Midafternoon, my mother stopped by the office dressed in a designer linen pantsuit. Even in her late fifties, she had an air of grace and beauty. Underneath it all, she was a shark with a keen mind for business. Her lack of involvement in the day-to-day operations of Mystique was by choice, not because she didn’t have the skills.
I stood and gave her a hug. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, kissing her cheek.
“Do I need a reason to visit my son?” She held me by the arms and inspected me like she did when I was a kid. “I think you’re getting more handsome.”
“And I think you’re biased. You say that every time.” I laughed.
“I can’t help it if it’s true,” she said with a shrug, sitting in one of the chairs opposite my desk.
I pulled up another, so we were face to face, to give her the respect she deserved. My mom was my biggest supporter, even when I made questionable decisions. And I’d made a shit ton of them. “Are you excited for your vacation?”
“It’ll be more work than play, but yes. I can’t wait to sit on the beach in Hawaii and drink a mai tai. I’ll get your dad to take me to one of those dolphin preserves. Did I ever tell you we swam with dolphins on our honeymoon?” she asked with a dreamy look in her eyes.
My parents’ marriage was strained since Hunter showed up, but I wanted to believe they still loved each other. “I didn’t know that.”
“We used to have the best time together. I met him when I was fifteen and he was seventeen. Our parents pushed us together, but in the end, it was our choice. I want to get back some of that spark.”
“Hawaii’s a good place for that.”
“Hawaii, New Orleans, Biloxi, Miami, New York, Chicago… we’re making the rounds. It’s going to be exhausting.”
“I’m sure you’ll have some fun too.”
“I’ll make my own fun. Now, enough about me. What about you? You work too hard. Are you seeing anyone?”
I could barely keep a straight face. “I date plenty of women, Mom.”
She pressed her lips together. “Hmmm. I’m not sure our definition of dating is the same, Trent. I’m not talking about hooking up,” she finger quoted. “I’m talking about a real date where you pick a woman up at her home and take her somewhere. Possibly buy her dinner. Get to know her.”
I cringed at the words hooking up. She meant fucking and the last thing I wanted to talk to my mother about was sex. “I have someone I’m interested in, but no date yet. There are a million reasons we shouldn’t go out.” Like being her boss. Like losing my legacy. Like giving Hunter another reason to stab me in the back.
“It sounds like excuses. I’d like to have grandchildren one day. You need to get serious with your love life.”
I pulled at the collar of my shirt, which felt like a choker around my neck. “There’s no hurry.”
“Maybe not for you, but there is for me. I’d like to see you settle down with a nice woman before I die.”
“You’re not anywhere close to dying, Mom. Stop being so dramatic.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not being dramatic. You never know what’s going to happen. One minute you’re here.” She snapped her fingers. “The next minute you’re gone. I could get eaten by a shark in Hawaii.”
Now she really was being dramatic. “That’s very doubtful.”
Two sharp knocks came at my door before it swung open. “Trent, I had a question about…” Gia looked up from the paper she was holding, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a meeting.”
I scanned her from head to curiously bare toes. I waved her in with a flick of my wrist. “It’s fine. Come meet my mother.”
If she seemed surprised before, she was horrified now. “I can come back. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting. As a matter of fact, you might be saving me.”
My mother scowled.
Gia padded in on her bare feet, something that was becoming way too familiar.
Twitching her head to the side, my mother asked, “Where are your shoes, dear?” It was a good question. One I wondered the answer to also.
She wiggled her toes. “I loaned them to a friend. It was kind of an emergency. She’ll be bringing them back after lunch.”
I quirked an eyebrow at her, not sure if it was the truth or an elaborate story she concocted.
My mom smiled at Gia. “You’re a good friend. Luckily, she didn’t need your blouse.”
“I’m not that good of a friend.” Gia stuck her hand out. “I’m Gia, the new event coordinator. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Dorsey.”
“Director of entertainment and events,” I corrected.
Gia blushed. “It’s not official.”
