Hello my fellow romantics,

It’s Wednesday! You know what that means, right? Excerpt time!

Here’s this week’s excerpt of Part 31 of The Diva Story.

Sigrid

PS: Have you voted yet? If you haven’t….*puppy eyes* Please vote? 

Hannah kept an eye on the number above the elevator doors. She was almost at the 11th floor, where her mother’s new apartment was. Lucile called it a studio, of course, but it was much bigger than that by New York City standards.

Hannah tightened her grip around the handle of her carry-on bag. She had not planned on bringing it, but weather delays had forced her to come over straight from the airport.

Her mother had made dinner reservations at 8. Hannah wouldn’t be home before midnight. She felt bad for her cat Charles. She had sent the cat sit a text from the cab to explain why she wouldn’t be home as planned.

Despite being stuck at the airport in Houston for several hours, and the bumpy flight, Hannah had been in a terrific mood all day. On the plane, she had stared at the thick carpet of clouds and giggled. “So this is what cloud 9 looks like,“ she had thought.

The elevator dinged. Hannah stepped out and walked to the end of the hallway. She had only been here once, but she remembered where her mother’s front door was. Once she was standing in front of it, though, Hannah hesitated.

She had been so preoccupied with getting here, making sure Charles had food and thinking about Milly, Hannah had not come up with a good reason to show up wearing a hoodie and carrying a suitcase.

She would rather avoid telling her mother she had just come from Houston, but she doubted she could. There was always the off chance her mother wouldn’t bother asking about it. “Yeah, not gonna happen,” Hannah thought.

She shrugged and knocked on the door. “Man,” she thought, “lots of sex really does make you delirious, doesn’t it? I’m gonna be in a lot of trouble and I don’t even care.” She grinned.

Her mother pulled open the door. Her eyes scanned Hannah’s face, clothes and then focused on her luggage.

“Moving back in with your mom?” Lucile said, her eyebrows raised.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “No, and hello to you too, mother.“

Lucile smiled and stepped aside to let Hannah in.

Hannah caught a waft of Lucile’s perfume while she kissed her mother on the cheek. She placed the suitcase in a corner of the hallway and quickly walked into the small living room.

“You’re late,” Lucile said.

“I’m not. Right on time.“

Lucile checked her watch and sat down on the couch. There were two glasses and a bottle of champagne waiting on the coffee table.

Hannah picked a comfortable chair to sit in. She sighed happily.

“It’s good to see you,” she said.

Her mother looked well, Hannah noticed. She seemed a bit more relaxed than the last time Hannah had seen her.

Lucile crossed her legs. “I’m happy to see you too. How are you?“

Hannah wasn’t lying when she said “Great!“

Her mother pointed at the bottle. “Can you open that?“

“Of course.“

Hannah was working on removing the wrapper when she caught her mother staring at her.

“What?“ she asked, cheerfully.

“Nothing. You just seem in an exceptionally good mood.“

“Like I said, I’m happy you’re here.“

Lucile narrowed her eyes. Hannah went back to opening the bottle.

“How are you? Still enjoying Brussels so much?“ she asked. She figured she should at least try to change the subject.

“Where did you travel to?“ Lucile asked, ignoring Hannah’s question.

“Crap,“ Hannah thought. The cork came out of the bottle with a pop that was louder than usual.

Hannah hated lying, so she didn’t.

“Houston,” she said and poured champagne into the two glasses.

Lucile picked one up and raised it in the air.

“To a happy reunion.“

Hannah followed her example. “To a happy reunion.“

She slowly sipped her drink and watched her mother do the same.

“You went to see Mildred North?“

Hannah nodded.

“Yes,“ she said, but didn’t explain herself.

Lucile took another sip of champagne.

Hannah briefly considered raising the topic of Milly and the foundation, but decided it was too early.

“How is Miss North?“

“She’s well,“ Hannah replied.

“She has recovered from the attack?“

“Yes, she has remarkable focus when it comes to her work. “

“Is that so? Even in these circumstances?“

“Yeah, I admire that about her.“

“So you two are getting along well,“ Lucile said. It was a statement, not a question.

Hannah nodded. “Yes, I learned to appreciate her.“

Lucile arched an eyebrow. “In what way?“

“In so many ways,“ Hannah thought. Her cheeks immediately flushed red. She struggled to find a safe answer.

Lucile smiled.

“I think it’s time you told me what you’ve been up to, don’t you?”

Hannah put down her glass, afraid she’d drop it. She was suddenly feeling very nervous.

“Eh,” she stammered, “I don’t know what you mean.”

She was only buying time and she knew her mother was seeing right through it.

Lucile just sat and waited, her eyes fixed on Hannah. They were kind and patient, though.

Hannah decided it would be best to get straight to the point.

“Milly is my girlfriend.”

 

Check the blog on Saturday for the full audio episode!