“Sounds like there’s more to that sentence.”
I wiggle my jaw back and forth.
Fuck. Fine.
“She has a daughter, and he’s trying to take her to court for custody as a way to punish her for not getting back into a relationship with him.”
Emory curses under his breath before standing up. “Like I said…break it off before it blows up in your face.”
“Mmm, sort of sounds like you think I can’t achieve this.”
Emory shakes his head and walks off, leaving me alone with his half-ass advice.
He and Scottie had an agreement. She helped him with his image in exchange for money.
That may work with Reese. I could hire her for a job of some sort and pay her.
It’s either that, or the alternative, which I know she’ll refuse.
I eagerly jog up the porch stairs and listen intently as I walk through the front door. Reese’s faint voice lingers from the kitchen, and I follow it like a kid in a candy store. My plan to ease her financial burdens has me walking down the hall with a pep in my step.
“Oh, Dimples…" I sing. “Say goodbye to Ubering and hello to–”
I stop abruptly, my feet coming to a complete halt.
Reese, barefoot, stands in the middle of the kitchen in nothing but a skimpy bra and jeans. She holds her cell phone up to her ear with one hand while the other holds Charleigh in a diaper–who looks to be as content as ever.
Reese on the other hand, seems mortified.
Her cheeks are bright pink, her eyes as wide as saucers.
She adjusts the phone up to her ear and shuts her eyes. “I’m not video-chatting with you, Benedict. If you want to talk about something regarding visitations, then I’m open to talk. But your reasoning for video-chatting has nothing to do with where Charleigh is living and everything to do with where I’mliving.”
She winces from whatever he said, and I have a hunch that it’s something her fiancé wouldn’t approve of.
As if we need any more chaos, the back door opens, and Zoe walks in, dangling my keys in her hand. She lands on me first then glances at her sister, coming to a complete stop next. “What the hell did I just walk in on?”
Reese tries her best to keep her composure. Charleigh kicks against her mom when she lays eyes on Zoe. Her squeal is so high-pitched my ears ring, but it’s still cute somehow.
Zoe turns toward me. “Who is she on the phone with?”
I answer by raising my brow because Zoe is no dummy. She grimaces, but before she can act, I step forward.
“I’ve got this,” I say.
For a second, I think Zoe is going to ignore me and still threaten to hit Benedict with that baseball bat she keeps nearby, but she gives me her trust instead. She offers her arms to Charleigh and swoops her onto her hip to take her to the other room.
“Video-chat with him,” I say to Reese.
She shakes her head in a panic, so I wind my hand around her waist and whisper into her other ear, “Trust me.”
I spin her around so her back rests against my chest. Keeping a hold of her, I reach up and move her hair behind her shoulder and do my best to ignore the fact that she’s in nothing but a bra and a tight pair of jeans.
Not caring if Benedict is still talking, I take the phone from her ear and replace his voice with mine. “Did he find out that you don’t live in the apartment anymore?”
Reese’s gulp is deafening. She nods.
I chuckle quietly. “Then let’s show him exactly where you’re living and who you’re living with.”
