Page 85 of Fierce-Zander

There was silence on the other end. “Like a girlfriend or just someone you’ve gone on a few dates with?”

“Girlfriend,” he said.

More silence. “For how long has this been going on?”

“Almost two months,” he said, grinning. He could almost see the wheels spinning in his mother’s brain.

“How is it your father doesn’t know this?” his mother asked. “He’d tell me if he knew.”

“I work a lot,” he said. “I don’t talk about Regan at work. Royce and Chloe met her yesterday, but no one else knows.”

“If it’s been going on for two months, why doesn’t anyone know? How is it possible even Betsy doesn’t know? Whenever you’re dating someone they call the office or stop in.”

Which meant Betsy would say things to his mother. Funny how he never caught onto that before.

“Well,” he said. “There is a bit of a story behind it.”

“First, what is her name, where did you meet, and what does she do for a living?”

“You want to determine if she’s good enough for me?” he asked.

“I already know the answer to that,” his mother said.

“Huh?”

“You’ve kept it quiet for a reason, but that means you care. Now you’re telling me personally rather than letting me find out through another source. Again, you care.”

He forgot his mother was good at figuring her kids out.

“I do care about her a lot.”

“Would one use the L word?”

“Lovely?” he asked. “She is that.”

His mother snorted. “I’ve never known you to date someone that wasn’t lovely on the eyes.”

“Hey,” he said. “I’m not all picture and no substance.”

“No, you’re not. Back to my three questions.”

“Dr. Regan Philes, we met in my office building because she is right next door to me and she is a licensed psychologist.”

“Has she seen your apartment yet?” his mother asked.

His shoulders dropped. “Last weekend.”

“Then you’re in love. Oh my God. I didn’t think it’d ever happen.”

“Not funny,” he said.

“How long did it take you to clean the place up before you felt comfortable enough to show her?”

His lips twisted a bit before he grudgingly admitted, “Two weeks.”

“I would have figured double that. Maybe it’s not as bad as I thought it was.”

“It wasn’t horrible,” he said. “Just a lot of stuff and not many places to put it.”