though, I haven’t heard Tinsley do it. She seems like she’s the nicest.”
“Nicer than Perry?”
Gotcha, lady. You love your kids. I found your Achilles heel.
“It’s a tossup,” I agree. “Perry did rescue me the night of Win’s party.”
“You were there?” She knows. Despite asking, she knows. I can see it in her intelligent gaze.
“Tinsley let me borrow a dress.” I shrug. “And a wig.”
“I see.” She sips her champagne as though deep in thought. “What’s a poor maid doing fraternizing with my children?”
Winston is his mother made over. Jesus.
“I told them I’m Team Constantine. Win said I could be the bat boy. Perry thinks he has a cheerleader outfit I can borrow. But I think I’m the mascot.”
She blinks hard as she studies me. “You’ve all discussed this? In great detail?”
“They’re great people,” I tell her, meeting her stare. “Win, Perry, Keaton, Tinsley. Twice now your youngest children have come to my aid. And Winston?” I can’t help but smile like a goofy lovestruck teenager. “He’s a regular Prince Charming. Except when he’s being a total asshole.”
She smirks but hides it with the palm of her hand. “Excuse me?”
“We both know he can be,” I throw back, daring her to argue. “But it’s one of his endearing qualities.”
Our conversation is cut short when Darlene fetches us to lead us to the massage room. Caroline and I don’t continue with an audience. I do my best to relax, but it’s hard when your new boyfriend’s mother who already hates you is half naked beside you. After massages, we go to individual sauna rooms and once we’ve sweat out all our toxins, we’re led to private showers. Once I’m clean and feeling like jelly, Darlene reappears to show me to a salon area where Caroline is already sitting.
“Winston tells me he’s taking you to dinner tonight,” Caroline says, her eyes never leaving her reflection in the mirror.
“He is,” I admit. “Did you speak to him?”
“Just now.” She cuts her eyes my way. “After you’ve been made up, he’s asked me to drop you at a dress shop not far from here.”
I want to kill him. It’s one thing for us to play our kinky little games together, but now his mother knows I let him dress me sometimes. My skin burns with embarrassment, but I smile at her in acknowledgment.
We spend the next couple of hours getting our hair trimmed, blown out, and styled. Then, the stylists apply makeup on us. It’s strange to have a spa day with this woman, but it hasn’t been horrible if I’m honest with myself.
“It’s a pity Maggie died,” Caroline says once we exit the building. “She was so young.”
I stop dead in my tracks, snapping my head to her. “You knew my mother?”