Page 20 of Reid
“Then you’re at the wrong place, because this is not the girl Chance lost his mind over,” Mila announced dryly, giving my hand another squeeze.
Which meant this woman was the bloodhound’s mother, not my Reid’s.That was a relief.I dared to take a better look at her.At a guess, I’d place her in her fifties, maybe a little older, with strawberry-blond curly hair, dark green eyes, and a hint of dimples in her cheeks.She was pretty, no doubt about it.Considering how handsome her son was, that didn’t surprise me.
But there was something in the way her gaze drilled into me that made me feel like a specimen under a microscope.Part of me understood that she was only looking out for her son.Much like I looked out for Evie.It was natural to put up barriers to protect yourself and those you loved until you got to know someone.With how uncomfortable I was, however, I wasn’t sure I could handle her probing stare with grace.
The front door opened again, thankfully shifting my focus.Sammy and Abi entered with an older blond woman, all of them talking animatedly, enjoying their Saturday together.They were all laughing, but they stopped when they spotted Rory.
“Ah, fuck,” Mila muttered.
“You can cut the tension in here with a knife,” Sammy commented, her amused blue eyes darting around from person to person, pausing on Rory and narrowing for a beat before bouncing to everyone else.
Abi rubbed a hand over her small baby bump.“Mila, please tell me you have that cute new maternity dress in stock that I saw on your website.If it looks good on me, I want one in every color.”
Mila gave the redhead a small smile while continuing to side-eye Rory.I didn’t know Abi past the brief introduction I’d gotten the night before, but from what little I’d seen, she seemed like she was a pro at defusing tense situations.
“They’re right over there, Abs.Let me know if you need anything.”
With a sweet “thank you,” Abi threaded her arm through Sammy’s, and they bounced over to the display together.
I rocked from one foot to the other, feeling like there was a literal inferno between my legs.Did I need medical attention?This was so fucking embarrassing.And I still had Rory staring at me like I was a bug that she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to crush or set free in the garden.
My attention was so zoned into the green-eyed strawberry-blonde that I was startled when the other woman who’d come in with Sammy and Abi appeared in front of me.She had a smile that instantly set me at ease—or it would have if I weren’t in absolute agony.
Her blond hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her curves.She was possibly Rory’s age, with smile lines around her eyes.“Hi, sweet girl.I just wanted to introduce myself.I’m Jos Reid.”
“Everly Adams.”I returned her smile, doing my best not to squirm.I was dying.The burning was going to engulf my entire body, and I would be a pile of ash before long.“Nice to meet you.”
Jos side-eyed Rory, her lips twisting into a slight sneer.“Please excuse my sister-in-law.She’s always been a helicopter mother and has zero manners around anyone she deems a threat to her precious baby boy.”
“Oh, bite me, Jos,” Rory snapped.“You’re in here snooping too.Stop acting like you’re better than me.You don’t even know if Reid will keep this girl around past the first night, yet you’re already sniffing around her, buttering her up, calling her ‘sweet girl.’Samara doesn’t want kids, and you’re so desperate for grandbabies, you’d snatch up any ovulating whore for Reid without a second thought.”
I blamed the itching for why it hadn’t immediately clicked that Jos was Reid’s mom.I should have known who she was as soon as she smiled at me.
That was Reid’s smile, damn it.
It wasn’t going to be the burning between my legs that killed me.It would be utter mortification.The mother of the man I’d given my virginity to was standing right in front of me, while I suffered from an apparent allergic reaction to the condoms we’d used all night.
And then what Rory said finally registered.
She didn’t think Reid would want me past the first night.
It wouldn’t have hurt nearly as badly if she’d physically struck me.But I couldn’t think about my own bruised heart from her careless—intentionally cruel?—words.
Did that mean she thought Chance wouldn’t want Evie past the first night?
And did she just call both my sister and me whores?
Oh, hell no, bitch.
Everly
You hadto put up with a lot while working in retail.Customer service was all about making the client happy.Aunt Mildred’s boutique gave commission bonuses for some of the designer brands, which meant putting on a smile and staying humble.For the most part.
I’d learned how to upsale to some of the most arrogant, narcissistic customers the world had ever seen.I’d kept a smile on my face while grown women cursed and practically spat in my face.There had been times I had to keep my cool, my professional smile never once dropping, while I had police escort a basketball player’s wife out of the shop.
But that was then.
Those people hadn’t been messing with the one person I would trade my life, my very goddamn soul, to protect.
