The Arrangement (Available in paperback & eBook-SAMPLE)

Chapter 7

Thank you all for your support. It means so much to me. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I will have another one for you next week. :)

(Brenna)

Letting myself into the house, I made my way to the kitchen. I discovered my mother sitting at the island, reading the newspaper. I wished her a good morning and placed a paper bag in front of her.

"What did you bring me?" Mom asked.

"I stopped at the bakery and got you your favorite, a Lemon Blueberry muffin," I told her.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said, folding the paper. "I already had breakfast. I will save it and eat it later for a snack."

"It's yours to do with whatever you want." I pulled out a chair and sat down across from her. "Anything new?"

Mom picked up her coffee cup and took a drink. "Your sister called last night."

"How is Monica?" I inquired.

"Oh, she's doing fine," she replied. "She and Mark broke up a few weeks ago. She's dating someone named Tom now."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. My sister never could stay with one man for long. She grew bored easily.

"She's thinking about coming for a visit," Mom said.

Dread swept over me. Monica and I didn't get along. We couldn't be in the same room with each other without fighting. I considered her a spoiled brat, and she considered me a cold-hearted bitch.

"When?" I asked quietly.

"She didn't say," she answered. "She just said she was thinking about visiting."

"For your sake, I hope she does," I said. "I know it's been a while since you last saw her."

"Six months," Mom reminded me. "I don't know why she had to move to London."

"She wanted a different lifestyle," I muttered. "At least that's what she told me."

Mom sighed softly. "Let's talk about something else. What's going on in your world?"

I thought about my date with Derek tonight and wondered if I should tell her. She really didn't need to know, but she would find out eventually and when she did she would be upset that I didn't share with her.

"What are you hiding?" she demanded of me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

"You didn't answer me right away," she pointed out. "It was like you were trying to decide what to tell me and what to keep from me."

"There is something, but if I tell you I don't want you making a big deal out of it." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I met someone and we're going on a date tonight."

"Oh, sweetie," Mom cried. "That's wonderful. Tell me about him. What's his name? What does he do for a living? How did you two meet? Does he-?"

"Calm down, Mom," I interrupted her. "No need to get worked up."

"Sorry about that." She leaned forward. "Tell me about him."