I was going to murder Tate. The question was, would I do it in front of his family, or wait until the awkward dinner was over, kill him and steal his car?
"I am so happy that you could join us Laliana," Katherine said as she passed me a plate filled with basmati rice, covered in tomatoes and red peppers. Heaven on a plate.
"Thank you for inviting me," I smiled as I added rice to my already large pile of food. My plan was to continually keep my mouth full, hoping that would help negate questions.
"You were in Canada recently weren't you?" Katherine asked, pouring me a glass of water.
I nodded, "Yes. For my book tour. Tate was there too."
"Aiden was there too wasn't he?" Iz asked, smiling mischievously at me. Geeze, she's as bad as Tate!
"Yep!" Tate said in between bites, fielding what would most likely be the easiest question of the night. He planned on enjoying himself at my expense like the traitor face that he was. Stupid traitor face! That's what I got for telling his aunt I was invited to a dinner an hour before it was supposed to start. Well played Tate... Well played.
"This is delicious," I said as I finished off a bite of hummus-covered pita bread.
"Thank you!" Katherine smiled brightly. "I'll send home all the leftovers with you." Her face turned wistful, "I forget to cook less these days."
Then she blinked and her smile returned. "So... you and Aiden."
I took in a deep breath, suddenly thankful that she had waited until I swallowed before beginning her interrogation. "What would you like to know?" I asked, suddenly nervous. There was no point in pretending I didn't know what she was talking about. Our fake relationship was plastered everywhere like a set of advertisements for the summer's newest blockbuster movie.
She waved a piece of pita bread around, her tone betraying her casual gesture as it filled with excitement. "Whatever you are open to telling me. Unlike my son, you are an open book. Something quite refreshing actually," she said glancing at her nephew Tate.
He mumbled something incoherent before shoving a large piece of falafel into his mouth.
"Well..." I paused. "I met you the day after he started being my bodyguard."
She laughed, "Ah yes, the night you fell down and nearly destroyed that beautiful yellow Grecian dress. He should have been keeping a better eye on you."
I remembered how Katherine had chastised Aiden for letting me get hurt. And suddenly I was back at the museum, listening to him talk about his mother's disappointment when he got kicked out of school. The flash of pain that filled his blue eyes.
I stared down at the table. "No, I purposefully left him behind and went out for fresh air. He found me before something bad could happen." I answered vaguely. "He's actually very good at his job." I looked up at Katherine and smiled sadly. "I am a handful. But he's kept me safe every step of the way."
She held my gaze, weighing my words.
"It's true Aunt Katherine," Tate chimed in. "He's very good. Brandon said he would have assigned her a detail of twice as many people if he had known what kind of stalker we were dealing with."
Her brows rose. "So that part is true? You had someone following you?"
I nodded, pressing my palms against my knees under the table, trying to ignore the chill that ran down my spine. "Yes." The stalker's face was still etched into my mind, eyes gleaming as he lifted the knife towards my face.
"I'm sorry." Katherine's voice was soft, cutting through the memory and making it vanish like smoke. She reached across the table and squeezed my shoulder.
"Thanks. I'm just glad it's over," I admitted before shoving a forkful of rice into my mouth.
"Let's change subjects," Tate offered.
"I agree," Katherine said, before finishing off the chicken on her plate. "Are you and Aiden dating?" she asked casually.
The air left the room. I watched Iz lean forward, open curiosity on her face. Tate continued to eat silently next to me. To lie, or not to lie, that is the question. Whether 'tis better to lie to someone's face, or tell them a truth that makes you look terrible...
I put down my fork, worried that it would slip from my fingers when I started waving my arms around nervously as I spoke. The last thing I needed was to stab someone in the face. "We weren't technically dating," I said to my now half-empty plate. I could hear Tate's uneasy sigh next to me. He probably wanted me to lie. But I was a terrible liar, and I didn't want to lie to Katherine. She deserved the truth.
I closed my eyes and forced myself to blurt out the rest before I lost my nerve. "I was asked to enter a relationship with a celebrity to help boost the movie's popularity..." My stomach squeezed tight, making me nauseous. "I got stood up at a restaurant on one of my potential dates, and instead of letting the paparazzi run that story, Aiden walked in and pretended to be my date..." I forced myself to look up at Katherine. "It was a fake relationship."
I held my breath, expecting to see judgment, anger, or disappointment on her face. Instead, she stood up and walked out of the room without a word.
Oh my gosh, I broke Katherine...
I stared across the table to find Iz staring at the doorway. "Is she okay?" I whispered.
"I'll go," Tate said standing.
I shook my head. "No, this is my fault. I'll go talk to her." I stood up and pushed my plate away from Tate. "Just don't eat my food okay?"
Tate nodded, the smile not fully reaching his eyes.
I found Katherine in the kitchen, staring at a picture on the fridge. "Mrs. Dalton I—"
"Katherine," she corrected.
"Katherine... I'm so sorry." She continued to stare at the picture. So I hurried on. "I'm sorry I got your son into such a public display of lies." I clasped my hands together in front of me to keep myself from shaking. Conflict was terrifying but the idea that she would think Aiden willingly lied to her was unbearable. "He was nothing but kind to me, and none of it was his idea."
She finally turned to look at me, "Come with me. I have something to show you." Then she turned and walked out the front door, expecting me to follow.
Maybe she will kill me before I ever get a chance to kill Tate for bringing me here...
