Page 29 of Betrayed

“What about us?” Jack asked as he approached our corner booth.

Mary raised an eyebrow.

“Right. I’ll just slink back to my table with my tail between my legs.” His words in complete opposition to the playful expression on his face.

“Nina, would you please be so kind as to give Jack and AJ a couple of cookies before they waste away to nothing?” Mary called over to the counter.

“Of course,” Nina said before asking. “What kind do you want?”

“I still can’t believe you poached Chase’s favorite babysitter,” Beth said with a grin.

“Hey!” Meg pretended offense.

“You’re his favorite aunt.” Beth soothed her.

“What did you expect after giving her a glowing recommendation and insisting I hire her?” Mary defended herself.

“Right, I did that, didn’t I?” Beth admitted. She turned to me and explained, “She’s paying her way through college and needed a new job. Her old boss was a bit handsy." She wiggled her hands. "And we needed a new barista.”

“Hiring her was a no-brainer,” Mary added. “And Chase still has my girls to watch him when Nina’s not available.” She beamed at Meg and Emily.

“I’m just happy I’ve graduated from Ms. Emily to Auntie Emily,” Emily added.

“Hopefully you two will claim the title mom soon, and give me some grandbabies,” Mary said as she pointed between Meg and Emily.

Meg and Emily looked at each other, shrugged, and said, “Someday.”

Beth and Mary got up occasionally to help in the café, but otherwise the conversation flowed without interruption. I opened up a little and told them about my mom.

My height and blue eyes came from her. She was the one who taught me to respect everyone and to work for what I wanted in life. She was the reason I’d worked so hard to earn scholarships, despite knowing my parents could afford my college tuition.

I’d loved her, and she’d loved me.

The complete opposite of my relationship with Priscilla.

“Well, not the complete opposite. We don’t hate each other,” I corrected myself. “We tend to avoid each other as much as possible; me ignoring her constant criticism and her ignoring my constant snark.” I didn’t tell them I frequently compared her to evil stepmom characters.

We kept talking, and before long, over two hours had passed.

Knowing my dad expected me home for dinner, and needing to do some homework before then, I reluctantly stood up and excused myself.

After a round of friendly goodbyes, AJ left to get the car. While Jack waited with me; Meg and Mary invited me to visit them any time I wanted.

I had a feeling I’d want to. Despite the early awkwardness, I now felt relaxed and rejuvenated. Time away from Dallas was exactly what I’d needed.

AJ must have told Jack I wanted to sit up front because he opened the passenger door. Then he put my backpack, the one he insisted on carrying for me, in the back seat. When I tried to argue, Meg told me not to bother, adding, “The guys all have old school gentlemanly manners.”

To which Mary said, glowing with pride, “Damn straight.”

It made more sense now; she’d raised her sons to be old-fashioned gentlemen. I remembered John giving off southern gentleman vibes, and it made sense for him to demand that behavior from his sons and employees.

I bet Mary rules the roost with an iron fist and a lot of love.

Grief washed over me.I miss my mom so much. I bet she and Mary would’ve liked each other.

Her loss had hit me hard. I was so lost in my grief, I almost quit college before my first semester. But my dad reminded me she wouldn’t want me to give up. He’d told me, “She wanted you to get your degree and do good in the world. You can honor her memory by going to school and making her proud.”

That was exactly what I did. I went to school, worked my ass off to get mostly A’s, and would graduate law school with honors in May.

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