Nothing to Tell — Scarlett Finn

Disappointing his mom stung deep. By not prioritizing his prospective family, he'd done exactly that. Linking his fingers, he chose to appease instead of tease. When I meet the mother of my future children, Mom, I promise you'll be the first to know.Did that make her feel better? His mom went through these phases all the time. She'd leave him alone for months and then, from nowhere, start to panic about his lack of a wife. That would cue a stream of harassment, well intentioned harassment, intended to prompt him into getting serious about a girlfriend. Eventually, he'd calm her down, or his father would, and peace would return for a while. As he got older, the frequency of the episodes increased.His mother may feel urgency, but he'd never been inspired. The buzzer on his phone's intercom alerted him to Tina's imminent contribution. Please be a reprieve...Tina's voice chirped down the line. Mr. Hunt, I apologize for the interruption, but...Yes? he asked after Tina's words trailed off. Given the discomfort in her voice, he'd guess she was squirming. Tina was quick and efficient, two vital qualities in her role as his executive assistant. If she didn't want to deliver whatever news she was sitting on, it couldn't be good.Your girlfriend is in the hospital, Tina said.Turned out squirming was catching; making eye contact with his mom was a mistake. Great, now she'd think he was hiding a romantic relationship. The matriarch's lecture wanted assurance he wasn't neglecting that area of his life. If the girlfriend thing was true, it would be cruel to keep it to himself. For both his mother's sanity, and his own.My girlfriend? No way his mom would believe it, but, as far as he knew, he didn't have one.The voice in the speaker hesitated again. Yes, her sister called to say she's in the ER, Tina said. She was mugged.And, still, he drew a blank. My girlfriend? Bastian... his mom warned.His hand wasn't in the cookie jar, he'd swear it in front of a judge. Mom, I promise you—Harper, Tina interrupted. Her name is Harper. Is that right?Bastian was already out of his chair. I'm on my way.~~~~~~