NO SAINT (SAMPLE- Available in paperback & eBook)

Chapter 9

I'm sorry I'm late uploading this chapter. I just couldn't find the time to write. Anyway, thank you all for your support. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I'll have another one for you soon. :)

(Dominic)

I walked into the kitchen to see how dinner was coming along and found Gloria standing at the stove, stirring green beans in a skillet. Hurrying over to her, I grabbed the wooden spoon out of her hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded to know.

"That's a question I should be asking you," I said.

Eden came out of the pantry, smiling. "Gloria is helping me with dinner while keeping me company." She took the spoon out of my hand and gave it back to Gloria. "She's doing just fine."

Gloria stuck her tongue out at me.

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Childish."

"Dinner will be ready in about five minutes," Eden informed me. "You did tell your uncle what time dinner was, didn't you?"

"I did," I said. "He should be here any minute now."

"I hope he-" The doorbell ringing interrupted what she was going to say. "That's probably him."

I excused myself and headed through the house to the foyer. Jackson had beat me to the door and was letting Uncle Devlin inside.

"He brought wine, Boss," Jackson said, taking the bottle from Uncle Devlin. "He's my kind of guest. I'll take the wine to the kitchen. It's good to see you, Devlin."

"It's good to see you, Jack." Uncle Devlin shook Jackson's hand and then turned to me. "Hello, my boy."

"Uncle Devlin," I said, smiling at him. "Glad you're back from Beijing. How was the trip?"

"It was relaxing, just what I needed." He grasped my shoulders firmly. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I answered, clapping him on the back.

Uncle Devlin raised an eyebrow at me. "How's my sister been treating you?"

"The same," I sighed heavily. "You know how it is between us."

"I know, my boy," he said quietly. "I wish things could be different between you two."

Before I could say anything Grandmother and Anthony joined us in the foyer.

"Hey, Uncle Dev," Anthony said.

"Tony, how long has it been?" Uncle Devlin asked.

"It's been awhile."

They shook hands and then Uncle Devlin shifted his attention to Grandmother. "Hello, sister dear."

"Devlin," she said, giving him a brief smile.

He bent down and kissed her cheek. "You look nice, Meri. Have you done something different with your hair?"

Grandmother touched her hair and said, "I got it cut." She glared at me. "Not that anyone has noticed."

I rolled my eyes. Of course I noticed. I just didn't care enough to comment on it.

At that moment, Eden stepped into the foyer and announced that dinner was ready. We made our way to the dining room, where Gloria was placing platters of food on the table. Uncle Devlin greeted her as we took a seat around the table.

"Everything smells and looks amazing, Eden," Uncle Devlin said.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. Gloria helped me."

"Don't give me any credit," Gloria said. "I merely stirred the green beans and kept an eye on the potatoes. It was nothing."

"Thank God that's all you did," I uttered under my breath.

"Did you say something Dom?" Anthony wanted to know.

"No," I lied.

Eden, who was sitting on my left, must have heard me, because she smirked. I winked at her and picked up the platter of pork chops. I helped myself to one and then handed her the platter. No one spoke a word until their plates were full.

"So, Eden," Uncle Devlin said, cutting into a pork chop. "How did you come to work for Dominic and Meri?"

"I was in between clients and looking for work," she said. "Jackson recommended me to Dominic. Jackson's my cousin, by the way."

"I can see the family resemblance," he said, glancing at Jackson and me.

"I'm the good looking one though," Jackson said, his eyes bright with laughter.

"Yeah, no," I said dryly. "Your cousin is without a doubt the good looking one."

Uncle Devlin flashed a crooked smile at Eden. "I have to agree with you, my boy."

From the corner of my eye I glanced at Eden and saw she was blushing. It had been so long since I had seen a woman blush that I was mesmerized by her rosy cheeks. She shifted slightly, and I realized we were making her uncomfortable.

"Did you check out any nightclubs while you were in Beijing?" I inquired, changing the subject for Eden's sake.

"No, sorry." Uncle Devlin chewed a bite of pork chop and swallowed before saying anything more. "My evenings were busy. I went on a tour of the Great Wall at Simatai, visited several bars, took in the opera, and saw a few Kung Fu shows."

"I've always wanted to see a Kung Fu show," Anthony said.

"They're quite entertaining," he said.

"I think I would be more interested in the opera," Grandmother said.

"Me too," Eden agreed.

"Operas are boring," Gloria said.

I silently agreed with her. The last time I attended the opera I fell asleep and slept through the entire first half. I woke up to find my date had disappeared on me. I never did find out where she went. The evening ended up being a waste of time and money.

Just then, the doorbell rang. I set down my knife and fork, pushed back my chair, and got to my feet. I left the dining room and crossed the foyer. Opening the door, I came face to face with my mother.

"Hello, Dominic," she said softly, her green eyes moving over me.

The sight of her standing there had my blood running cold. I tightened my grip on the doorknob and said coolly, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to spend time with Tony and with you," she answered.

"I'm not interested in spending time with you." I turned and yelled, "Tony, join me in the foyer."

"Dominic, please," Mother said, laying her hand on my arm.

I jerked away from her touch and snapped, "Don't touch me."

A pained expression crossed her face. "I miss you."

"What's up?" Anthony said, walking into the foyer.

I moved aside, and his eyes grew wide when he spotted our mother.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" He shoved a hand through his hair. "I thought we agreed that I would stop by to see you and Dad tomorrow before I headed home."

"I want to see both my boys," she stated.

"We don't always get what we want," I sneered. "Tony, get rid of her and come back to your dinner. Hurry before it gets cold."

"You can't shut me out of your life forever, Dominic," Mother said.

"Watch me." My stomach clenching with anger, I walked away from her.