The Science of Loving (36 page)

“What makes you think I’m upset with Mat?” They all shared a Does-she-really-think-we’re-that-stupid look. “No, really, it’s not Mat’s fault. We’re just not right for each other.”

“Did he say that?” Carmen asked.

“No.”

“Then what makes you think you’re not right for each other?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Uh huh, so what’s changed since Friday night?”

“What?”

“Everything was fine when I saw you Friday at the hospital. So, what’s changed since then?”

“You might as well tell us what’s got you in such a snit, because we have ways of making you talk.” Les added with an evil gleam in her eye. “Is he too freaky? Oh God, he’s a secret furry.”
She does realize that’s his mother sitting across from her. Oh yeah, no filter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Look, Mat’s a wonderful guy. Everyone loves him.”

“True,” Danny said. “But he’s not in love with everyone; he’s in love with you.”

“He’s not in love with me.”

“Of course he is,
mija
, we all are.”

“No,” I whispered, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

Carmen reached across and patted my hand as yet another serviette bit the dust. “Please tell us what’s really bothering you.”

“What happens when he meets someone more interesting? Someone whose fun.”

“If last weekend’s any indication, you’re all kinds of fun.” Danny smirked.

They were all ganging up on me. I was trying to take the high road for Carmen’s sake, but if they really wanted to go there, I would. “Look Danny, you’re always making new friends. It’s just a matter of time before you find someone better suited to him.”

“Jesus Angie, you think I’d do something like that to you?”

“Well, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before, they told me about Ashley.”

“What are you talking about? Who told you about Ashley?”

“Who’s Ashley?” Les asked.

“It doesn’t matter. She was at your house the same night I met Mat… I’m sorry Carmen, but the way he spoke to her, they obviously have history. What am I supposed to think? And what about your other friends? They’re obviously crushing on him. How many of them also share a history? I don’t want to become just another groupie.”

“Dammit, who’s Ashley?” Les asked.

“Stalker bitch… She came into the shop for a piercing. Unbeknownst to yours truly, she’d become obsessed with Biggie when he did a careers presentation at her college, and she was using me to hook up with him.

“Damn,” Les said, impressed.

“Who have you been talking to
mija
?”

“My mom,” I mumbled. Even to me it sounded weak.

“Satan?” Les really hated my mom. “You’re listening to the Queen-of-Lies?”

“Wait, how does your mother know my son?”

“She sorta did a background check on him.” There was a shocked silence. “Well, he pissed her off.”

“Background checks usually cover criminal records and credit reports, not vicious gossip. Since Mat never took any formal action regarding Ashley, how did she hear about her?”

“Mom’s pretty thorough… Actually, Avery’s the one who brought it up along with the others.”

“Others?” Carmen asked.

“I can’t believe you’re listening to that tool.” I shrank under Danny’s glare.

“Danny settle down. Angie, I’m guessing this happened when you met your mother for coffee on Saturday? Yes, Mat told me… He called me last night going out of his mind because you weren’t answering his calls.”

“It just makes sense… I mean look at me, I play with fruit flies and nerds—”

“Hey speak for yourself, Freak’n Stein, I happen to be very well rounded in an intellectually superior sort of way,” Les boasted.

“Riiight.” I added sarcastically. “Danny’s the only acquaintance I have that isn’t connected to the university in some way—”

“And, the reason you have a microscopic social circle is because that’s the way the Evil Bitch likes it.” Les interrupted again. “I’ve known you for what? Four years? And except for Mat, she’s run off anyone with the balls to stand up for you.”

“She hasn’t run you off yet.”

“Don’t think she hasn’t tried. Bob pulled some strings and saved my ass, Steve’s too; otherwise, you’d be completely isolated.”

“But why would she do that?”

“Well, let’s pull that massive brain out of your keister and look at the evidence.” She was awful lippy for a minion. “She has the morals of an alley cat. She undermines your confidence every opportunity she gets and only wants you associating with people under her thumb.”

“Okay, maybe she’s a bit controlling. It’s because she’s protective; that’s what moms do.”

“Yeah, she’s protective all right. She stands to lose a fortune when the divorce goes through, a fortune that you’ll eventually control.” Les was one of the few people I’d told about the trust. She’d come over to commiserate with me after one of my many disastrous first/last dates. Pouring shots as I bemoaned the sorry state of my love life, noting if it weren’t for my money, I’d have no love life at all. Hey, it was her fault for showing up with that bottle of tequila.

“I think we’re getting off track,” Carmen said. “What specifically were you told?” Uh oh, Carmen was getting all lawyerly on me.

“She asked about Daddy.”

“Translation: Good you’re here. Now, I can pump you for information.” I rolled my eyes. Jeez, Les was cynical.

“Then she said the prenup was unenforceable, so she didn’t need Bob to lie about what he saw when he served the papers.”

“Translation: I found a loophole and I’m going to take your Dad to the cleaners.” Danny jumped in.

“Wait,” Carmen interrupted. “She wanted you to convince someone to give false testimony? That’s subornation of perjury.” Okay…

“Then something about a temporary stipend until everything’s settled.”

“Translation: They stopped me before I could raid the bank accounts.” Les's turn.

“Oh, and I should ask out the barista.”

“Translation: I want to use this guy to get rid of Mat—” Danny said.

