Page 101 of Tactically Acquired

I stepped back and looked up at him, pressing my hand to his cheek. It tore me up inside that I could no longer see the beauty of his eyes the way I used to. But I smiled at him so he wouldn’t see the pain inside.

“You’ll never lose me. It’s not wrong to find a new path. You deserve this, and I want you to take the chance while you still can. Then you can come back and tell me all about it. And we’ll have our late-night pizza feasts just like old times.”

“And smoothies in the morning,” he said, and I felt a tear slip down his cheek and settle against my thumb.

“Well, we’ll see about that.”

He shook his head. “The smoothies stay. If you want me to leave, you have to promise me you’ll take care of yourself. Smoothies every morning.”

How could I say no to that? “Smoothies every morning.”

He pulled me into his arms again, this time pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Not until after we bury your mother.”

I nodded, grateful I would have him to see me through that. “Thank you.”

26

SLIDER

She’d been in there for hours with him. I paced the kitchen, walking just far enough to see down the hall, then turning back. I could still feel her arms around me as she clung to me and cried. She was heartbroken, falling apart, and the only thing I wanted was to hold her.

It was irrational—crazy even. The only thing I could chalk it up to was the fact that I’d been watching her for a full week now and I’d been spending time with her. That had to be it. There was no other explanation for the ache building in my chest as I thought of the tears dripping down her cheeks.

I need Spencer.

Not me. It shouldn’t have bothered me that she said that. Why wouldn’t she want her friend? They’d known each other forever. Hell, they’d been making movies together for over ten years. Everyone in Hollywood thought they were a couple. It was clear as day that whatever they had was undeniably special.

But it still stung when she said the words.

Sighing, I glanced down the hall again. When I saw the door was still shut, I turned back and headed to the other wall. I needed a bigger fucking house to pace. If I walked this path too much longer, there’d be a hole in the floor.

“Are you still pacing?” Rae asked. “Sit down before I throw you down.”

“She’s still in there,” I muttered, wondering what was taking her so fucking long. “Why hasn’t she given us a decision yet?”

“Maybe because she hasn’t decided.”

“It’s her mother. I mean…wouldn’t she want to go home?”

“Not everyone has a great relationship with their mother. From what I can tell, Ginger Taylor was a real piece of work.”

“What do you mean?”

Rae pulled leftovers out of the fridge and set the container between us on the island. I hadn’t realized until right now that I hadn’t eaten all morning and my stomach was growling at the sight of food. The meat was still cold, but I didn’t give a fuck.

“The woman’s been married five times,” Rae scoffed. “Three times while Audrey was still a kid. Can you imagine having that many dads?”

I grunted in response. Hell, I had no idea what it was like to have anything other than a loving, supportive family. I didn’t see them nearly often enough, but I always assumed there was time for that later. Holidays and shit like that.

“I was digging through her financials,” Rae said, popping a piece of meat in her mouth. After chewing, she shook her head. “She left a shit ton of debt.”

“How much?”

“Millions. She was borrowing left and right. Her mansion is worth less than what she paid for it. Not to mention all the credit cards.”

“And who does that fall on?”

“Nobody,” she answered. “But that doesn’t mean they won’t go after Audrey for it. She’s high-profile. If they can get the money out of her, they will.”

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