Free Riley's Secret (A Moon's Glow Novel # 1) by Christina Smith

hand Nate offered. “Nate?” Her eyes creased, deep in thought. “Oh
you’re the boy—”
    “Mona!” I yelled. She looked at me with an amused
expression. Nate looked confused.
    She pulled her hand back. “Never mind. So, you two are
hungry, are you? Well, today is your lucky day. I just made beef fajitas,
Megan’s favorite. Is that alright with you, Nate?” she asked him.
    Nate glanced down at all the dishes on the counter.
“Yes, it sounds delicious. Megan and I will help bring everything out if you’d
like.”
    She laughed. “Megan? Doing household chores. That’s a
laugh.”
    Nate smiled. “You’d be surprised. She was very helpful
on the weekend. She even did a good job cleaning the toilets.”
    As he was speaking Mona was taking a sip of her iced
tea. But when he mentioned what I had done on the weekend, she spit some of her
drink onto the counter. She took some paper towels down from the cupboard to
wipe up her mess. “Ah…did you just say she cleaned toilets?”
    He was chuckling. I stared at him, daring him to make
fun of me. “She did a good job,” he said, standing up. He took Mona’s hand and
pulled her to a chair. “Why don’t you take a break while we handle the rest?”
    I gathered a few dishes she had prepared and carried
them over to the table.
    “No, that’s okay, really, it’s what they pay me for,”
Mona protested, but took the seat at the table Nate gestured to.
    “No, Nate’s right. Just relax for a change.”
    She stared at me as if she didn’t recognize my face.
“Nate, who is this girl and what have you done with my Megan?”
    Nate laughed, a little too long.
    “Very funny. Now you better be quiet or I’ll change my
mind.” I carried the pan of sliced beef and set it in the middle of the table
on top of a pot holder. Nate brought over the vegetables and cheese. After I
placed the sour cream and fajita shells on the table, we were ready to eat.
    Ben came in just as we each assembled our first
fajita. I stood up and took out a plate for him, placing it beside Mona. He
eyed me curiously and sat down. I made introductions to Ben and Nate and we
enjoyed a friendly dinner.
    They joked at my expense and we discussed the classes
Nate and I were taking at school. Mona told silly stories about me growing up,
which earned the occasional glare from me.
    This was what I had imagined it would be like to bring
my boyfriend home to meet my parents. The problem was, they weren’t my parents
and he wasn’t my boyfriend. But we had a fun dinner anyway, until my mother
walked in. “There you are. I have been looking for you.” She glared at me, her
soft blue eyes narrowed. “Who’s this?” she asked, leaning against the counter
when she noticed Nate. Her expression changed, adding a flirtatious smile.
    “Mom, this is my friend Nate. And this is my mother,
Heather Banks.”
    Nate stood up and shook her hand. She smiled, batting
her eyelashes; my mother’s famous move. But thankfully Nate was already turning
around to sit back down, so he didn’t see it.
    “Megan, Mona told me you gave away my old clothes to
some worthless charity. You had no right to do that without my permission. Why
do you do these things? I swear you just want to provoke me. You’re constantly
causing me pain.” Her hands twittered up to her head and she closed her eyes as
if she was suddenly in enormous agony. “Great, now because of your behavior, I
have a migraine.”
    If the earth would open up, I would have gladly jumped
in.
    Nate turned around. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Banks, but it’s
not Megan’s fault. I’m in charge of that worthless charity. She donated the
clothes and made a lot of women happy. I think you should be proud of her for
thinking of it.”
    My mother’s mouth fell open. No one spoke to her that
way. My feelings for him only deepened. She stared at him, not knowing what to
say. Her hand moved from her head down to her chest.
    He turned to Mona. “I would stay and help clean up,
but