Stars Landing [Book 3]

Chapter 18 - Two Weeks Later

Tegan couldn't remember the last time she was in Ottawa, but the city never seemed to miss an opportunity to be cold. It didn't matter what time the year it was either, the capital city always seemed to be running on a completely different timeline than the rest of the world.

Thankfully, Tegan wasn't planning on staying too long. She was to go see Red's concert at the Canadian Tire Center, catch up with some old friends from university, and then head back in time for another audit at Swirled. Taking work off seemed to be a lot easier than she expected and that was all thanks to Cora, who stepped up and offered to fill in for her.

Finding a place to crash was also not an issue because Sera said the girls could stay at her parent's house, no questions asked. It was probably for the best, considering Rhea was still debating whether or not she wanted to visit her parents in the south end. They knew she was coming but were under the impression that it was for good. Poor Rhea had no control over her mother's antics but she said she was ready to lay down the law.

"Hello my girl!" Sera's mother was a tall lavish woman who had perfected the 'resting face'. Although usually a person couldn't tell what she was thinking, she seemed ecstatic to see Rhea standing at her front door. They had formed a special bond over the years when the girls were in university and helped Sera's mother cook, clean and even do groceries. Rhea had become so close with the family that Sera's siblings had learned to accept her as their other older sister. "Come in! Come in!"

Tegan gave the impressive woman a proper greeting followed by a warm hug. Thanks to her, they were saving so much money this weekend. Red had provided the V.I.P tickets and Warren had arranged a train ride for the girls. Feeling rightfully spoiled, Tegan tried not to think about what that entailed with Christian Fucken Lu. Over the last two weeks, they had been playing hide-and-go-seek. Tegan was purposely avoiding his phone calls, text messages, and even emails. He tried to drop by her place once, but thanks to Rhea, he was scared away. Warren caught him standing by his car and told him to get out of there before his girlfriend spotted him. How much did the suit-wearer know? Was he aware of his friend's obsessive need to be with a woman physically or was he trying to mind his own business as much as he could? One thing was for sure, Tegan was able to avoid the jerk in Toronto, but she wasn't sure it was going to be possible in Ottawa.

"You all must be so tired!" Sera's mother called down her eldest son to help with the girls' bags. Quick to take advantage of her siblings, Sera left her things on the steps, and moved into the town-house to make herself at home again. Tegan and Rhea smiled at one another, unfazed by their friend's indifferent attitude.

Fifteen minutes later, Sera's mother had all three girls set up in the refurbished basement with two cots and a couch to sleep on. "If you need anything while you're here, just ask me or the boys. I'm afraid Penny is gone to Montreal this weekend for a photoshoot, so she will be of no help to you."

"Of course Penny is out and about while I'm back home," Sera was displeased. "I told her I was coming to town this weekend too."

"She can't help her schedule," her mother was quick to defend her second daughter. "But beside the point, I have a hot meal ready to consume. Serve your friends well."

"I'm supposed to be a guest here this weekend," she complained.

The woman's smile vanished and was replaced with a stern glare. "Don't test me Serafina," her mother said. "I'll kick you back out on the streets and keep your friends for myself."

"Wow," Sera drawled before turning to face the girls. "The woman who gave me birth, everyone."

Tegan and Rhea laughed, amused and a little envious of their mother-daughter relationship. Sera didn't know how lucky she was to have such a cool mom, someone who supported her no matter what decisions she made, and someone who stayed loyal and true to her family and husband. It was hard for Tegan to not think about the Monster and compare her to Sera's amazing mother. Sometimes she liked to think about how different her life would have turned out if the Monster was more nurturing and kind. What would it have been like if they were close enough to share secrets? That was probably never going to happen.