Page 45 of Little Bitter Truths
I glanced at Karl.
He wasn’t amused.
Billy’s gaze shifted from me to Karl.“Friend of yours?”
“Something like that.Any chance the back room is free?We need to have a private conversation.”
“For you?Always.”He motioned for us to follow him, then lowered his voice, saying, “You should know your mother and Harvey are here.”
The comment stopped me dead in my tracks.“I’m sorry, what?”
Billy smiled at me as though it took every ounce of restraint not to burst out laughing.“They’re sitting at the corner table by the fireplace.Your mother’s on her second glass of wine or maybe her third.I’ve stopped counting.”
My ‘good idea’ to speak to Karl at the diner had just taken a turn for the worse, but before I could pivot, my mother spotted me, cupping a hand to the side of her mouth and shouting, “Yoo-hoo!Georgiana!”
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, my mother was on her feet and making a beeline toward us, one hand raised high in the air like she was trying to flag me down.She swept across the room in a floral blouse, white capri pants, and tennis shoes.My stepfather, Harvey, trailed behind at a slower pace.
“What a delightful surprise,” my mother said.
She kissed the air near my cheek, then turned to Karl.“And who might you be?”
“We’re here on business,” I said.
Her gaze narrowed at Karl.“Are you a client?A witness?A suspect?Wait, don’t tell me.Let me guess.”
“Mom.”
“What?I’m just making polite conversation.”
There wasn’t anything polite about it.
She was trying to get information.
“Billy was just taking us to the back room,” I said.
“Wonderful,” she said.“We’re seated near there.”
Harvey gave me a tired nod.“Good to see you, Georgiana.”
“You too,” I said.“Why don’t you go and enjoy your dinner, and I’ll catch up with you both later, okay?”
My mother hesitated and then muttered something to Harvey about their dinner getting cold, which prompted them to return to their table.
Crisis avoided, for now.
I glanced at Karl.“I’m sorry.I had no idea she would be here.”
We followed Billy to the back room, which included a handful of tables and a second brick fireplace Billy liked to claim had been built from the remnants of one of the town’s earliest homes.
Billy pulled out two chairs, handed us a couple of menus, and then gave me a knowing look.“If your mother returns and you need saving, give me a holler.”
He laughed and left the room.
Karl took a seat, his hands flat on the table, eyes bouncing from the doorway to the window to the fireplace as though he were mapping out the exits for a quick getaway.
I sat across from him.
We looked over the menu, and once the waiter took our order, I dove in.“Let’s start simple.How long have you known Mia Bennett?”
