why?” Linda interrupted him. “You were perfect together.”
Perfect? There’d been nothing perfect about his relationship with Audrey. Right down to the day they’d broken up, when he’d found her in bed with his attorney.
“Things didn’t work out.” He sensed Sabrina fidgeting next to him, clearly uncomfortable about the exchange. “This is Sabrina Palmer, my girlfriend.”
Kevin politely extended his hand and shook Sabrina’s. “Pleased to meet you.”
But Linda couldn’t drop the subject of Audrey. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. What a pity. Audrey and you, you seemed so good together. Well—” She looked at Sabrina, forcing a smile. “I’m glad you found somebody new so quickly.”
But her facial expression belied her words. She was clearly suspecting Sabrina to be the reason for his breakup with Audrey.
Daniel’s good manners forbade him to tell her the truth about Audrey, namely that he’d caught her riding his attorney like a wild stallion.
With a sugary-sweet smile, Linda shook Sabrina’s hand. “I always love a great story. How did the two of you meet?”
“We were set up on a blind date,” Sabrina responded calmly, just the way they had agreed to answer this question when it came up.
He smiled. “Yes, that’s right. Friends of ours set us up.”
“My friend Holly and Daniel’s friend Tim are to blame.” Sabrina laughed nervously.
“Oh, isn’t that nice? It’s so good to have mutual friends, isn’t it? So if your best friend Tim and Sabrina’s friend Holly are friends, I’m surprised you didn’t meet any earlier,” Linda continued fishing for information. Clearly she was trying to figure out if he’d been cheating on Audrey with Sabrina.
Daniel took a calming breath. “You’ve met Tim if I’m not mistaken. As you probably remember, Tim lives in San Francisco. And since I live in New York, we don’t really know each other’s friends.”
“And you’re from San Francisco, Sabrina?” Kevin asked.
“Yes,” she replied, and then quickly added, “But I just moved to New York to be closer to Daniel.”
“Not to be closer to me, but to be with me. We’re living together,” Daniel said, wanting to make sure that the Boyds were aware that there was no way of him ever reconciling with Audrey.
Linda’s eyebrows shot up. “Living together? Oh!” She exchanged a look with her husband. “Well, you two aren’t wasting any time, are you? After knowing each other for such a short time?”
Next to him, Sabrina tensed and her grip on his waist tightened. She’d been worried about this exact thing, about people questioning them and prying into how they met.
“I don’t want to be rude, Linda,” his mother interrupted with a warm smile. “But I’d better get Daniel and Sabrina settled. I’m sure they’re tired from the drive. The traffic on a Friday afternoon is always murder! And I’m sure they’re hungry, too, aren’t you, kids?” She tossed him a conspiratorial look.
“Yes, starving in fact,” Daniel answered quickly.
“It’s been great to see you and Kevin,” she said and looked at the Boyds. “Thanks for stopping by.” She ushered Linda and Kevin to the door, and waved them goodbye, before shutting the door behind them.
“Thanks, Mom.” Daniel gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Good riddance! That woman can be so darn insufferable at times.” She smiled warmly at him and Sabrina. “I made up your old room for you two to stay in. Clean sheets, fresh pillows, and your own private bathroom.”
Daniel nodded at his mother and she led them up the large staircase.
“Thank you for everything, Mrs. Sinclair,” Sabrina said.
Raffaela stopped on the stairs and turned around. “Please, just call me Raffaela. Whenever somebody calls me Mrs. Sinclair, I want to turn around to see whether my mother-in-law is in the room.”
Sabrina smiled. “Thank you, Raffaela.”
Daniel watched Sabrina as she walked up the stairs ahead of him,
Perfect? There’d been nothing perfect about his relationship with Audrey. Right down to the day they’d broken up, when he’d found her in bed with his attorney.
“Things didn’t work out.” He sensed Sabrina fidgeting next to him, clearly uncomfortable about the exchange. “This is Sabrina Palmer, my girlfriend.”
Kevin politely extended his hand and shook Sabrina’s. “Pleased to meet you.”
But Linda couldn’t drop the subject of Audrey. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. What a pity. Audrey and you, you seemed so good together. Well—” She looked at Sabrina, forcing a smile. “I’m glad you found somebody new so quickly.”
But her facial expression belied her words. She was clearly suspecting Sabrina to be the reason for his breakup with Audrey.
Daniel’s good manners forbade him to tell her the truth about Audrey, namely that he’d caught her riding his attorney like a wild stallion.
With a sugary-sweet smile, Linda shook Sabrina’s hand. “I always love a great story. How did the two of you meet?”
“We were set up on a blind date,” Sabrina responded calmly, just the way they had agreed to answer this question when it came up.
He smiled. “Yes, that’s right. Friends of ours set us up.”
“My friend Holly and Daniel’s friend Tim are to blame.” Sabrina laughed nervously.
“Oh, isn’t that nice? It’s so good to have mutual friends, isn’t it? So if your best friend Tim and Sabrina’s friend Holly are friends, I’m surprised you didn’t meet any earlier,” Linda continued fishing for information. Clearly she was trying to figure out if he’d been cheating on Audrey with Sabrina.
Daniel took a calming breath. “You’ve met Tim if I’m not mistaken. As you probably remember, Tim lives in San Francisco. And since I live in New York, we don’t really know each other’s friends.”
“And you’re from San Francisco, Sabrina?” Kevin asked.
“Yes,” she replied, and then quickly added, “But I just moved to New York to be closer to Daniel.”
“Not to be closer to me, but to be with me. We’re living together,” Daniel said, wanting to make sure that the Boyds were aware that there was no way of him ever reconciling with Audrey.
Linda’s eyebrows shot up. “Living together? Oh!” She exchanged a look with her husband. “Well, you two aren’t wasting any time, are you? After knowing each other for such a short time?”
Next to him, Sabrina tensed and her grip on his waist tightened. She’d been worried about this exact thing, about people questioning them and prying into how they met.
“I don’t want to be rude, Linda,” his mother interrupted with a warm smile. “But I’d better get Daniel and Sabrina settled. I’m sure they’re tired from the drive. The traffic on a Friday afternoon is always murder! And I’m sure they’re hungry, too, aren’t you, kids?” She tossed him a conspiratorial look.
“Yes, starving in fact,” Daniel answered quickly.
“It’s been great to see you and Kevin,” she said and looked at the Boyds. “Thanks for stopping by.” She ushered Linda and Kevin to the door, and waved them goodbye, before shutting the door behind them.
“Thanks, Mom.” Daniel gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Good riddance! That woman can be so darn insufferable at times.” She smiled warmly at him and Sabrina. “I made up your old room for you two to stay in. Clean sheets, fresh pillows, and your own private bathroom.”
Daniel nodded at his mother and she led them up the large staircase.
“Thank you for everything, Mrs. Sinclair,” Sabrina said.
Raffaela stopped on the stairs and turned around. “Please, just call me Raffaela. Whenever somebody calls me Mrs. Sinclair, I want to turn around to see whether my mother-in-law is in the room.”
Sabrina smiled. “Thank you, Raffaela.”
Daniel watched Sabrina as she walked up the stairs ahead of him,
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