Page 42 of Blame It On Midnight

“A moment?” It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t give Daisy Mae the opportunity to reply. He moved a few feet away from everyone else and waited for her to join him.

“This isn’t going to work,” he said, straight to the point.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Daisy Mae was looking at her fingernails like they were the most important thing in the world. He drove her bonkers on a good day, and today was bad.

“You’re acting like I belong to you. Like Collins doesn’t exist.”

She glanced up sharply. “I have a boyfriend, in case you’ve forgotten. A man I’m moving to DC with. A man who means the world to me.” She pushed her chest out, and he knew that she knew, it made her breasts pop.

“Then act like it. Keep some distance. It sends mixed signals to Nora when you act like we are a family and you’ve been doing it all day.”

“I thought you said we were friends.”

He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “I want us to be friends for Nora’s sake, but right now I’m not sure what we are. What I do know is that you need to treat Collins with the kind of respect she deserves. Do not spout half-truths and innuendos. It’s not a good look, Daisy. She’s done nothing wrong here and I don’t want our daughter hearing that kind of shit.”

“You want to play house with that…that kid you’ve been hanging off of all day? What the hell, Benton? She’s got to be closer to Ryland’s age than she is to yours. Did your accident scramble your brains so badly you don’t know how pathetic it looks?”

The fire in his gut burned harder. Brighter. He inhaled a shot of air and took a step back because if he got any closer, he might say something he’d regret.

“Bent, I didn’t mean?—”

“Yeah, you did.” He turned on his heel and tried to smile when Nora threw herself at him. Collins watched silently, and when he nodded toward the truck, she fell into step beside him. She didn’t say a word while he helped Nora get buckled in. The entire ride back to Duffer’s Place was silent.

He pulled up, put the truck in park, and then turned to her. Collins was looking in the back seat.

“She’s asleep.”

He followed her gaze. “Tuckered out, I suppose. She ran herself ragged for hours.” He reached for the door handle, and they both got out of the truck. He followed her up to the porch, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans because he wasn’t sure how to proceed. The vibe felt off, and he wasn’t even sure he could blame it on Daisy Mae.

“Today was a lot,” he said, watching the play of emotion cross her face. “What are you thinking?”

Collins chewed on her bottom lip, eyes on the ground, but when she glanced up at him, her look was direct. Unafraid.

“She still wants you, Benton.”

“Maybe. But I think it’s more that she doesn’t like to lose.”

She shook her head, a small smile touching her lips. “Men are dumb.” Her voice was husky, with that hint of rasp he liked.

“That so?”

She nodded and stepped closer. “She still wants you, and she’s the mother of your child, so I think she feels that Nora is her way back into your world.”

“In case you haven’t heard, the woman is suing me for full custody of my girl because she wants to move to Washington state with Mick.”

“Nick.”

“What?”

“His name is Nick.”

He shrugged. He didn’t give a flying fuck about her lapdog.

“She’s hoping Nick will make you jealous.”

“That’s just plain stupid.”

“It might be stupid, but her intentions are clear as day.”

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