Holding Gia’s outstretched hand in both of hers, my mother said, “It’s Rose, and the pleasure is all mine. Come sit with us.”
She looked unsure if she should accept the invitation, but I quickly pulled another chair over and tapped the seat. This should be interesting. My mother was ferocious, and a tough critic. I’d never introduced her to a woman I’d dated, not that Gia and I were dating but it was closer than I’d been in years. My list of girlfriends could be written on the back of a postage stamp.
Gia gingerly sat and tried to hide her bare feet under the chair, even though we’d both seen them already.
“How are you liking Mystique, Gia? Has my son been treating you well?”
“I’m enjoying it. Everyone’s been really nice and helpful.”
It was the perfect answer for anyone other than my mother. “But?”
Gia sighed. “But it’s been challenging. Things happen a little faster here than they did in Chicago. I thought I’d have more time to adjust before being thrown into the fire. The fundraiser is no joke. I’ve never done anything of this magnitude before. Penny, my assistant, has been a godsend. That’s why I didn’t have a problem loaning her my shoes.”
My mom patted Gia’s hand. “It’s always good to have a great assistant.” Then her eyes narrowed and focused on me. “Surely, Trent has helped you get acclimated. I can’t imagine he’d throw you into the fundraiser alone in the first week. That would be very ungentlemanly and certainly not how he was raised.”
It was part question and part accusation. If ever Gia wanted to throw me under the bus, as she promised she would, now was her chance. Beads of perspiration rolled down the back of my neck.
With her eyes glued to mine, she said, “Oh, I felt like I knew him before I even started. To say he was welcoming wouldn’t do him justice. His expectations were very clear. Very professional,” she drawled.
I leaned back in my chair, “What can I say? My mother raised me right.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” my mom said. “Trent’s always been headstrong. When he sees something he wants, he goes after it.”
“I’m beginning to learn that.”
My mother clapped her hands together. “I’m very excited about the fundraiser. I can’t wait to see what you two come up with. What’s the theme?”
Gia straightened. “It’s a masquerade ball with a New Orleans flair. We’re going all out. Trent thought masks were childish, but I’ve convinced him it’s going to be classy and elegant.”
I straightened my tie and gave her a stern glare. “We don’t have all the details worked out yet.”
“Yes, Trent has suggested a lot of changes.”
“Modifications. We’re still sticking with your original vision.”
“If my vision was blurry. Although, I’ll admit you do have some brilliant ideas.
“That’s why I’m the boss.”
“Yes, and I’m the event coordinator.”
“Director of entertainment and events.”
“It’s not official.”
“It is if I say so. I always get what I want.”
“Is that so?” Gia asked with a lift of her manicured brow.
“It is,” I assured her. I wasn’t even sure what we were talking about anymore. The title. The event. Or us. Because the more she argued with me, the more I wanted the latter to be true.
“Well, that sounds spectacular,” my mother interrupted with another clap of her hands. “I’ll be on pins and needles to see how this all works out.”
Gia’s head spun in her direction, as if she had just remembered my mom was in the room. With a smile pasted on, her professional face was back in place. “It was wonderful to meet you, but I must get back to work. So much to do,” she said with a smile. “I hope I get to see you again.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it,” my mother answered.
The redheaded firecracker stood and smoothed her skirt down, then strolled to the door as if she were wearing three-inch heels. “Please let me know when you’re available, Mr. Dorsey. I’d like to go over your modifications.”
“I’ll have Tom come fetch you,” I quipped back, not able to resist the dig.
She rolled her eyes and walked out the door.
My attention turned back to my mother who was sitting smugly with a Cheshire cat grin. “What?”
“She’s lovely.”
My jaw dropped. “Lovely? Did you not hear how she talked to me? She’s a total pain in my ass.”
My mother shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s a strong, independent woman who challenges you. It’s good for you. Pretty too. More than I could have asked for.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I considered it her blessing. Pain in the ass or not, I wanted Miss Sassy Pants, a.k.a. Gianna Romano.
