Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [29]
"I'm sure that's not true. It's probably the wedding that has brought it all to her mind. She's thinking about family, about changing her name, about having kids with you, and she wants to know about her past, so that there won't be any surprises later."
"There's nothing she could find out about her past that would change the way I feel about her. I wish she could understand that."
Once again Michael impressed her with his complete and total devotion to her sister. "You're an amazing man," she couldn't help saying. "Julia is lucky."
"You should tell her that."
"Believe me, I have."
Michael glanced back at the house. "Why don't I give you a tour before we start painting? You can tell me what you think of my surprise."
"Damn," Alex muttered, as they neared his apartment building. His mother was getting out of a silver gray Mercedes parked at the curb. This couldn't possibly be good. He didn't want to talk to her again. And he especially didn't want to talk to her in front of Julia. But his mother had already seen them. She was waiting on the sidewalk for them.
"Who's that?" Julia asked.
"My mother," he said with a sigh.
"You don't sound happy to see her."
"I'm not," he muttered. "She's the devil."
"She can't be that bad."
"You don't know her. Why don't we keep it that way?" He paused in midstride. "I'll catch up to you later."
"You want me to leave?" she asked in surprise. "I thought we were going to look for the negative."
"I'll call you when I find it." He cast a quick glance at his mother, who was now frowning and tapping her foot impatiently on the sidewalk.
"Does your mother know something about the picture?" Julia asked, a suspicious note in her voice. "You seem awfully eager to get rid of me."
"Alex," his mother called. "I need to speak to you." She began walking toward them, and Alex had no choice but to meet her halfway.
"What's up?" he asked tersely.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Julia, this is my mother, Kate Manning."
"It's nice to meet you," Julia said.
"And lovely to meet you, too," Kate replied. "I rarely get a chance to even say hello to Alex's friends. He keeps them far away from me."
"What are you doing here, Mother?" Alex interrupted.
"I told you. I need to speak to you. Why don't we go upstairs into your apartment? You can offer me a drink while I get better acquainted with your friend."
"She's not my friend," Alex growled.
"Well, thanks a lot," Julia murmured.
"My mother's version of friend is not the same as yours. She thinks I'm dating every woman I'm seen with."
"Well, you must admit you do date a lot of them," Kate interjected.
Since it was quickly becoming apparent that he wouldn't be getting rid of either woman any time soon, Alex opened the door to his building, and the three of them walked up the stairs to his third-story apartment.
"You really should get a bigger place in a nicer building," his mother said, breathing a bit heavily from the climb. "One with an elevator. It's not like you can't afford it. Alex is very successful," she added to Julia. "One of the most sought-after photographers in the world today. Just like his father was."
"That's what I understand," Julia said, sending Alex an amused smile.
"Celeb Magazine wants to list him as one of their ten most eligible bachelors," his mother continued.
"Really?" Julia said. "That's very impressive."
"How long have you known each other?" Kate asked.
"About twenty-four hours."
Kate seemed taken aback by Julia's response. "Oh, I thought-"
"You didn't think. That's the problem," Alex interrupted. He opened the door to his apartment and ushered them inside. Tossing his keys down on the table, he put his hands on his hips and said, "Now, what do you want?"
His mother wasn't at all intimidated by his abruptness. She simply squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "I want your cooperation," she said. "I'm meeting with a reporter at the Tribune this afternoon. She does the People Watch section. Her