Page 164 of Boss of Me

Ember skewers her with a glare. “Maternal sensitivity. It’s a thing, Mother. You should try it sometime.”

Mom just shakes her head at me, her expression full of disappointment.

Ember squeezes my hand and mouths,You’re going to be okay.

I wish I believed her.

when we return to our hotelsuite, Ember and I head to the deck overlooking Lady Bird Lake. After the run-in with my ex, I need to regroup before making any evening plans.

I’m secretly hoping our mother will retreat to her room to make a phone call or take a nap, anything that will keep her out of our hair for a while.

Disappointingly, she brings out a bottle of wine and three glasses and makes herself comfortable next to Ember. She pours wine for them both, frowning when I decline. She probably wants to ply me with enough alcohol to loosen my tongue and get me oversharing about Gunner.

Not a chance.

“What a lovely view,” she says, admiring the lake. “I must say, I rather like what I’ve seen of Austin so far.”

“So do I,” Ember agrees.

“Don’t go getting any crazy ideas about relocating.” Mom pauses. “Unless you plan to make a play for Gunner’s twin brother.”

Ember rolls her eyes. “Here we go again.”

“I’m just saying.Someoneneeds to lasso one of those long, tall Texans.”

Ember scrunches up her nose. “Long, tall Texans. Isn’t that the name of a book series by?—”

“Diana Palmer. One of my favorites.” Mom sips her wine, watching me over the rim of her glass.

I have a bad feeling she’s going to bring up my nonexistent love life again. Hoping to distract her, I clap my hands together and smile brightly. “So what should we do tonight?”

Ember grins. “I’m game for anything.”

Mom heaves a long, put-upon sigh. “If you were still dating Gunner, we could have been lounging around his palatial estate right now. I wasreallylooking forward to that.”

“Sorry to ruin your plans,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.

“Honestly, darling, there’s still hope for you and Gunner. I mean, he didn’t seem terribly happy to see you, I’ll admit. But that doesn’t mean he’s already moved on.”

My heart twists at the careless indelicacy of her words. “He broke up with me in the library, which he knew was my favorite room in the house,” I say bitterly. “Less than two weeks later, I saw a tabloid picture of him leaving a restaurant with another woman, and it wasn’t a business dinner. Trust me, he’s moved on.”

Ember winces sympathetically.

Mom’s lipsticked mouth turns down in a displeased frown.

Desperate to change the depressing subject, I muster a teasing grin for my sister. “Maybe by the end of the weekend I’ll have you convinced that you belong here with me.”

“Don’t count on it.” Mom pats Ember’s knee. “Your sister loves practicing law. She would never jeopardize her career trajectory by quitting a job in her first year.”

Something inscrutable flickers in Ember’s eyes, her fingers tightening around her glass.

I shoot her a questioning look.

She ducks her head, avoiding my eyes as she gulps down her wine.

Mom gives me a tight smile. “Ember’s not flighty like you. She never would have applied to grad school on a whim and gallivanted off to a whole other state without securing employment first.”

I can feel the hurt little girl of my childhood kicking and clawing her way to the surface, demanding to be heard. I push her back down and grind my teeth, trying to maintain control of my emotions.