Heartfelt by Lynn Crandall

take the time but he knew he would be facing the inquisitor, otherwise known as his mother. He knew he’d have to talk with her about the party sooner or later, and it might as well be sooner.
    “Sure, Mom.”
    “Oh, wonderful,” she gushed. “Lunch is at one o’clock, but arrive early and we’ll have more time to chat. Bye, dear.”
    Conrad shook his head. He checked his phone for his schedule. His appointments with clients were back to back all afternoon, but rocks were sliding into his gut, bringing down his mood. Funny that his mother could still evoke such misery without even trying.
    He scrolled through his contacts, searching for the right pick-me-up. “Cassandra,” he murmured to himself. An image all willowy, shapely, and blond came into his mind. He hadn’t seen her in a few weeks. It never seemed to matter how much he ignored a young woman, his dates were always forgiving. He smirked, and texted Cassandra, asking to see her later. Immediately, she texted back, and the date was set.
    He put down his phone and prepared to leave, but a text from Casey arrived. He perused it, his muscles twisting. Asia’s press conference had shone a light on new activities of TNG. The colony would need to snap to attention on this one. Plans for an animal preserve run by TNG didn’t sound like good news to him.
    He shut down his computer, turned off the lights, and walked to the door, locking it behind him.
    There was so much on his mind, but Conrad needed to focus on just one thing right now. As he drove to his parents’ house, he practiced the words he planned to say to them about the party. “I expect you’ll have a lot of very rich, high class people at your party. I don’t relate well to those people anymore, so I’m going to bring a date. I’m sure you can understand that I will be much more comfortable with her beside me. Who is she, you ask? Asia Blue. What, I’m forbidden to see her, you say? You can’t forbid me of anything or anyone.”
    Saying the words untied the knots in his stomach. If he could speak his truth he would feel the power of standing up to his parents.
Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Tell the truth. Asia will be my date.
    Conrad’s parents’ home, the home he’d grown up in, stood on acres of land, surrounded by budding trees and gardens. Water falling down a rectangular copper plate bubbled in a small pool at the bottom. Just like the house, the property was cared for by the family servants. Its back lots were left wild and unkempt. The natural state of that part of the land made it perfect for runs. The massive, four-story home he grew up in was beautiful, but the land was what kept him sane growing up. When he’d turned eighteen and started expressing his lynx form, the land made a safe refuge from his parents’ intruding eyes and unsolicited but constant reminder of their expectations for him.
    His mother appeared at the front door and wrapped her fashionably thin arms around him. “Just in time for lunch, son.”
    Conrad’s throat clenched. He was late and she didn’t like it. She never missed an opportunity to remind him of his imperfections. “Hello, Mother.”
    “Lunch is in the solarium. It’s such a nice day. Your father will be along soon.”
    They walked down the broad hall beneath the sweeping staircase to the second floor. He paused to look closely at a new painting on the wall. “This is different.” The painting was a canvas of colorful shapes, lines, and swirls.
    “Isn’t it wonderful? The painter is an emerging artist, but already she’s made a name for herself in the art world.”
    Conrad peered closely at the signature on the painting. “Kellan Rivan? I haven’t heard of her.”
    His mother swiped his arm playfully. “Of course you haven’t. You don’t pay attention to the arts.” She looped her arm through his and walked toward the sunroom at the back of the house. “Lunch smells lovely, Debra.”
    “Are you ready for me to serve you, ma’am?”