Chapter 24
Cherie sat on the porch, watching rain come down in torrents. A weather depression had stalled out in the Atlantic Ocean, bringing wind and rain that had been falling steadily for three days.
Reese was right about a shit show. And Leah and Kayana were also right when they suggested she tell Reese about her affair with Weylin. Well, now it was out in the open, and it had become a waiting game of who would blink first.
She knew she would’ve eventually opened up about her past, but it never seemed to be the right time. And now, in hindsight, she was glad they hadn’t married because it would have been more emotionally devastating to have her husband leave her before she delivered their baby. Now, she’d resigned herself to be a single mother, like millions of other women all over the world. She had the resources to take care of herself and her child without child-support payments.
It had been three weeks since Reese had walked out of her house, and she had grown used to not seeing him or hearing his voice. He did send her a text or direct message every day, asking if she needed something, and she had yet to reply because there wasn’t anything she needed from him that she couldn’t get from her friends. She told Leah and Kayana that Weylin had come to Coates Island and that Reese had witnessed the exchange between her and the politician and about his reaction to her former lover.
As Leah had predicted, Edwina lost her shit when Cherie told her about her affair with Weylin, and she had to make her mother promise never to breathe a word to anyone because she had been a willing participant in everything that had happened between them. The exception was his ruse as to why he wanted to get her pregnant.
The sound of a car’s approaching engine brought her to her feet. It was a taxi from Shelby, and Cherie was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw her mother emerge from the car. Her tears mingled with the falling rain as she walked off the porch to meet her. She hadn’t known how much she needed her mother until that moment.
“Thank you, Mama. Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?”
Edwina smiled. “I wanted to surprise you. And, this time, I’m staying long enough to hold my grandbaby boy or girl.”
“You quit your job?”
“Hell, yeah. That cheap bastard tried to short me a day’s pay, and I told him I was out.”
“Good for you. What about your apartment?”
“I put everything in storage, withdrew some of the money you sent me for Christmas, and paid the rent up to the end of the lease. I know you probably need your space, but I’ve made arrangements to live close by.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Parker asked me to move in with him.”
Cherie didn’t know what was more shocking—seeing her mother show up unexpectedly or the news that she was moving in with Parker Shelton. The driver removed three bags from the trunk of the cab and set them on the porch.
Edwina gave the man a seductive smile. “Can you please be a dear and set the bags inside the house?”
“Of course.” He winked at Edwina when she handed him several bills. Cherie shook her head. There was no doubt her mother had charmed yet another unsuspecting man.
Wiping her feet on the mat, Edwina left her rain boots on a mat inside the door. “As soon as I shower and change, we’ll sit down and put our heads together to figure out how we’re going make things right between you and Reese.”
“Let it go, Mama. If it’s meant to be, then it will work itself out.”
Edwina stared at her with her catlike eyes. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes, it’s what I want.”
* * *
Parker walked out of his office and motioned to Reese as he entered the station house. “My office. Now, Deputy!”
Reese met Elizabeth’s eyes, hoping for a hint about why the chief wanted to see him, but she shrugged her shoulders. He headed for the office and closed the door. “Yes, Chief.”
Parker sat on the corner of his desk with his massive arms folded across his chest. “When was the last time you saw Cherie?”
Reese felt as if he’d been blindsided. He’d thought the chief wanted to talk to him about something that was work-related. “That’s none of your business.”
A rush of color suffused Parker’s complexion, turning it a ruddy shade. “What?”
“You heard me,” Reese shot back. “I said if it’s not police business, you have no authority to question me about my personal life. Not here! And not now!”
Parker dropped his arms. “Then let’s go someplace where we can discuss it. We’ll take my car.”
