“Please call me Susan, dear.” Her smile reminded me of her younger son. Now I could see where both of her sons got their looks.
I thought I heard her mutter something about “the boy needing help if he was still Mr. Weston,” but since it didn’t make any sense to me, I ignored it. I picked up the phone and called Jake. “Um…your mom is here.”
He already hung up before I finished the sentence and was out of his office. “Mom! You’re early.” He moved toward her with his arms open wide.
“After your phone call, I couldn’t wait!” She laughed brightly.
I almost started crying at the mother-son greeting, all of a sudden missing my mom. They embraced each other, love clearly binding them together. Susan Weston was a little taller than me, but her son still dwarfed her.
“Let’s go to lunch,” Jake said to his mom and my heart sank. I was disappointed, but I understood. Of course, he’d want to have lunch with his mom when she was in town. We could always have lunch next week.
I sat back at my desk and continued working on the press release, letting them have a moment of privacy.
“Dear, why are you still working? Let’s go,” said Susan.
It sounded like she was talking to me and I glanced up. Two sets of blue-green eyes stared at me in puzzlement.
“Um…” I looked to Jake for answers. “What?”
Jake turned to his mom, his eyes conveying a hidden message and his mom nodded, her face troubled.
“I see what you mean, Jacob. It’s a challenge, to be sure. But don’t you worry. I’ll see what I can do.” She patted his hand.
It was like they were speaking in secret code.
His smile a touch devious, Jake leaned over my desk. “Let’s go to lunch. I’m taking my two favorite women out.”
Flustered by the thought of having lunch with his mom, I said tentatively, “Thank you, but I think I should stay here to finish this release.”
Jake’s face darkened and a growl rose from deep in his chest.
“Don’t be such a bear, Jacob. Cora, darling, I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time. Won’t you be a dear and indulge this old woman?”
Susan’s voice was a sweet as honey and before I knew what I was doing, I had logged off my computer and had my purse in my hand.
What had I just agreed
to?
Chapter 16: Jake
Seeing the dazed look on Cora’s face, I almost felt sorry for her, but remembering her assumption that I was going to leave her behind for lunch, I hardened my resolve. I hated seeing the look of uncertainty on her face. It had appeared on her face far too often since we came together. Every time I saw it, it reminded me that she was waiting for us to fail.
Fuck that.
We were sitting at my mom’s favorite seafood restaurant. The owner recognized us on sight and sat us in a private room in the back. I almost choked on my laughter when mom casually introduced Cora as my girlfriend. I thought my poor baby was going to faint. She looked at me helplessly but I put on an I-don’t-understand-what-the-big-deal-is look and she fell silent.
I didn’t share her reticence about hiding our relationship. I was ready to announce our relationship to the world, even at work. I knew she was scared of the rumors, but I didn’t give a flying fuck. She was my woman and I wanted to claim her. It infuriated me that she thought she had to hide her face when we left together in my car. I wanted her to be secure enough in the relationship to walk out of the office by my side.
I sat back to watch my mom work her sorcery. People thought my dad was a brilliant businessman, but he would have gone nowhere without my mom. He had the business acumen, but my mom knew how to read and influence people. Without her perceptiveness, the company would never have been as successful as it was.
When I had called my mom to ask for her help with Cora, I thought my eardrums would rupture, she screamed so loudly. She had been after Troy and me for years to get her a daughter-in-law. I was never ready, but now that I met Cora, I knew she was it for me.
My mom had been ready to come down on Monday, but I convinced her to wait until the end of the week. It allowed me to get a better lay of the land. When we talked yesterday, I explained to her how hardheaded my sweetheart was so that she was fully prepared for the challenge.
We had already ordered and were now sipping on glasses of crisp white wine. When Cora seemed hesitant about drinking alcohol, Mom called the waiter to cancel the order, claiming she didn’t want to drink if Cora wasn’t joining us. Feeling guilty, Cora had caved.
Round one: Mom.
“Cora, I’ve heard so much about your brother, Marcus. Jacob tells me he’s a genius. I’d love to meet him sometime.”
“Um…Mrs. Weston…” Cora bit her plump lips in indecision.
I could see her weighing her options. If she agreed, she’d be weaving our lives together more tightly. If she refused, she’d be offending my mom.
“Call me Susan, please,” my mom admonished gently. “Why don’t you both come up with Jacob and Troy tomorrow night for dinner? Geoffrey couldn’t make it down today. He was feeling poorly and he ever so wanted to meet you. He was so disappointed.” Mom, the faker, made a sad face, clearly implying that my dad was in poor health when he was probably baling hay in the barn. He had the heart of a thirty-year-old.
“Okay.” Cora’s pretty caramel-colored eyes looked a little glassy.
Round two: Mom.
“So Cora dear, Jake tells me you want to go back to school to get your college degree.”
“Yes, I need to save up some money and then I want to go back to school.”
“Where did you attend before?”
“A college in Massachusetts.”
“She’s modest, Mom. Cora went to MIT.” I pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
“Oh! That’s fabulous. Beautiful and smart…but of course, now that you and Jake are serious, have you considered attending the University of Chicago or Northwestern instead?”
At the word serious, Cora froze.
My mom, bless her heart, just continued without missing a beat, “Of course, you don’t need to wait to go back to school. Jake could find another assistant and you could devote your time to getting your degree.” She sent me a mock frown. “Son, why aren’t you being supportive of Cora’s goals?”
Round three: Mom.
“You’re right as always, Mom.” I assumed an appropriately contrite face and turned to Cora. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing at her round-eyed, round-mouthed look. “Baby, where do you want to go to school?”
“Eeep.”
My mom reached over and patted Cora’s hand. “I know. I know. It took him long enough. Don’t be too upset with him.” She heaved a put-upon sigh. “I thought I raised my boys to be considerate and thoughtful, but men don’t think about these things like we do. Of course, I don’t mean to be sexist, but when I started dating Geoffrey, I had to constantly remind him about the little things. Jacob’s just like his father. A little absent-minded.”
“Jake’s really thoughtful!” Her voice rising, Cora sat straighter, taking offense at my mom’s criticism. “He’s always looking out for my brother and me. He even helped my brother get back into Galileo Academy! And he’s not absent-minded. He’s sharp and insightful!”
I grinned, warmed by her defense of me. Ignoring my mom’s presence, I leaned over for a nice long kiss. “Thanks, baby. I’m glad you think so.”
Cora’s face turned pink and she peeked at my mom to check her reaction to my affectionate display, but I could tell her my mom would look like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.