Page 205 of Terms of Exposure
"Beatrice doesn't take orders from anyone," he tried to tease, but his voice was strained.
The front door swung open before I could respond. Rosie stepped onto the porch, warm light spilling out behind her.
"There you are!" she called, already descending the steps. "I was starting to worry."
"It's only ten-thirty, Mom."
She reached the car as Sebastian hauled himself out, his boot clunking against the pavement.
Her gaze swept over him with the practiced efficiency of a woman who'd spent decades cataloging her children's injuries. "How's the leg?"
"Fine."
"Liar." She turned to me, expression softening. "Candace,sweetheart, don't you dare drive off. I made pork cutlets for lunch and I made you a doggy bag."
I blinked. "You didn't have to—"
"Nonsense. You're skin and bones, honey. A strong wind could carry you off." She was already waving me toward the house. "Come inside. I'll only be a minute."
Skin and bones.
My brain seized on it, turning it over like a shiny coin.
Skin and bones. She thinks you're thin.
"Candace?" Sebastian's voice cut through the spiral. "You coming?"
I forced a smile. "Yeah. Coming."
I grabbed Lavender from the backseat and followed them up the walkway.
The kitchen smelled like rosemary and cookies. A dozen cookies on a plate sat on the counter. Next to it, a foil-wrapped container, far larger than any reasonable "doggy bag" had a right to be.
"Sit, sit," Rosie commanded. Sebastian lowered himself into a chair with a grunt while she fluttered around him, checking his boot, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead like he was five years old with a fever.
"Mom, I'm fine."
"You're gray."
"I'm always gray. It's my natural complexion."
"Don't be smart with me." She swatted his shoulder. "You've been on that leg all night. You need to soak in the tub—hot water, Epsom salts,at leastthirty minutes."
"I know how to take a bath, Mom."
"Do you? Because last week I found you asleep on the couch with your boot still on."
Sebastian shot me a look that screamedhelp me, but I just shrugged. He was on his own with this one.
"Fine," he relented, pushing himself up from the chair with visible effort. "I'll go soak. Happy?"
"Ecstatic." Rosie kissed his cheek. "Now say goodnight to Candace like a gentleman and go upstairs."
He turned to me, and something in his expression softened. The playful irritation faded, replaced by something quieter. Warmer.
"Thanks again," he said. "For tonight. For driving. For..." He gestured vaguely at Lavender, still tucked under my arm. "Letting me win you a defective elephant."
"Unique," I corrected again.