Katherine walked silently until she reached the center of her garden, eyes taking in the twinkle lights around her. "I have to admit," she said, her back to me. "I was a bit surprised when I saw his face suddenly appear in tabloids a few days after he met you."
I continued to hold my breath, worried that any sound would start a chain reaction of angry reprimands.
Katherine ran her fingers delicately over a light pink rose. "Aiden has never enjoyed the spotlight. And was burned by someone who always craved to be at the center of it." I nodded, remembering what Aiden told me about his almost engagement.
"So when he suddenly started dating a girl who seemed to always find herself at the center of the spotlight, I was worried." She turned to look at me. "There are those who are talented and can't help but attract others with their gift and those who spend every free moment doing everything in their power to attract others."
She looked at the arches above, her face falling into shadow as the sun ducked behind the walls of her garden. "My husband loved gardening. Everything he touched grew. I swore that he had some sort of magic because nothing died on his watch. It inspired others to love his work, even when he wasn't looking for it."
Katherine shook her head. "I hated gardening when I met him. I believed that fake plants were perfectly fine." She smiled to herself. "The moment I knew I was in love with him was when he asked me to watch his plants when he went out of town for a month."
She laughed. "I was terrified. Because I knew that if I let them die, it would break his heart. So I spent every waking moment taking care of those rediculous plants. Following every rule. Watering them, placing them in the sun for part of the day, putting them in the shade for the rest of the time so they wouldn't die."
Katherine looked at me. "And do you know what happened?"
I shook my head.
"They died anyway." She sighed looking back at the garden. "I was terrified. I believed he would hate me for not having that same gift. For not being a good enough gardener. But when he came back and found me crying over one of his potted plants, he asked me to marry him."
Her eyes were bright at the memory. "He said that it was my determination, my desire to try and keep something alive, even though it was something I was uncomfortable with, that made him realize he had fallen in love with me. And even though he's gone now..." A forlorn expression crossed her face. "I keep this garden alive, for him. He's always with me that way."
She wiped at her eyes, with the heels of her palms as several tears fell down her cheeks. "So no, I am not okay."
I let out an unsteady breath, terrified of her next words. Surprised by how much they suddenly meant to me. "Because my son is an idiot for letting you go."
I took a step back, surprised. "What?"
"The moment you told me that he willingly walked into that restaurant, throwing himself to the tabloid wolves to save you, I knew he had found his garden. The thing he hated, but would willingly do over and over again because he found someone worth doing it for." She crossed her arms. "So yes, I am upset that I raised a complete idiot who is too blind to see it."
I shook my head. "He didn't let me go," I replied. "I did."
She deflated slightly, shaking her head as she gave me a sad smile. "Then you are both idiots."
...
Iz dragged me up the stairs, determined to show me her room once dinner was over. "I have a thousand book questions," she said as she stopped in front of her room.
"Finally, questions I can answer," I replied with an relieved grin. Tate was forced to wash all of the dishes, while Katherine cleaned up, leaving me alone with Iz. She pushed the door to her room open and I found myself transported into book heaven. It was like looking back at my old fourteen-year-old room, except I knew most of the authors on her bookshelves in real life. It made me feel accomplished and yet a total fangirl all at the same time.
Every wall was covered with bookshelves, packed thick with books. Her bed sat at the very center of the room, leaving her completely surrounded by shelves against every wall. It looked like a potential earthquake disaster, but the amount of bookshelf space was impressive.
"Holy crap. Book heaven."
"Thanks! I thought you'd like it!" Iz said, with a look of pride. She bounced over to her bookshelf and pulled down three books. My books. Then sheepishly turned back to me. "Um... I was wondering..."
"Hand 'em over, and get me a pen," I said. She quickly snatched one from her nightstand, her smile growing wider. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I opened the first book enjoying the familiar site. I still couldn't quite believed I had enough to say to fill three books.
"I can't believe you are sitting in my room, signing my books!" she squeaked.
I laughed. "Do you want me to sign it for Iz or Isabelle?"
"IZ!" she shouted, then cleared her throat. "Sorry, that was loud. Iz please."
I got to work, watching my curly signature leave the pen and trace the familiar pattern across the page. Iz sat down across from me on the floor, giggling. "I can see why my brother likes you."
I nearly stopped moving but forced myself to finish the first signature and move onto the second book. "What makes you say that?" I didn't glance up. One of my biggest fears as a writer was butchering my signature on someone's book or worse, spelling their name wrong.
"Because Aiden hates having his picture taken. And he always has such a serious face." I paused long enough to watch her imitate her brother. I snorted, impressed by the stoic glare she shot me. "But in all the pictures he's in with you, he doesn't seem to care about the pictures. It's like he forgets they are there and can't stop smiling at you."
I moved onto the third book, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "He's a good actor isn't he?"
She shook her head. "Nah, he sucks. Almost failed drama class in high school." I handed her back her books. She clutched them to her chest delicately. "I think he misses you. He doesn't smile like that anymore."
---
Thank you for reading chapter thirty-nine! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
What do you think of Aiden's family? What do you think about Katherine and Iz?
What did you think of Katherine's love story with her husband?
Would you kill Tate for tricking you into an awkward family dinner?
CHAPTER QUESTION - If you were in Laliana's position, would you have told Aiden's mom the truth? Have you ever been in a position where you lied to keep from hurting someone's feelings?