"Honey!" Mom called from somewhere in the house. "Have you seen the kids?"
"No!" My dad shouted from the opposite end of the house.
"I could've sworn they were— here!" Mom stopped when she saw us. "Dinner's ready."
"Can I help bring anything to the table?" Cassia asked trying to sound sober.
I pursed my lips to try and hide my smile.
"Oh no need, sweet heart." My mom said. "They've already taken care of that. Now come on, let's eat."
She left the room as quickly as she came in.
"Who's they?" Cassia whispered.
"The staff she hired probably."
"Wow. What's it like being rich?"
"I'm a tattoo artist in a suburban neighborhood. I wouldn't know."
She rolled her eyes and walked in front of me.
I followed her into the dining room and took a seat.
The table was covered with dishes of different foods making me temporarily forget why I was here... or how I was invited.
Eating would have been painful had we not had drinks earlier.
My mind was attentive enough to be aware and coherent but fuzzy enough enough to not worry about the looming dread in the pit of my stomach.
"Wow, Tiffany." Cassia marveled at the table. "You sure know how to do a dinner. It all looks so beautiful."
"Thank you." She smiled. "I don't usually go this far for dinners but for the whole family being here, I thought it'd be the perfect occasion."
Cassia nodded taking a bite of food.
"Speaking of family." Mom sipped her wine. "When do you think we'll get to meet yours?"
Cassia choked.
I choked.
"Oh, um." Cassia wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Hopefully soon."
"Yeah?" Mom beamed.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"They travel for work." Cassia added. "So I don't really know what their schedule is like."
"Oh, I see." Mom nodded.
"But I'll get in touch with them and ask them when they're free." Cassia gave a weak smile. "I know they can't wait to meet you guys as well."
"Well, I'm looking forward to the day."
"Me too." Cassia said quietly.
She turned to me and we shared a wide eyed look.
Half way through the main course Mom stands up from her seat.
"I'm sure you're all a bit curious as to why I called this dinner." She smiled. "Because this is my fifth year being published in Homes magazine, the company is sending me out to Saas-Fee, Switzerland in the next month and a half for their winter issue."
"But it's still summer." Mateo said.
"Everything is planned in advanced, sweetheart." Mom patted him on the back. "As I was saying, I'm going to Switzerland."
"Way to rub it in our faces." I whispered into Cassia's ear.
She giggled.
"And since my rank in the company is rising..." Mom picked up an envelope from the buffet behind her. "I get more perks."
YOU ARE READING
Bad Behavior
ChickLitCassia is fresh out of school and questioning her dull life now that she's finished with college. Ash is a tortured tattoo artist with a past he can't seem to escape. The two couldn't be any more different from each other. But what happens when Ash...
