Page 53 of Fatal Deception
“Categorically her loss, Audra. But you know that.”
Did she? She wanted to know it, but sometimes… Sometimes it all just felt like she’d been rejected over and over and over again by everyone.
Not Rosalie. Not Franny. Not Vi or Magnolia. Not… Copeland.
Not yet, anyway.
She shook away that thought. “I could call her. I will, if that’s what you need for the case, but we don’t usually talk. There’d be no reason for me to call her up, unless I tell her I think she’s the one terrorizing the ranch and I don’t think that’s going to go over well.”
Copeland shrugged. “Tell her you want her to come up. Meet your new boyfriend.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Boyfriend. That makes us sound like teenagers.” Not that he’d saidhewas the boyfriend. It was just a conceit.
“You got a better word?” he asked, like…
“No.”Boyfriend. But Copeland wasn’t that. He was…
He wasn’t saying they were though. He was saying to tell her mother they were as an excuse.
“She wouldn’t even come for Rosalie’s wedding. Why would I think she’d come to meet a boyfriend?”
“Just pretend you live in eternal hope she’ll change her mind.”
Audra knew her mother never would, but…“What if she says yes?”
“What if she does? I can meet your crappy mom, Audra. I’d even be on my best behavior. Mostly.”
Audra didn’t have the slightest clue what to say to that. To making it feel like a real thing when it wasn’t. It was all too muddled and confused. Pointless to think about. Mom wouldn’t come. She didn’t have any connection to Austin.
But Copeland’s hands were still on her shoulders. He gave them a squeeze. “The wordboyfrienddoesn’t bother me. I don’t shake easy, Audra. Not once I’m dug in. And I’m getting pretty damn dug in.”
She wanted to cry again, but it was getting ridiculous. The whole thing was ridiculous and…Dug in.She didn’t know how. Couldn’t understandhow. But she supposed, as much as it terrified her, he deserved a little of the same certainty.
“Me too.”
“Good.” He squeezed her shoulders one last time. “Let’s call your mom.”
HE DIDN’T LIKEthis version of her. The hurt version. The woman who’d been failed by too many people who should have loved her unconditionally. Watching a woman as caring and sweet as Audra dread calling her own mother twisted his guts into knots.
But this had to be done. He had her put the phone on speaker before she dialed her mother.
“She might not answer,” Audra said as it began to ring. She kept her gaze on the phone sitting on the table, clearly hoping for that eventuality.
“Then leave her a message to call you back.”
“She might not—”
The ringing stopped and a woman’s voice scratched out from the phone receiver. “Audra.”
“Mom. Hi.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, of course. I just… It’s been a while. I wanted to check up on you.”
There was a beat of silence. Copeland could almosthearthe suspicion in it. “Well, I suppose it’s about time.”
Audra linked her hands together. Her head was bowed, no doubt to hide the misery on her face, but he didn’t need to see her expression to know this was a misery to her.