Page 57 of Undeniable
Kaylee tugged on my hand. “Mazzie.”
“Mazzie,” the brunette reporter parroted.
I glanced at Lucas for help. What should I say other than my name? Because more questions were coming. Were we dating? How serious was our relationship? Where had we met?
Lucas stood beside me, a gentle hand on my back. “So, what other football questions do you have for me?”
The brunette gave me one last look then started questioning Lucas about the game. Thank God.
But even as Lucas deflected the attention back to football, I could feel the weight of the curious stares boring into me. I would bet the students watching knew I was the girl from the Wolf Howl. That I was Lucas’s fated mate. I was beginning to hate that term. Still, the camera was making me itch to run, and I forced myself to breathe, to smile, to play the part of the normal college girl. Because if I ran, I would only bring more attention to myself. More scrutiny. Questions about my life that I had no intention of answering.
“Mazzie, you okay?” Kaylee’s voice cut through the spiral of panic, threatening to pull me under.
I forced a smile as my phone buzzed in my back pocket. A distraction I welcomed. I grabbed Kaylee’s hand, and as I answered Bailey’s call, I slipped out of the limelight and into the crowd.
“I think you need rescuing,” Bailey said through the line.
I laughed, albeit nervously. I felt like I had stepped in quicksand with no way to save myself.
19
Mazzie
I was standing in the en suite of my room at the Armstrong mansion. Fancy fixtures, pristine glass shower, tile that appeared to come from Italy, and fluffy towels I couldn’t afford. Maybe that would change one day when I was a doctor like Dr. Armstrong.
I leaned in closer to the lighted mirror and touched up my mascara then dusted translucent powder over my cheeks. After twisting my long black locks up into a messy bun, I examined myself one last time before I went downstairs. My eyes were bluer today than green since I was wearing a baby-blue tank top. No signs of the dark circles I’d had up until recently.
I crossed the expansive bathroom and into the bedroom that was straight out of Better Homes & Gardens. Tufted headboard, white linens, coordinated window treatments surrounded by blue-gray walls, and the sun’s rays streaming in through the sheer curtains, giving the room a golden lighting that made everything look more expensive. The design definitely contrasted with my bedroom at the rental house where Mom, Kaylee, and I lived. Here, I felt like a princess and not a pauper.
My phone rang as I was slipping on my sandals. I snatched my cell from the glass-top nightstand. The caller ID announced Brent Furlong.
“Hello, this is Mazzie.” I crossed the plush carpeted floor to the window.
“Ms. Meyers, this is Brent Furlong. I’m your mother’s court-appointed attorney. Your mom gave me your number. Do you have a minute?”
“Yes, sir.”
Resting my hip against the wingback chair, I watched my sister jump off the diving board and into the Olympic-sized pool. I took comfort in knowing that Kaylee didn’t suffer the same sensitivity to chlorine as I did.
“Good.” His voice came across warm and kind. “I’m working on the details of your mom’s plea deal. But first let me go over what she’s up against. Since this is her first DWI offense, it’s classified as a misdemeanor, which carries penalties up to a year in prison, fines that could be as high as four thousand dollars, and license suspension. I can probably talk the judge down to time served. However, it is a DWI, and the judge on the case does not give any quarter with DWIs.”
“And my sister?” I asked before he could continue.
“That’s where your mom’s case might take a downturn. Child endangerment is a felony. Considering Kaylee wasn’t harmed, the penalty could be up to two years in state jail. But before I go on, was CPS at the hospital the night of the accident?”
“No, sir. Officer Morrical said he would try to hold off on CPS. Why? Is that a problem?”
“Not entirely,” he said. “The officer should’ve alerted CPS to assess the child’s welfare at the hospital. But that’s not your concern. The good news is Kaylee is with family and friends, and that will help the case.”
I sat down in the chair. “What’s the plea deal?”
He clucked his tongue. “Yes. What I’ll propose is time served for the DWI and six months for child endangerment. I can’t promise anything here. However, to be proactive, I would like to secure guardianship for Kaylee before I go to the DA and the judge. I understand both of you are staying with Richard and Catherine Armstrong.”
“That’s correct.”
“Would they agree to be Kaylee’s guardian, presumably until further notice? Showing the judge Kaylee is in a good home with a well-established family will keep CPS from intervening. They might still want to see the home environment, but that shouldn’t be a problem. I know that Dr. Armstrong is the chief of surgery at Lakemont General.”
I captured a fingernail between my teeth. “I can talk to Mrs. Armstrong.” I thought about asking if I could be my sister’s guardian, but I knew I wasn’t financially secure enough to take that on. As much as I would like to take over Kaylee’s guardianship, though, I wanted to stay the course with my studies. “What would the Armstrongs need to do?”
