BRUCE

"What?" asks my mother as she stares at me wide-eyed. "You can't possibly be serious! You're not supposed to be parading that woman around! Are you forgetting what's at play here?"

"Of course, not."

"Then why on earth would you accept such an invitation?" she asks desperately. "This will only make you look worse when the truth comes to light!"

I rub my eyes. Don't get me wrong—deep down, I know my mother is right. She's always been more sensible than all of us combined and her ...