Page 16 of Here With Me (Paloma's Edge 2)

I drew in a fortifying breath. “Yes, Dad.” I swung my gaze to Mom, who looked like she was going to skin me alive. “How come you guys didn’t call? Whose watching Pete?”

“Mrs. Muldoon is watching him,” Dad responded. “Your Mom wanted to bring you some snacks”—Dad held up shopping bags—“so you wouldn’t spend all your money on those vending machines.”

A nervous noise escaped my mouth. “Scott, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Nodding infinitesimally, Scott gave my hand a quick squeeze and Dad held the door open for him as he left.

“Why were you alone with Hunter?” Mom gestured me to sit on my bed and I complied. “Do you know how that looks?”

I wished I could’ve told her that tonight I’d made a big mistake. He’d proven that he could get through my defenses. I wanted her to tell me that I wasn’t a bad person, because I’d wanted Hunter to do everything he’d done to me. “Mom, Hunter had a crisis today and he doesn’t have many people who he talks to.”

“I don’t like the sound of that one bit, Mariska,” Dad told me. “You should be asleep. Not having men in your room at night. You’re working full-time at that restaurant and you’re a full-time student. You can’t discard how we brought you up, ‘cause you’re not in Franklin Parks.”

“I was talking to Beth’s friend. Scott has female friends in his room all the time. We’re not dating exclusively,” I tried to keep my tone even. I wanted to get into bed, bawl up under clean covers, and sleep for days.

“Are you talking back to me?” Dad’s voice rose and I glanced at my feet.

“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.

“Jake, I told you that living with Beth would make her get out of control,” she remarked as if I wasn’t in the room. “Beth is warming up the sheets with that boyfriend of hers just like Cindy. It’s—”

“Mom,” I interjected, “I’ve asked you not to talk about Beth like that. She’s responsible and has every right to be with her boyfriend. So please leave her out of this.”

Mom fixed her gaze on Dad. “This is why she left home, Jack. To do whatever she wants.” Feeling defeated, I collapsed on my bed and stared at the ceiling. “Scott must think that guys come and go from your room,” Mom went on. “If that’s how you wanna carry on, come back home next semester before you really lose yourself.”

“You’re not giving me the chance to become whoever it is I wanna be.”

“Oh, Jack. She’s going through that dramatic rebellion. She doesn’t know that the real world will chew her up and spit her out for the rest of the vultures.”

***

BETH HELPED ME TAKE out the hot rollers from my hair Friday night. We’d met up after work and treated ourselves to massages, manicures, and pedicures. Every muscle in my body was wound tight. My parents didn’t understand that I didn’t want to be the obedient daughter, because I’d been told that I had to be all of my life.

“What did they say to you?”

I shrugged my shoulders. Inside I was fuming about how they’d patronized me. “They scolded me, because Hunter and I were by ourselves last night. Scott had to knock on our door with my parents in toe.”

I wanted to grab my keys, drive to Hunter’s house and give him a piece of my mind. “You had Hunter in here?” She peered at me through the mirror with a raised brow.

“Some friend of his picked up again and he had to take that friend to rehab. He was shaken up by it and I told him we could talk about it here.”

“That’s why he called me last night.” A concerned look flitted over her face and she shook her head. “He told me in the voicemail that it wasn’t an emergency.”

“I listened to him. I think he fears that his friend might leave treatment early or something.”

“Why didn’t you call me? Chase and I would’ve gotten hold of Hunter.”

“Because I felt for him. If you, or Jake, or Bri, were in Hunter’s shoes, I’d want someone to listen immediately.”

“Does this mean that you’re trying to get to know Hunter?”

“I’ve always tried to get to know him, seeing how he’s a fixture in your life now.” I rolled my eyes. “I was very weary of him and I still am.”

“And I am sure your parents don’t want you talking to him, because of his history.”

I threw her an amused look. “You think I told them he’s a violent addict? After getting the third degree from them, I realized that I can’t tell them about other people. I hadn’t mentioned Hunter before because he’s not someone worth mentioning.” My words didn’t seem to rouse a reaction from Beth, and I looked over my shoulder at the two dresses we decided would be suitable for my date with Scott. “Which one should I wear tonight?”

***

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