tell Master Jameson or anyone else I told you this.” Driver held up his hairy right pinky. “Pinky swear?”
Jaiden didn’t have the heart to tell his silly chauffeur a pinky swear had no legal binding value in the courts. He decided to play along anyway, hooking his pinky around Driver’s. Driver sucked in a deep breath and told Jaiden everything he wanted to know and more.
Afterward, Jaiden half-regretted forcing Driver to talk.
Ignorance is truly bliss after all.
During dinner that night, Jaiden ate his meal in silence. Whenever Jameson asked him a question, Jaiden replied with a shrug, a nod, or a shake of his head. Before dessert (gold-flaked decadent Swedish-chocolate mousse cake) arrived, Jaiden excused himself from the table and retired to his bedroom. He looked out the window and down. Downstairs, Driver stood staring directly at Jaiden’s bedroom. When he noticed Jaiden, he turned to stare at the moon.
Jaiden frowned and decided to give Detective Graham a call.
~*~
The next morning, Mina opened her cracked eyes when sunlight filtered into the room and shone on her eyelids. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head before walking over to her mother’s side.
Kaila, sitting up in bed, watched the morning news and sipped on a cup of hot coffee. On the nightstand next to her bed rested a big, beautiful bouquet of white roses.
“Good morning, love,” Kaila said, putting the cup of coffee on the table tray next to the bed. “So, what secrets have you been keeping from me?” Kaila reached for the bouquet and caressed the soft white rose petals. “Jaiden Daniels, son of our billionaire Comptroller is going out with my daughter? It’s hard to believe.”
“You’ve met Jaiden?” Mina looked at the roses.
“He brought the flowers. What a handsome young man. If only I were a decade younger. Don’t let go of him, Min-Min.”
Mina’s eyes rolled. “We’re not going out. We’re pretending to go out. He’s paying me to be his fake girlfriend.” Mina took ten minutes to explain everything to Kaila.
Kaila sipped her coffee again. “So in a way, you’re like a sex-free whore? I see.”
“Mom!” Mina’s face turned all shades of red and pink. “I’m going through with all of this because of you. How else are we going to pay your debts and save Daddy’s house?”
Kaila yawned. “It wouldn’t make any sense if you two were really going out. Even though you’re my daughter, I have to admit, you’re no looker.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Mom,” Mina said, sarcasm dripping in her tone.
Kaila rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “So he’s our moneybag. Nice.”
Mina shook her head. “Enough about him. How are you feeling today?”
“Much better. A girl could get used to a place like this.”
Mina gave her mother a stern look. “This is the last time in a long time you’re ending up in a place like this. It looks glamorous, but don’t forget, you’re a patient in a hospital.”
“I feel good enough to bullfight, love. Get Mommy out of here. I need to smoke.”
Yesterday, Kaila seemed like she had made some progress in rehabbing herself. Today, she regressed, proving the saying “old habits die hard” true.
“You’re staying here until the doctor says otherwise.” If Mina had to handcuff Kaila to the bedpost, she would. While they were already in the hospital, Mina wondered if she could force her mother to attend a twelve step rehab program to treat her gambling addiction.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“Okie-dokie, darling.” Kaila flipped through the TV channels. Mina exited the room and approached the nurse-station in the middle of the hospital floor. She found the bubbly nurse who took care of her mother and tapped the ginger-haired woman on the shoulder.
“Nurse Joy? Is it possible to get my mom some nicotine-patches and enroll her into free addiction-seminars?”
Nurse Joy smiled at Mina.
Jaiden didn’t have the heart to tell his silly chauffeur a pinky swear had no legal binding value in the courts. He decided to play along anyway, hooking his pinky around Driver’s. Driver sucked in a deep breath and told Jaiden everything he wanted to know and more.
Afterward, Jaiden half-regretted forcing Driver to talk.
Ignorance is truly bliss after all.
During dinner that night, Jaiden ate his meal in silence. Whenever Jameson asked him a question, Jaiden replied with a shrug, a nod, or a shake of his head. Before dessert (gold-flaked decadent Swedish-chocolate mousse cake) arrived, Jaiden excused himself from the table and retired to his bedroom. He looked out the window and down. Downstairs, Driver stood staring directly at Jaiden’s bedroom. When he noticed Jaiden, he turned to stare at the moon.
Jaiden frowned and decided to give Detective Graham a call.
~*~
The next morning, Mina opened her cracked eyes when sunlight filtered into the room and shone on her eyelids. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head before walking over to her mother’s side.
Kaila, sitting up in bed, watched the morning news and sipped on a cup of hot coffee. On the nightstand next to her bed rested a big, beautiful bouquet of white roses.
“Good morning, love,” Kaila said, putting the cup of coffee on the table tray next to the bed. “So, what secrets have you been keeping from me?” Kaila reached for the bouquet and caressed the soft white rose petals. “Jaiden Daniels, son of our billionaire Comptroller is going out with my daughter? It’s hard to believe.”
“You’ve met Jaiden?” Mina looked at the roses.
“He brought the flowers. What a handsome young man. If only I were a decade younger. Don’t let go of him, Min-Min.”
Mina’s eyes rolled. “We’re not going out. We’re pretending to go out. He’s paying me to be his fake girlfriend.” Mina took ten minutes to explain everything to Kaila.
Kaila sipped her coffee again. “So in a way, you’re like a sex-free whore? I see.”
“Mom!” Mina’s face turned all shades of red and pink. “I’m going through with all of this because of you. How else are we going to pay your debts and save Daddy’s house?”
Kaila yawned. “It wouldn’t make any sense if you two were really going out. Even though you’re my daughter, I have to admit, you’re no looker.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Mom,” Mina said, sarcasm dripping in her tone.
Kaila rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “So he’s our moneybag. Nice.”
Mina shook her head. “Enough about him. How are you feeling today?”
“Much better. A girl could get used to a place like this.”
Mina gave her mother a stern look. “This is the last time in a long time you’re ending up in a place like this. It looks glamorous, but don’t forget, you’re a patient in a hospital.”
“I feel good enough to bullfight, love. Get Mommy out of here. I need to smoke.”
Yesterday, Kaila seemed like she had made some progress in rehabbing herself. Today, she regressed, proving the saying “old habits die hard” true.
“You’re staying here until the doctor says otherwise.” If Mina had to handcuff Kaila to the bedpost, she would. While they were already in the hospital, Mina wondered if she could force her mother to attend a twelve step rehab program to treat her gambling addiction.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“Okie-dokie, darling.” Kaila flipped through the TV channels. Mina exited the room and approached the nurse-station in the middle of the hospital floor. She found the bubbly nurse who took care of her mother and tapped the ginger-haired woman on the shoulder.
“Nurse Joy? Is it possible to get my mom some nicotine-patches and enroll her into free addiction-seminars?”
Nurse Joy smiled at Mina.
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