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His response is immediate. “Well then, lead me to the food straight away because I only agreed to be your date for that.”
My head pulls back a little. “Youagreedto be my date? I recall you forcing yourself upon me.”
“You can’t help it if your memory is hazy. It’s a good thing you’ve got me to remind you.”
I shake my head while trying not to laugh. “At the rate you’re going, I won’t be keeping you around.”
“Have you forgotten you’re stuck with me for a few weeks?”
It’s a simple question but the look in his eyes isn’t. There’s heat there for the second time tonight. I swear I’m not imagining it into existence.
My mother’s voice cuts through the moment.
“Darling, you’re here.” She leans in for air kisses. “You look lovely. Though, black again, Amelia? You know, color won’t kill you.”
I don’t respond. I never do when she says things like that. It’s easier to let it skim right over me than to explain my reasons.
My dress is black. Quietly elegant. It smooths itself over my body like it was custom-built to highlight every curve I usually hide. One bare shoulder. A sharp drape across my chest. A thigh slit that shows more leg than I’m usually comfortable with.
I chose it for her.
Not the color. I couldn’t go that far. But for the silhouette, the cut, the boldness. I thought maybe this time she’d approve. She’s always wanted me to be bolder. Brighter. To dazzle and own the room instead of trying to disappear into it.
Of course, this dress still isn’t enough. It never is.
Gage shifts beside me.
I don’t look, but I feel him. Tall, solid, and very, very quiet.
Mom looks at him. “Gage.” She smiles but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
She wasn’t thrilled when I told her last night that Gage would be my date instead of James, and she’s not trying hard to hide that from him.
He doesn’t appear fazed. He reaches for her offered hand and gives the kind of handshake that’s firm without trying to dominate. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
Mom’s assessing gaze remains on him for only another moment before she glances at me. “Larry was asking about your next movie. Have you signed the contract yet?”
My mother has never supported my career. She always imagined something more spotlight-worthy. However, since the last film I scored didn’t just become a blockbuster but made me a name in the industry, she’s found it useful to know just enough to impress her friends.
“No, I’m?—”
Something catches her eye, and she places her hand on my arm to stop me. “Sorry, darling, I need to speak with Cathy.”
With that, she glides away.
My gaze follows her across the room, and I let out a slow breath while shaking off the moment. Shaking off the sting of it all.
I turn to Gage and reach for a distraction. “Okay, food?”
He doesn’t move. And the look in his eyes tells me he’s not about to. “Is that how things usually go with your mom?”
“She’s in entertaining mode.” I try to shrug it off like it’s nothing. But I know exactly what he’s asking, and I’m not sure I’m ready to get into that conversation.
I love my mother, and I know she loves me. But her way of showing love isn’t bandaging wounds, making comfort food, or pulling me in close when I fall. It’s about anticipating the woundbefore it happens, and doing everything in her power to make sure no one sees it.
That’s how she protects me and my brothers. By preventing mess. By controlling outcomes. And I’ve spent my entire life trying not to be a disappointment she has to clean up after.
Gage’s eyes burn with something fierce and unflinching. “She just disregarded you, Amelia. Twice. In the span of a couple minutes. And entertaining or not, that was her daughter she brushed off. Not a guest. Not a stranger.You.”