Dominated by My Dad's Boss novel · Chapter 18 of 24

Chapter 18: Ember Speaks

"Mum," I said.

I was on my knees on the planks in front of her, so close I could smell the lavender soap.

She looked at me with her head a little tilted.

"I'm called Ember, miss."

"You're Iona. You're Iona Renwick. You sang to me on the stairs."

"I don't have a daughter."

She said it without any pain.

"I was told I had a girl once. I was told she did better without me."

"Who told you that?"

"I was told it in love," she said.

Gus stood above us with his hand on her shoulder.

His thumb moved on her collarbone, back and forth.

"She is very settled," he said gently. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I did warn you."

I ignored him.

I took my mother's cold hand in both of mine.

"There's a song," I said. "It goes down slowly, one note at a time, like water."

I hummed the first line of the slow tide song.

I was no singer, and my voice shook, and I got the third note wrong.

Her eyes moved.

It was less than a flicker, a quick small dart toward my mouth and away again.

Then Gus's thumb pressed once, hard, on her collarbone.

Her face smoothed over.

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