13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Madison
I already had a plan for telling my mother about Parker. She would soon call to talk to me about George and I would present her with a new love interest. So when the word Mom flashed across my screen two days after my blind date, I wasn’t surprised one bit.
“Mom. Hi. How is it going?”
“Your brother told me.”
Her tone made it clear she was offended.
“Told you what?” I pretended to wonder.
“About you and Parker Wilson.”
“Do you disapprove?” I asked.
“Don’t mock me, Madison,” she warned. “I was telling Tyler how you treated poor George the other night and your brother told me you were dating Parker. You have to invite the man to dinner. I have to explain that the blind date wasn’t my fault.”
“Wasn’t it though? You were the one who arranged it.”
“The man,” my mother’s high-pitched voice pierced my ear, “walked in on you on a date with someone else.”
Yeah, he did it while he was on a date himself. There was no doubt my mother had noticed that, but she just didn’t care. Parker’s wealth and social status were reasons enough for Sylvia Hartley to let him off the hook for the same thing she worried I had done.
“Parker doesn’t care about George, believe me.”
“Men are territorial. Of course, he cares. We don’t want him thinking that I don’t like him. Not if we want him to propose.”
I shook my head, although it wasn’t an unexpected development. “We just started dating. Could we not plan a wedding yet?”
“Ask him to come to dinner.”
“No. Like I said, we just started dating. It’s too soon. Besides, he’s a busy guy. He has a business to run. We booked a second wedding…”
“What are you saying, Madison? That you are so busy that neither of you are eating dinner?”
“No,” I said, using my firm tone. “I’m saying that we are both busy and focused on work.”
“He needs to see you around family people. Babies. You should use Daphne to your advantage. We have to make him see that you would be a good investment for him, honey.”
Use a baby to snag a husband? Classic Sylvia.
She completely changed her tone. As if we were working together towards a common goal.
“No offense, Mom, but I don’t need relationship advice…” I cut my se ntence short.
I didn’t need relationship advice from her. The way she treated Dad while they were married and the ugliness that followed his affair becoming public knowledge didn’t make her a dating guru.
A few more minutes of her trying to squeeze a dinner with Parker out of me, and she finally gave up and killed the call. One thing was for sure. Her retreat was temporary. But I had an entire day planned, and I thought I had more time before she came up with a new offense.
I was wrong. As I stepped out of The Gem’s lobby to go to meet a florist, I found my mother arguing with security.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not bothering to pretend in front of the two men who seemed cool as cucumbers even though they had been dealing with a crazy woman for God knows how long.
“I’m in desperate need of a massage. My neck is killing me. I had been trying to explain it to these gentlemen. You bragged about the spa here.”
“The Gem doesn’t take random clients.” We both knew she was aware of that fact. “And your neck is fine,” I hissed.
She was craning it like a giraffe, trying to look behind my back as if she waited for Parker to appear any second now.
Which probably wasn’t that farfetched. She had already caused a scene. The last time I had done the same, Ryan Montgomery showed up.
“Mom, you need to leave. I know what you’re trying to do.” I lowered my voice. “This is not the place for that,” I leveled her with a glare that seemed to have zero effect on her.
“I know, honey. I’m not here to cause problems.”
“Why don’t you come with me? I’m meeting a florist. We could talk about your neck on the way there. ”
Just as I was about to drag her kicking and screaming, a spark appeared in my mother’s eyes. The man patiently waiting for us to go away stiffened. “Mr. Wilson.”
“Mrs. Hartley,” Parker’s surprise was clear in his voice. His eyes found mine, and he scowled. “Is everything okay?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but my mother cut me off with a rant. “Hello, dear. My neck is killing me. And Madison always praises your spa center. I wanted to come and try it. But these gentlemen,” she pointed at the security guys, “told me I couldn’t get in. I wasn’t aware of that,” she lied. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have come all the way up here. Then Maddie appeared out of nowhere. She has a meeting and I probably should go with her.”
“Umm,” I could see Parker’s hesitation. Was he thinking about the staff members witnessing the entire ordeal or was he just contemplating on how to get rid of both me and my mother forever? “Yes, Mrs. Hartley. We usually don’t let people in. But we could make an exception for you. Especially since you have a problem with your neck. You deserve the best,” he winked.
I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure despite the frustration building inside of me. “It’s inappropriate.”
My glare had the same effect on him as it did on my mother, who was grinning like the devil.
Parker invited her into the lobby with a wave of his hand, and my mother and I followed.
“You are always welcome here, Mrs. Hartley,” he flashed a smile her way, then turned to me and whispered so that only me and my mother could hear him. “Go to your meeting, cupcake. I will take care of your mother.”
Cupcake ?
My jaw slacked as he offered his elbow to my mother. She hooked her hand around it and the last thing I wanted to do was to leave them alone together.
“You can’t break rules because of my mother,” I said, keeping my voice as quiet as possible.
“My hotel. My rules. If someone may break them, it’s me. Besides, your mother’s not the one I’m doing it for, cupcake. No offense, Mrs. Hartley.”
My mother swooned. “None taken, honey.” She was eating his lies up. And he was a good liar. I didn’t expect that, so I just stared up at his face, waiting.
“No goodbye kisses in the lobby,” he said, as if we had already had that conversation. “Go.”
Then he turned around, my mother still hanging on his arm, and they left me staring at their backs.
As I was walking out of the lobby, I texted him.
Me: Cupcake? Seriously? And turn the charm off, please. I don’t want my mother liking you too much.
He didn’t even read my text, probably still playing the role of my new, dreamy boyfriend. And what exactly was the point in that? The entire purpose of this sham was to keep my mother out of my personal life, not become overtly involved because my boyfriend was her new BFF.
Just as I arrived at the floral shop half an hour later, he answered.
Parker: You think I’m charming?
Me: No. I think my mother finds you charming.
Antagonizing him was childish. I knew that. But I couldn’t help it.
Parker: I think so too.
I didn’t like the cocky side of Parker one bit, so I didn’t answer his message and went into the flower shop. An hour later, as soon as my foot was out the door, I took my phone out of my purse and read Parker’s last message.
Parker: FYI, we’re going to your mother’s for dinner tomorrow night.
I closed my eyes and groaned in frustration. We were not prepared for this.