True Connections by Clarissa Yip Read Free Book Online Page A

grandmother surprised Lia. Maybe this guy was different. Her mother seemed different. She didn’t know what to make of this new relationship. From what she’d heard, they’d only been dating for a few months, but a softness, a warmth radiated from Dina that she’d never seen. But then what did Lia know?
    “Actually, Mother, why don’t you go into the living room with Henry? I’d like to talk to Lia for a moment,” Dina said. Her simple rose-colored dress fit perfectly, emanating elegance and grace.
    A chill shot up Lia’s spine. Henry helped Nanna into the next room. Lia sat back down in her seat, prepping herself for a lecture.
    Dina smiled. “So, how does it feel to be back in Grant?”
    “Fine. Thank you.” Lia folded her hands in her lap.
    Dina frowned and tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you came home.”
    Tension formed in Lia’s chest. She couldn’t imagine confiding in the woman she’d already accepted as distant and cold. Why now? Why now, when everything around Lia was falling apart? When her ex had chosen her best friend over her? When nothing seemed right at all? “It’s nice. Not much has changed around here, I guess.”
    Her mother let out a nervous chuckle. “Yes, not much. Mother is still the same.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry about your engagement. Sorry it didn’t work out between you and Steve. He was a nice boy.”
    “Sure.” She inwardly scoffed. The day Lia had announced she planned to move to the city, Dina had given her a disgruntled glance and shrugged as if she didn’t give a crap.
    So what was her mother up to now?
    “Mother and Aunt Carol tell me you’re helping Max find a date to the party. How is that going?”
    “Fine.” Panic rose, along with a twinge of anger. Dina never asked how things were going.
    Her mother sighed. “That’s really nice of you to help them. Hopefully, you and Max are getting along.”
    Lia took a sip of her water. Her hands sweated. “We haven’t killed each other.”
    “I know.” Silence. “Your nanna missed you a lot. I wish you had come home to visit more often.”
    “I’m home now. I will visit her often.”
    “I know that, but I’m saying you shouldn’t have stayed away so long.” Displeasure pinched Dina’s voice. “Lia…I know we haven’t gotten along over the years. But now that you’re back—”
    Lia tugged at the collar of her blouse, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. She stood. “If you’ll excuse me. I think I should be getting back to my apartment. I have a lot to do before tomorrow.”
    She couldn’t stop the heavy beating of her heart. Her throat closed. She’d grown up avoiding her mother at every turn, considering each encounter usually ended up with some reprimand or reminder of what she’d done wrong. She’d much prefer that at the moment. At least it would be something familiar. If her mother believed that years of neglect could be wiped away with a few words…
    She couldn’t deal with any of this. Not today. She walked to the living room before her mother could say anything else. Spotting her nanna laughing with Henry, she drew in a calming breath.
    “I don’t believe you. My daughter wouldn’t do anything like that,” Nanna said with another soft chuckle. “She’s so proper and—”
    “Oh no. Di definitely has a wild streak in her.” Henry patted Nanna’s hand. “If she hadn’t pushed me down the ski slope, I swear, I wouldn’t have known she had a mischievous bone in her body.”
    Di? Lia gasped. They both turned toward her.
    “Honey, what you doing over there? Come sit down.” Nanna gestured to the seat next to her.
    “I have to go…” But she moved forward, taking hold of her grandmother’s outstretched hand.
    “My little matchmaker here is going to help us find Max a date to the party. Maybe if your kids are coming with you, she can help them, too.” Nanna smiled. The pride blazing in her eyes formed a lump in Lia’s throat. “And she never