"Wait, you're her mate!?" The question hangs overhead as Mom does a double-take between us. "I didn't know that you two were mates." This is big news, yet Mom's shocked expression seems a little milder and more composed than expected. Maybe she already had a gut feeling?
"Yeah, well... it sorta just happened." Grayson smiles.
"Ohhh" sounds more like an utterance of understanding than of surprise, or maybe I'm just reading too deeply into this exchange.
"So it wasn't Grayson you paid? Then who was it that you paid to pick me?" I wait, however, the repetition of the question in a more straightforward form seems to make her uneasy.
There's a split second of hesitation that triggers my impatience but just as she opens her mouth to speak, the door opens.
I hear a faint sigh of relief that
