Our Business

Tension seemed to surround us as silence filled the elevator. I felt so nervous and aware of Raphael's presence, but my mind was also shifting to think of even more troubling thoughts. Sam's words of warning came back to me, and I wondered if anything about that was true. Once again, I told myself that rumors were rumors, but I couldn't stop myself from fearing the worst. I would have told my mother about this had she told me about the identity of the man she had been dating beforehand. I guess it was partly my fault for not suspecting at all that my future stepfather could be the head of the Hayes family. I mean, up until lately, I felt like we belonged in different worlds. Perhaps we still belonged in different worlds, and my mother and I were just fishes out of the water.