“Because he could come between me and your money.” Les added, high-fiving Danny across the table.

“Then Avery said he was fired because he found out Mat’s company was in trouble financially and that Mat dated all of Danny’s friends—”

“I’ve got this one,” Danny said. “Translation: He fired me so I’m going to fuck with his life, and I’m a jealous tool because I can only get dates that charge by the hour.”

“Then Mom mentioned my inheritance and raised questions about the timing of Daddy’s accident.” I felt like my head was going to explode.

“A corollary of: I’m going to see to it Mat doesn’t come between me and your money,” Les said. “I’m going to see to it
nothing
comes between me and your money.”

“I think the fact that it happened immediately after your Dad filed for divorce and froze their assets is even more interesting.” Carmen mused.

I didn't know what to think. If we had this conversation before all this drama started, I would’ve laughed off their suspicions, calling them paranoid because they’d never liked the way Mom treated me. But now, I had to wonder how well I really knew her. She was ruthless when crossed. By her own admission, she married Daddy for his money, and she was, and would probably continue to be, impenitently unfaithful…

I laid the drawings I’d worked out last night on Jack’s workbench down stairs. He said he come by as soon as the women kidnapped Angie. Thank God, Jack was on board with this. I looked up when he pulled his car in behind mine.

“Morning Jack, is she okay?”

“She’s fine; she’s in good hands. These the plans?”

“Roughly, I’m hoping you’ll help me fine tune them.” We spent the next two hours going over the drawings and making changes until we were both satisfied. “I really appreciate this Jack.”

“Hey, I always intended for Angie to have all this. Just make sure you do right by her.”

“I knew the moment I laid eyes on her, she was my girl. That’s how it is in my family. Dad always said he fell in love the moment he laid eyes on my mom. I think they were married within a week, and my grandfather asked my grandmother a couple of days after meeting her. They only waited because of the war interfered.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket. “Mom says they just dropped Angie off and they’re on their way over.”

“Good maybe they’ll have some answers.” Jack said as we climbed the stairs.

I was too antsy to sit still, so I started a pot of coffee while Jack flipped through some drawings on my drafting table. “What are these?”

“Just stuff I’ve been playing with.” I said, joining him. “I get these random ideas and if I don’t get them down on paper, they just keep rolling around in my head, nagging me. Everyone thinks I just come up with stuff on the spur of the moment, but I have files full of ideas just waiting for the right project.” The elevator engaged, interrupting us.

“Hey
Mami
,” I kissed the top of Mom’s head, hugging her tightly then messed with Danny, giving her a shove. “Squirt.”

“Lurch.”

“Jack, I’m glad you’re here. You’re Ex has Angie so confused she doesn’t know up from down, and I have a bad feeling.”

“Shit, bad as in I’ve lost her forever, or bad as in someone’s going to get hurt.” Mom came from a long line of
pitonisas,
and her feelings were never wrong.

“Same bad I had at the hospital.”

“What’s going on?” Jack looked from Mom to me.

“Mom has a highly developed intuition. If she has a bad feeling then it’s time to start worrying,” Danny said.

“Okay, you probably heard something that doesn’t fit,” Jack said logically. “What did Angie say that’s making you uneasy?”

“Actually, it’s a lot of little things. According to Les, Angie’s mother undermines her confidence, and keeps her socially isolated. Angie admits her mother is controlling and protective. But in my experience, it’s never a good sign when someone is described as both controlling and protective in the same sentence, add in the isolation, investigations on Angie’s friends, the interference with her lab personnel and things get weird.”

“Stephanie’s messed with Angie’s researchers?”

“She went after Les, apparently, but someone named Bob interceded. The same Bob, I’m guessing, Stephanie was pressuring Angie to get to perjure himself.”

“Damn. I didn’t want Angie in the middle of this.”

“What really set off my alarm bells was her specifically mentioning Angie’s financial interests. But it’s my understanding that she doesn’t have access to the family trust.”

“No, not while I’m alive and mentally sound.”

“So, why worry about money Angie doesn’t have, and is unlikely to have for quite some time? Why is she involved with my son’s ex-employee? And what is her interest in my son’s finances? There’s also the suspicious nature and timing of your accident?”

Yeah, put all together like that, it was fucking scary. I didn't want Angie or Jack alone. “I’d really like Angie to stay here until this is all sorted out.”

“I don’t think she’d go for that right now Matty, she’s all tied up in knots and doesn’t know who to trust.”

“Well, she trusts me,” Jack said, getting up. “I’d best get home.”

“Hey Jack, watch your back.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It’s My Party

God, it had already been a hard week, and it was only Wednesday. I'd thrown myself into my work instead of dealing with my personal troubles. I’d finished the final draft of Bob’s paper—ahead of schedule—ordered our monthly consumables and completed our grant proposals for the next fiscal year. I even did a little science. Mat’s texts had tapered off to wishing me a good morning at dawn and sweet dreams in the evening, and I wondered how long it would be before they stopped altogether
—no more crying. Dammit.

The lab phone startled me out of my morose thoughts. “Hello?” Silence. Then a hang up. My mystery caller struck again. I glanced at the time. Yep, he’d called like clockwork every night this week. I smiled, secretly imagining Mat on the other end of the phone, pining to hear my voice. Who else would call this late? It was well past business hours and everyone had gone home.