Bonds of Trust by Lynda Aicher

Author:Lynda Aicher
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9781426894695
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2012-11-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Cali shut the garage door and hurried into her condo. The relief at not seeing Stephanie’s car in the driveway was too great for words. She rushed into the kitchen, tossing her purse on the counter, and practically sprinted for the stairs to hit her bedroom.

She could do this.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her sense of victory deflated at those two simple words. She stalled midstep on the stairs and cursed silently before schooling her features and facing her daughter. “Stephanie,” she said pleasantly, as if she wasn’t standing there, clearly wearing a rumpled dress from the night before. “I didn’t see you in there. Where’s your car?”

Her daughter’s knowing gaze moved over Cali, shifting from her bed-messed hair, over her come-hither black dress, to the tips of her strappy stilettos in an obvious assessment of her attire. Stephanie’s seat in the far corner of the family room provided her with a clear view of the entire downstairs. This had been a deliberate stakeout. A calculated ambush that prickled against Cali’s right to privacy.

“Where’ve you been?” The flat, scathing tone of Stephanie’s voice left no doubt her daughter knew she wasn’t returning from a morning meeting.

Cali straightened then calmly took the three steps down to stand at the bottom of the stairs. She kept her hand on the banister to stay grounded. The few seconds allowed her to gather her thoughts and regain her stability. “I can tell you obviously have that figured out and have formed a judgment. Even if it’s not your business.”

“Not my business?” Stephanie sprang from her seat, the defensively tucked arms splaying wide in an arc of frustration. “You’re my mother. How can it not be my business?”

“Would you feel the same if I was waiting with accusations in your dorm room after you returned home from a night out?”

Her daughter stiffened, indignation flaring. “That’s not the same.”

Cali stepped forward, keeping her arms loose at her side instead of crossed tightly over her chest to mirror her daughter’s posture. “How? I understand you care about me. But what I do in my own life is my business. Just like yours is.”

Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut, her fists tightening in time with the pinched muscles on her face. “But you’re my mother,” she finally said, as if that explained everything.

“Yes. I’m your mother.” Cali took another step forward, bringing her closer. “But I am also a woman with my own life.”

Her daughter exhaled a tight breath. “I guess I’m not taking that very well.”

Cali quelled her instant urge to apologize. “I understand it’s an adjustment for you.”

“Talk about an understatement,” Stephanie scoffed, arms curling into a tight hold around her waist. She spun around and paced to stare out the window into the back courtyard. After a tense silence, she spoke again. “Can I ask who you were with? Is it someone I know?”

And how could Cali answer that question? A question she’d never anticipated. She cleared her throat. “No. You don’t know him.”

“Where’d you meet him?”

“Steph.” Cali licked her lips, suddenly glad her daughter was looking away.

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