Page 11 of Make Me Trust Again
I can feel my dog’s judging gaze on me while I wait, but I ignore it.
It takes Rose a moment to start the truck and get on the road, but only then do I follow behind.
She drives slowly, so I do the same as we make our way into town. The turn for my ranch comes and goes, but I don’t make an attempt to take it. Instead, I follow her all the way into Bluebonnet.
Shadow lets out a snort from her seat.
My fingers curl around the steering wheel.
Rose finally slows down in front of the school, where cars are already lined up for a school pickup.
With one last glance at the white truck, I drive down the street and get the hell away from there.
CHAPTER THREE
ROSE
“Why do I have to hear from the town gossip that my daughter was in a car accident?” Mom asks as she bursts into the kitchen, her blue eyes blazing fire at me.
I place the plate with scrambled eggs in front of Kyle. He must have noticed her marching into the room because he lifts his gaze, a beaming smile popping on his face at the sight of my mother.Morning, Nana.
She gives him a smile and signs:“Good morning, my beautiful boy.”
One thing about my mother is that she loves her grandson almost as fiercely as I do. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for him. She was there with me when he was born, holding my hand through the whole ordeal, and the first one to jump to learn sign language from the get-go.
“Eat,”I encourage.“We’ll be late for school.”
Those hawk-like eyes turn to me. Harriet Hathaway might be in her fifties, but you’d never have guessed it. As the mayor’s wife, she was always dressed to impress. Even though it’s only seven in the morning, and I know that she just came from herPilates class, every hair on top of her blonde head is smoothed in place, and her makeup is impeccable. She’s dressed in a peach summer dress, with high heels to match, a string of pearls—my grandmother’s—hanging around her neck.
Although she never had an actual job, marrying my dad straight out of high school, she always insisted that she made it her life’s mission to make him be successful for both of them. And she did. Dad’s been the mayor of Bluebonnet Creek for years now, and she dedicated her life to raising me and participating in as many town activities as she could. School boards? Check. Town council meetings? Check. Helping the homeless? Check. Organizing the charity events? Hosting my father’s business associates? Putting together the town fair? Check. Check. Check. There wasn’t a thing this woman didn’t do—still does. Her family, this town, they’re her life’s mission.
“Car accident, Rose? Seriously?”
I roll my eyes. “It wasn’t a car accident.”
Mom raises her perfectly shaped brow. “So you did not, in fact, call Darrow’s yesterday to have your truck towed? Eva Donovan was boasting about it this morning when I came to my Pilates class, and I had to pretend to know what the hell she was saying because my daughter doesn’t tell me anything.”
Freaking small-town gossip. Can nothing in this town stay private, for God’s sake?
“Well, Mrs. Donovan was wrong. It wasn’t a car accident. More like a car malfunction. My tire busted when I was coming home from the job interview, that’s all.”
Mom’s face twists in displeasure at the mention of my interview.
“Mom…” I sigh in warning. “Don’t start this again.”
“I’m not starting anything.” She scoffs as she makes her way to the coffee machine.
As if.
If you ask her, any respectable woman should be home, taking care of her family. And I get it; it worked well for her. Dad cherished the ground she walked on, and it made her happy. I wish I could do the same, but I can’t.
“Why did you call Darrow’s? You could have called your father.” She grabs her mug and gives me a pointed look. “Or John.”
I’d rather crawl back home.
There was no way in hell I’d call John for help. He already had power over me, and I refuse to let him have more, which is why I’m adamant not to have any demands in this settlement. And yesterday just shows how right I am in doing so. Just thinking about it has me grinding my teeth. I still can’t believe he refused to pay child support, the only thing I asked for, not for me, but for ourson. And then he had the audacity to ask for shared custody after all but shunning Kyle for the last six years? Over my dead body. I wouldn’t be opposed to it if I knew that he was doing it because he wanted to make an effort and get to know his son, but the only reason he was doing it was to spite me.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Kyle place his fork on the plate.
