Page 76 of Love, Hate, Love

I returned her smile, mine taking a lot more work. I liked the woman, but seeing her and her husband when they arrived had set my teeth on edge. I didn’t have time for whatever she wanted, and my mood didn’t have an inch left to give. If it got any fouler, someone might try to bury me in the field, thinking I was rotting away.

“I just wanted to stop by and thank you again for everything you’re doing for Leah.” She was near beaming as she came over and patted my arm. She oozed gratitude from every glance, every touch of her hand.

Damn this woman knew how to make me feel like a dick.

“Of course. Your family has always meant a lot to me.”

“You’ve always had a piece of my heart as well.” She was looking about, appearing distracted, as she said, “Leah will be here quite a while. I know that’s a lot to take on.” She spoke like it was a statement, but the way she was studying me out of the corner of her eye seemed to hold more of a question.

“She’s actually very helpful,” I said, wondering if Priscilla was looking to alleviate some burden. I’d probably say just about anything to get her moving along so I could get back to work and not get buried in guilt. I had too much to catch up on after having everyone here for the wedding.

“You know, Leah seems tough, but she’s also very vulnerable, especially around certain people.” She nodded, watching me like a hawk.

I perched a hip on my desk, finding this conversation a little more interesting than I had thought it would be. “Certain people?”

She pursed her lips, playing coy. “It’s just thatcertainpeople have always been able to get under her skin—you know, unravel her a bit.”

Why was it that her mother knowing I unsettled Leah made me want to push out my chest? This was getting a little ridiculous. Who was I becoming?

“And this is a bad thing?”

She shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no, not like that. In agoodway. You know, she doesn’t let that many people in. Even if it unsettles her a little, I think it’s better for her. I thought her and Greg might get engaged, and yet she never seemed to be thrown off by anythinghedid.”

My chest just inflated another inch while I waited, hoping she’d feed me another tidbit.

“That said, anyone she lets in to her inner sanctum is luckier than they can imagine. It might seem like she gives in inches, but once she does give? It’s for eternity and without reservation.”

Alec walked in. “Here you are. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No interruption,” Priscilla said, walking over to him. “It’s so nice to see you boys again.”

“You too.”

“Well, hopefully we’ll have more time to talk at the reception. I must go find Edwin now. He gets all out of sorts if I go missing for too long.” Priscilla walked out.

“I have to say, she’s holding up very well,” Alec said, watching her leave.

“She’s twice your age,” I said.

He shrugged.

“And married,” I added.

“Yeah, that one’s a little trickier, especially if she’s got a husband who tracks her every move.”

“And you don’t want any piece of that man. Just seeing him for a few minutes this morning put me in a shit mood.”

“Why? What happened?”

I stopped moving around and finally sat down. “He said to her, ‘Do the right thing,’ but it felt more like code for ‘Do what Iwantyou to.’”

“What did Leah say?”

“She said, ‘I always do the right thing,’ but there was an undertone to that as well, as if they were having their own secret conversation.”

“So you think your guy is right?”

“There’s no proof yet, but I don’t like what I’m seeing. I’m going to have to avoid him as much as possible today or I might kill him.”

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