Page 90 of Always Love You More

Billy drops his cigarette, grinding it into the asphalt under the sole of his boot.

I bring mine up to my lips and take a drag.She’s not my mother.

“Oh, Billy. Hi, honey,” she pushes out.

“Hey, Mom,” he murmurs.

She forces a smile to her face. “Jameson … hi, sweetie. How are you?”

“I’m good,” he answers. “You?”

Her voice is light, airy even. “Oh, I’m great.” She shifts her attention back to Billy. “Was just stopping by to see your dad.” She pauses before tacking on like she just remembered, “And to see how your first day was.”

“It was fine,” Billy answers.

She nods, not asking for any details, then passes her gaze over me, her expression pinching. “Hello,” she says. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“I’m Sam,” I offer, my voice flat.

I can already tell that I don’t like this woman. Her little nice mother act isn’t fooling me.

She looks to Billy for an explanation, but it’s Jameson who says, “My girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?” she repeats, surprised, then sticks out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Evelyn, Billy’s mom.”

I look at her outstretched hand for a few seconds before taking it. “Nice to meet you, too.”

She eyes the cigarette in my other hand. “Aren’t you a little young to be smoking?”

“Probably,” I answer, bringing it back up to my lips.

She watches me for a minute, and I see a small crack in her mask before she turns back to Billy. “Well, I’ve gotta go. I have an appointment.” She leans in to give him a quick hug. “See you at home.”

Billy stares after her until her car pulls out of the lot.

“Are you—”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he mutters. “We should get inside. Get to work.”

I toss my cigarette as Billy reaches for the door. “All right.” I grab his arm. “But if you change your mind …”

He stills.

“We’ve got you,” Jameson says from beside me. “Always, you know that.”

“Yeah,” Billy answers. “Yeah, I know.”

It’s just turned six when the front door chimes. Billy and Jameson have been out with Luke in the garage while I’ve been at my spot behind the front desk.

Luke has come by a few times, and I expected him to seem upset, but he’s been his regular self. I would have never known he just had a shouting match with his wife, if I hadn’t heard it.

I glance up from the textbook in front of me and smile when I see Johnny, but it quickly falls when I notice the look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I cross my arms over my chest defiantly. “You know I can always tell when you’re lying.”