Page 59 of Ruthless Dream

“What is it?” Nora asks.

I spot waist length hair, a purple crewneck, and a backpack through the peephole.

I open the door, beckoning Adeline in. She kicks off her trainers, not saying a word since I’m on the phone.

“It’s nothing,” I tell Nora. “Have you seen Ian?”

“Yes and no,” she says in a tone that means I shouldn’t press. I’d asked him to come with us to New York. I’m still not sure if I’m grateful or disappointed when he turned down the offer so quickly.

“I’ll send him a postcard.”

She laughs, the noise slightly more exhausted this time.

“I’ve got to go.” Adeline, in her socks, pads around the kitchen, helping herself to a glass of water. “Love you, Nora.”

“I love you, strange child.”

My chest lightens. I’m suddenly a kid again, roaming around her kitchen, looking for food. She’s Ian’s mam, a lady who’s nice and friendly, even though it’s weird my brother is only half related to me.

“Bye,” I say, hanging up.

The fridge shuts. “Who’s Nora?”

I push my phone into my back pocket, rubbing my face. “Why are you here?”

“I don’t like my roommates.”

She takes her water, grabs her backpack, and within three steps is in the living room again.

“Can I study here?” She settles on the couch, unzipping her backpack.

The balance is being tested. We’re not dressed up, parading around a gala.

She pulls out a textbook. “Who is Nora?”

The question is curious, not bitchy.

“My brother Ian’s mam.”

“You have a brother?”

I fall onto the couch. “Yeah.”

“Are you the older brother? Is that why you understood Nat so well.”

I reach an arm around her. For a second she’s stiff before her muscles relax. “I hear we’re going after Peter Sablin now?”

A ghost of a smile traces her lips, but she flicks through her textbook.

“What happened?” I ask. What had sparked her ire so badly that she’d hauled me out of the ballroom and told me to be a better boyfriend?

“We’ve talked a lot about my family,” she says, turning a page. “Tell me about yours. Your dad works for Walsh. He’s been here for a while.”

I wrap a strand of her hair around my finger. “All my life.”

I explain the family dynamics.

Adeline listens, absorbing it all. Offering no judgment but also no pity.