Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty- Five
I n the back seat of the minibus on the way home, I couldn’t decide if my legs were quivering because my thigh was touching Roman’s or because I was coming down from a massive adrenalin high—or because I’d worked my non-existent ass off today. Either way, I was positively beaming.
Roman, as usual, struck up a conversation with the guys in our group.
He should start his own YouTube channel on how to win friends and influence people. He’d make way more than he did driving a tour bus around Europe.
We were nearly back to our hotel when my phone rang. Thinking it was Lydia confirming she was okay, I plucked it from my backpack. Not recognizing the number, I swiped the screen. “Hello, this is Daisy.”
“Hello, Daisy, this is Doctor Alberts from St George Hospital in Sydney.”
A beehive burst in my stomach. “Oh my god, is Mom okay?”
“She is. For now. Here, I’ll put Patricia on for you. ”
I frowned at the shuffling sound on the phone. “Hello, Daisy.” Her voice sounded like a child’s.
“Hello, Mother. Why did you get the doctor to call?”
“Oh, well, he’s such a nice doctor. He offered to call you.”
“Yeah, I bet he did.”
Mother could sweet talk a cowboy into drinking horse piss. I had no idea what to say next. Unlike Roman, who could keep any conversation going.
“Are you having a nice day?”
I was . “I’m busy, Mother. Did you need something?”
“Daisy. Can’t we just talk?” By the pleading inflection in her voice, I guessed she was putting on a pity show for Doctor Alberts.
“I don’t have time. So as long as you are okay, I’m going to go now.”
“No. I’m not okay. I keep telling you that.”
“You sound okay to me. I have to go, Mother.”
“See? I told you she wouldn’t talk to me.” She was talking to the doctor.
The phone shuffled again. “Miss Chayne, are you there?”
“Yes, Doctor Alberts. How can I help you?”
“Is there any possibility you could visit Patricia? Studies have shown?—”
“Did she tell you I live in London?” His silence confirmed my answer. “And that I work in Europe, and I have a contract I need to fulfill?” I was on a roll now. “Did she happen to mention that she abandoned me at seventeen and I haven’t seen her since?”
Again, he was silent.
“I’m going to assume that’s a no. I’m hanging up now. Thank you for your call, Doctor Alberts.” I ended the call, and clutching the phone to my thigh, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to claw back some of the wonderful feelings I’d had before Mother rang .
Roman rubbed my leg. “Hey, is your mamma okay?”
I looked to the ceiling, trying to simmer my anger. Mother always knew how to ruin a perfect day. “Yes.” I rolled my eyes at Roman. “She’s fine.”
“Did you really mean what you said? That you haven’t seen her since you were seventeen?”
“Of course.”
His jaw dropped. “She never came to see where you were living?”
“No. Never. I told you. She doesn’t care about me. She never has.”
“That can’t be true.”
I heaved a sigh. “When I told her I was moving out, you know what she did?”
He cringed, obviously dreading what I was about to say. “What?”
“She told me to go. She said I’d end up on the streets slutting around and begging for money.”
“Oh, Dais.” He shook his head.
“She threw everything I owned out the door. My clothes and shoes. My schoolbooks. Even a coffee mug a friend had given me.”
“And you haven’t seen her since?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“But you talk on the phone, don’t you?”
“Sort of. When she needs cash.”
“Really?”
“The only time she rang was for money.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry, Daisy.” He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and my heart wept at how sweet he was.
His mouth opened like he was on the verge of saying exactly what I wanted to hear. But in the very next instant, a cloud seemed to cross over his eyes. I waited, hoping he’d tell me what was on his mind .
A shift in the minibus’s engine confirmed we were approaching our hotel.
Damn it.
Whatever spell had formed between us was broken. Again.