Page 39 of The Sweet Life

“We didn’tsleep together, sleep together. We fooled around.”

She pushed the container into his rock-hard abs. Of course he didn’t move an inch. All he did was laugh. “It’s not funny!”

“It kind of is. How can you be such a prude? You’re a Rosetti.”

“You did not just say that to me.”

“I’m pretty sure that I did. What’s the big deal? I wasn’t dissing your family. I think it’s great.”

Sage’s mother, her aunt Eva, and her grandmother had been well known for their love of food, wine, and partying. They hadn’t been looking for a man to complete them or make them happy. They enjoyed male companionship on their terms and dated extensively but not exclusively. As fabulous as the three of them were, they’d broken a lot of hearts. It was why they’d been known as the Heartbreakers of Sunshine Bay.

“Of course you do. You’re a man.” He didn’t have to live down the teasing at school. As much as she adored her mother, aunt, and grandmother, and as an adult fully supported the choices they made, their bohemian lifestyles had made growing up in Sunshine Bay difficult at times for Sage, Willow, and their cousin.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But you don’t have to be embarrassed about what happened. You werehot. I was hot. And we got rid of some clothes.” He shrugged. “There was a little too much bare skin, and we got carried away. But look at the bright side—you fell asleep and got four more hours of z’s.”

“Shut up, Jake,” she said, shoving the box at him, and this time she let it go. She should have known he’d catch it. She stomped back inside the house.

He followed after her.

“I don’t want to talk—” She frowned. “What’s wrong?” He’d lost all the color in his face.

He put down the box and linked his fingers on the top of his head, rubbing his hair.

“Jake, what’s going on? Are you thinking about Alice?” She knew what it was like when the memories came out of the blue.

“I know you’re in there, boy. You can’t hide from me,” a woman called out.

Jake swore, and so did Sage. Then she gave his bicep a comforting squeeze. “I’ve got this. You grab a glass of water in the kitchen, and I’ll take care of your—”

A raspy laugh cut her off, and she and Jake turned to see his mother leaning against the doorframe. She’d once been a beautiful woman, but booze, drugs, and living rough had taken a toll. “Well, look at you, son. You’ve moved up in the world. Got yourself hooked up with a Rosetti, have you? The smart one too. Heard you were a big-shot lawyer, bringing in the big bucks,” she said to Sage, giving her an up-and-down look. “So, what’s someone like you doing with my boy? He’s got the looks, I’ll give him—”

“Is there something we can do for you, Ms. Walker? We’re a little busy here, as you can see.”

“Yeah, I can see all right.” Her brows lowered, and her upper lip curled. “I hear that bitch left—”

“Alice Espinoza was one of the most beautiful and loving women I’ve ever known, and she adored your… Jake.” She didn’t deserve to be acknowledged as his mother.

“Oh yeah, I know just how much she adored my boy. Took him from me, and took my husband too. He’s dead gone on two years now. It’s her fault. He was supposed to get out years ago, but she made sure he didn’t. Always at his parole hearings.” The eyes she turned on Jake weren’t filled with tears or sorrow; they were filled with bitterness and contempt. “You got money now, and you’ll be paying for what you and that bitch cost me.”

“Alice would roll over in her grave if Jake gave you one red cent, and I, for one, will make sure that he doesn’t. So I suggest you get out of this house before I have you charged with trespassing and harassment,” Sage said.

“You don’t scare me, bitch. I—”

Jake stepped between Sage and his mother. “Leave. Now.”

His mother’s bravado faded in the face of her son’s anger. He’d never stood up to her, never said a single word while she’d hurled abuse at him in the first few months after he’d moved out of their double-wide trailer. Alice had told Sage it had broken her heart to see him shrinking in on himself with every verbal blow his mother landed, as if he deserved each and every one.

His mother ignored her, taking a step closer to her son, herface softening, her eyes pleading. “You got everything. I got nothing. Can’t you spare a little something for me? I’m not asking for much. Please, Jakie.”

Sage glanced at Jake and wanted to shake him. His mother was getting to him, and that made her livid. “Why? What did you ever do for him?”

“He’s my boy,” she snarled. “He left me high and dry.”

“Don’t blame the choices you made on him. You’re just angry that he’s made a life for himself. You didn’t deserve him then, and you don’t deserve him now.”

“Sage, don’t.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “It doesn’t matter.”

But it did. His mother hadn’t just verbally abused him; she’d also stood by while his father beat him, and she’d stood by when his father had him steal for their addictions. She’d made him feel worthless, and that was her biggest sin. “Alice deserved him. She loved him like a son. She knew he was good, and loyal, loving, caring, and smart.”

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