Mom

Chapter 3

'Actually, don't even answer that question,' Louisa said. 'God. No. I can't even bare to think.' She grimaced.
'What are you doing home so early love?' Ruby asked her daughter.
'I told you mom', Louisa said, 'I had a free period.'
'Yes', Ruby said, 'but you normally use your free periods to study.'
'Yeah, but today I didn't. I don't have any homework at the minute. End of term. Things are starting to calm down.'

Ruby felt Chase move his hand, which had been settled on her left thigh, for the last few seconds. He put his hands in between his own knees and leant forward to face their daughter.
'Louisa sweetie', he began, clearing his throat, 'is there something going on that we need to know about?'
'No, Dad!' Louisa snapped, her now obvious irritability a deep contrast to her fathers tone, 'I just wanted to come and chill in my own home! Sorry I had to come in and stop you guys from getting it on'. The last comment she made with an obvious disgust in her tone.

Ruby now sat up properly herself. 'Sweetie, we weren't..' she began, but Louisa interrupted her.
'Oh mom, seriously? You're gonna try and pleed innocence with me? I'm not a kid. I know exactly what you were doing. Or about to do or just had done or whatever. Your granny pants are down there on the floor.'

Ruby glanced towards where her daughter was pointing and saw her discarded underwear sat right by her feet. She felt her cheeks turn bright red.
'So anyway', Louisa carried on, now getting to her feet, 'I'm gonna do what I intended to do when I first got here and go chill in my room.'

'Louisa. Sweetie,' Chace began, but Ruby put her hand on her husbands chest and pushed him back towards the couch.
'Just let her go.' Ruby knew better than to try and have a rational conversation with her daughter when she was in this kind of mood. She watched Louisa storm out of the room and towards her bedroom and then, seconds later, the familiar loud sound of pop music began blasting through the apartment.

By now Chace had stood up and walked over towards the fridge in their open-plan kitchen.
'Want something?' he asked, as Ruby heard him open an ice cold beer.
'A quiet life,' she sighed, as she pushed her hair out of her face with her hands.
'Have you forgotten we have two teenagers?' Chace chuckled.
'And a toddler' Ruby replied, 'whatever did we do to deserve this?'
'You love them all really', Chace replied, 'but seriously, do you want a drink?'
'Just a diet soda' Ruby replied, since having Madison she now only drank socially. She heard Chace grab the soda, shut the fridge door and walk over towards the couch.

'Of course I love them all dearly' she said, as her husband sat down next to her, 'I just wish I knew what was wrong with Louisa.'
'It's called being sixteen', Chace said. He placed his hand on Rubys left shoulder and begun massaging it gently. She loved it when he did that.

As Chace's arm moved across her shoulder, Ruby noticed the time that was displayed on his Rolex. 2.45. It was time she went to go and pick Madison up from nursery.
'I need to go get Madison', she told her husband.
'Are you sure you don't want me to?' he replied.
'No. It's fine. But Kit gets out at four and Louisa was supposed to go pick him up. I don't suppose she's in the right frame of mind for it now can you-?'
Before Ruby had managed to finish her sentence, her husband interjected.
It's cool. I'll go get him.'
'Ok, thanks honey.' Ruby reached across to the coffee table where her car keys were. She picked them up and then leant towards her husband to give him a kiss goodbye, then she stood up.
'I'm sorry things got cut short earlier', she said.
'Me too', Ruby heard Chace chuckle behind her, as she walked towards the apartment door.

But before she'd had chance to leave, Ruby spotted something tucked into the side of the couch, where her daughter had been sat moments before. She pulled it out, realised it was a newspaper and unfolded it.

What she read then horrified her. 'Local Politicians Love Affair Exposed!' Below the headline was a picture of Chace walking out of a small terraced house, followed by his assistant, Moira.

'What's that sweetie?' she heard Chace say.
'Oh nothing', as she replied she felt the colour drain from her face. 'It must just have fallen out of Louisas bag. I need to go get Madison'. With that she tucked the paper into the pocket of her sweatpants and carried on out of the apartment.